The Friday Report
  April 19, 2024
 
MEMBER NEWS
  
The TFCA Best Practices program provides a pathway for a fire department to push its level of service to a status of excellence that is validated by independent experts. This designation will demonstrate to customers that their fire department is among the very best in the Texas fire service. This program is applicable to paid, combination, and volunteer fire organizations. The TFCA encourages fire departments to pursue this third-party designation by completing the performance requirements outlined in the program.  This will be a challenging but worthwhile endeavor for organizations pursuing this designation.

The Texas Fire Chiefs Association has endorsed San Bernadino County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Dan Munsey for IAFC 2nd Vice President. The TFCA encourages members who are IAFC members to vote during the election, being held May 14 through June 18.  For more information regarding Chief Munsey and his platform, please click the button below.

TFCA encourages members to enter the 2024 Thought Leadership Essay Competition. The essay competition is not about reiterating known problems in the fire service, restating current doctrine, or drafting theoretical essays; it’s about offering original thought and identifying actions to address the specific root causes of institutional and interpersonal resistance. 

Thought-provoking essays will ignite discussions and challenge readers to understand & embrace their roles in a diverse and evolving fire service. We encourage new ideas to help foster a culture within the fire service that embraces both change and curiosity. Authors and readers of this essay should be motivated and challenged to act beyond the status quo using critical thinking concepts. 

We encourage participants to focus on the substance of their ideas and put personal experiences in context without spending too much of their essays on personal stories. We also encourage you to address impactful change at every level of the organization so that the proposed solutions have a broader reach and contribute to overall organizational improvement.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Daniel E. DeYear, Deputy Chief (ret.) from Dallas Fire-Rescue will be teaching the next Company Officer Symposiums, taking place April 22-24 in Wichita Falls and May 6-8 in Sugar Land. This high-energy program will address the hottest issues and challenges that company officers face in today’s Fire Service. Topics include communication, trust, ethics, diversity, generational challenges, CISM, accountability, and social media to name just a few. Dates and locations have been announced for all the Company Officer Symposiums in 2024. Click the button below to learn more and to register.

You and your significant other are invited to the Stronger Families: First Responder OXYGEN Couples Retreat, where you can savor some moments together, recharge, get expert input, and rekindle your love during these challenging times. This retreat includes one night at the Courtyard by Marriott San Antonio Seaworld-Westover Hills, two mid-day meals, and all sessions from the OXYGEN Program, a national program that has served over 80,000 from our U.S. Military & First Responder families. This is a great opportunity to get away together and gain some tools to make your relationship stronger!

  
The 4.5-day Battalion Chiefs Academy empowers aspiring and new Battalion Chiefs with strategic leadership skills. Focusing on guiding principles rather than tactical aspects, our comprehensive training equips participants to excel in their roles. Join us for a transformative learning experience, honing critical decision-making abilities and paving the way for success as fire service leaders.

TPCA’s Officer Safety Committee, in a joint effort with the Risk Pool, provides training related to resiliency and critical incident interventions on a regular basis around the state. The content is broad enough to apply to all first responders and other departments that work in challenging environments that might take a toll on the employees. There is no charge to attend these programs and attendees do not have to be a member of the Risk Pool. Registration is required so we can account for all attendees.




Aug. 21 | Harlingen
Resilience Strategies for First Responders (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

  
The Texas Fire Chiefs 2024 Spring Academy will take place from Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 7 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Grapevine DFW Airport North. Quickly becoming a desired/required credential for fire chief positions throughout the state, the Texas Fire Chiefs Academy is a comprehensive training opportunity for current fire chiefs and those who aspire to be fire chiefs. Current chiefs and executive officers are especially encouraged to attend. Graduates of the Academy receive the Certified Fire Executive or CFE professional designation. Your department may qualify for up to $575 of funding that could go toward tuition!

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LAWS Systems
INDUSTRY NEWS
SOURCE: Associated Press
The U.S. faces an extensive wildfire season, exacerbated by climate change. A new management model aims to address growing challenges, including a shortage of firefighting teams and longer, more intense fires.

