About

What is the Fire Officer Academy?

Virginia Fire Officer Academy Mission Statement:

The Virginia Fire Officer Academy exists to prepare fire and emergency services professionals for the transition from the tactical view of personnel and operations to a strategic, safety-oriented view of the fire service, its operations, personnel safety, and administration; by providing a foundation of general leadership skills that compliment and promote fire and emergency services best practices in health and safety through ethical leadership, personal accountability, and organizational ownership.

Virginia Fire Officer Academy Goal:

The goal of the Virginia Fire Officer Academy is to develop the future leaders of Virginia’s Fire and Emergency Services by providing them with fundamental ethical leadership skills through an approach that focuses on personal accountability, ownership, education, and safe practices in Virginia’s fire and emergency services organizations.

Virginia Fire Officer Academy Objectives:

The objectives of the Virginia Fire Officer Academy is to assist fire and emergency services professionals to move from a tactical view to a comprehensive strategic view of fire and emergency services, operations, personnel safety, and administration. Participants will enhance their professional development through a unique four and one-half day hands-on, interactive learning experience designed to provide a better understanding of the relationship between leadership, ownership and safety:

♦ the need to transform fire and emergency services organizations from reactive to proactive; with an emphasis on leadership development, organizational ownership, accident prevention, and risk-reduction;

♦ the keys to understanding the principles of ethical leadership and the development of a personal set of leadership values;

♦ employee coaching techniques to correct performance problems;

♦ approaching employees to correct unsafe behavior/practices;

♦ the attitude of leadership and the impact it has on safety;

♦ the keys to assisting personnel with stress, conflict resolution and “burnout”;

♦ transforming the attitude of fire-ground complacency and freelancing;

♦ the advantages of developing team building skills;

♦ personal accountability and organizational ownership;

♦ the value of research and its application to the fire service; and

♦ the value of lifelong learning.

For more information, please email info@vfoa.us.