Senior fire officer completes
executive development program

By Staff
special to The Star
July 4, 2003
EMMITSBURG, Md. Deputy Chief Gene Tolbird Sr. of the 186th Air Refueling Wing, Mississippi Air National Guard Fire Department, has successfully completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy here.
Each of four courses required a written applied research project to demonstrate application of course theory and concepts to real life situations as they might exist in the student's community. Each of the projects was evaluated through a formal process and progression through the program was contingent on achieving each of the milestones.
As part of the Executive Fire Officer Program, Tolbird completed a self-assessment and development plan to create desirable goals in the areas of professional, personal, community and family life.
Tolbird completed the course on April 11.
The National Fire Academy is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's U.S. Fire Administration to promote professional development of emergency responders. The program's training goals are to enhance the capability at the community level and to better prepare for emergencies by improving technical competence and public policy perspective for key emergency managers and staff.