Focus on Leadership
Actualizing Research

Dan Haden is a 26-year career firefighter with Toronto Fire Services—Canada’s largest fire service with more than 3,000 members and the fifth largest in North America.

Currently seconded as an officer to the Recruitment and Community Outreach Section, Dan is leading the implementation of its three-year human rights, access, equity, and diversity action plan.

The action plan’s framework is based on FIRE 20/20’s Multicultural Health & Safety Research Report, which was funded by a 2005 DHS Fire Prevention & Safety Research Grant, and ‘The National Report Card on Women in Firefighting’ that was prepared for The International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services (iWomen).

Dan discovered FIRE 20/20’s research and iWomen’s and is making them integral to Toronto Fire Services’ human rights initiatives. FIRE 20/20 has in turn discovered an extraordinary leader.

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Recommitment Spurred by The Recession

Tough times test our values. And these are tough times! When departments are faced with staff reductions, station closures and wage concessions, recruiting and retaining diversity goes way down the list of priorities. For some departments, it may completely disappear. Likewise, prevention, which is under-funded and under-staffed in the best of times, suffers a similar fate.

On behalf of FIRE 20/20’s Board, I asked Larry Sagen our Executive Director why it’s important for the fire service to stay focused on diversity. I also asked Larry to share how his background and experience shape his perspective.

                                                Chief Robert Oliver, Redmond Fire Department
                                                Vice President, FIRE 20/20 Board

Three Core Principles for Bringing About Effective Change

Hanley Brite, CEO of Authentic Connections is the developer and lead facilitator of FIRE 20/20’s workshop, Mastering Change in The Fire Service Workforce^TM. This workshop is a customized version of his program, Masterful Change Agent^TM. In this article, Hanley shares the three core principles that masters of change adhere to.

In-kind sponsor, DiversityInc, publishes a monthly magazine and has a website that “provides news, resources and commentary on the role of diversity in strengthening the corporate bottom line.” While we're from the non-profit, public service world, we have found new learning and pearls of wisdom and had ah-hah moments! Take advantage of a FIRE 20/20 sponsored electronic subscription—at no cost—to DiversityInc magazine at http://www.diversityinc.com/fire2020.

Visit us online, anytime at http://www.fire2020.org

Copyright © 2009 FIRE 20/20. All rights reserved.

Recent and Upcoming Events

South Carolina State
Firefighters’ Association
Engages FIRE 20/20’s Services

Of the 16,000 firefighters in
South Carolina, 13,500 are volunteers. The numbers of volunteers are declining—a problem that is nationwide. The South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association has hired FIRE 20/20 to help develop and implement a new statewide recruitment and
retention program. Expanding
South Carolina’s volunteer base to include more women and minorities is also a key objective.

FDIC
April 20-25
Indianapolis Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana

On Friday, April 24^th at FDIC,
Division Chief Cheryl Horvath of the Northwest Fire/Rescue District in Tucson who is also President of the International Association of Women in Fire and Emergency Services led the session Recruiting & Retaining Women in The Fire Service. Larry Sagen was a co-presenter and enthusiastic supporter!

2009 iWomen
International Conference
May 13-17
Omaha Hilton
Omaha, Nebraska

Growing The Next Generation:
Successful Girls' Summer Camps and High School Cadet Programs is the topic of a presentation on Friday, May 15^th by Andrea Speranza, Founder and Director of Camp Courage; Florencio Soliz, Assistant Chief (ret. Austin) and Larry Sagen.