SOURCE: FireRescue1
Fire chiefs and officers should actively participate in external trainings to better lead their crews, emphasizing hands-on drills like high-rise operations and mayday scenarios for comprehensive skill-building.

SOURCE: International Association of Fire Fighters
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing an update to workplace protections for fire fighters and other emergency service personnel, marking the first significant revision in over forty years.

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TEXAS STATE NEWS
SOURCE: KIII News 3
The Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant will help the department staff more four-man teams in order to fight fires more efficiently.

SOURCE: Community Impact
Frisco voters are considering propositions A and B to introduce civil service and collective bargaining to the fire department. Advocates argue for improved management and fairness, while opponents express concerns about hindering city progress.

HED Architects
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE NEWS

TFCA is interested in learning about your legislative interests and concerns. Please take a moment to give us your thoughts on what the legislative committee can begin to develop as a list of topics. You can submit as many topics or issues as you would like, but please submit a new form for each topic so we can adequately capture and track the information.

The approach to the interim session is as follows:

  1. Update our relationships with elected officials and re-establish a formal scope of work.
  2. Educate members on local impact and advocacy.
  3. Gather the membership's interests and concerns in order to develop a TFCA prioritization list and focus for the session in 2025. The committee's recommendation for TFCA's 2025 89th legislative prioritization list will be presented to the TFCA executive board and membership for approval sometime between August and September 2024.

Click Here for the Questionnaire

TCFP UPDATES

Share Your Seminars/Training Events

The TCFP has created a new webpage where departments can share their seminars and training events with the rest of the Texas fire service.

Similar to the jobs webpage, to post to the page you must fill out the fields in the application, submit a PDF or include a link with more information, and once your event is approved it will be listed on the webpage. We hope this will be a useful resource for members of the fire service in finding more training opportunities in their areas.

Questions or concerns can be sent to info@tcfp.texas.gov.

Registration Open for Upcoming Regional Meetings

TCFP offers “regional meetings” throughout the year in a variety of locations around the state. These meetings are opportunities for members of nearby fire departments and other regulated entities to meet some of our staff in person. We want to answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and give timely updates related to commission news. In addition, through a partnership with TEEX, CE will be awarded for your attendance at these meetings. 

For a list of all upcoming meeting dates, visit the Regional Meetings webpage.

TML NEWS
This update covers the following:
  • Lieutenant Governor Releases Senate Interim Charges
  • Comptroller Proposes New Broadband Pole Replacement Program Rules
  • OMB Uniform Grants Guidance Released
  • Comments on TCOLE Minimum Law Enforcement Agency Standards Rules Due Soon
  • Mandated Cybersecurity Training Due August 31
  • NLC Seeking Input on Financial Empowerment
  • Federal Infrastructure Bill Update

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TEEX NEWS

Fire Officer III

June 17-21 | Round Rock

Fire Officer IV

Aug. 12-16 | Round Rock

May 13-17 | DeSoto

Fire and Life Safety Educator I

April 22-26 | Pharr

Sweetwater Creek Area Fire Control School

 April 20 | Mobeetie
Fire Instructor II  May 13-17 | Schertz


For course descriptions and current schedule, location, and registration information, see the individual course pages on the TEEX website.

On Duty Health
Komatsu Architecture
FIRE LAW BLOG
  
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup, hosts Brad and Curt discuss a pink collar theft case, a $1.5 billion PFAS-related lawsuit filed by firefighters with cancer, a due process ruling holding that a board member who testifies against an accused firefighter cannot thereafter return to the board to deliberate and adjudicate the discipline, a $5 million disability discrimination and constructive termination lawsuit, and a lawsuit by a Rochester firefighter alleging the city did not do enough to protect her from domestic violence and sexual harassment.

LEADERSHIP
  
SOURCE: FireRescue1
What you do, how you act and the relationships you build now matter down the road—so get out of your comfort zone, put in the work, and enjoy the ride!

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