On March 10, the CPSE Center for Innovation (CPSE CFI) hosted an afternoon showcase on Day 1 of CPSE’s annual Excellence Conference in Orlando, Florida. We started with an overview of the Center and its Year 1 accomplishments delivered by our President, Jim Robinson, CFO, Fire Chief of the Greensboro Fire Department (NC). Janelle Foskett, Editor-in-Chief of FireRescue1 was unable to attend but provided remarks on our Innovation Museum partnership and Dr. Sara Jahnke spoke about our collaboration with Science to the Station as part of our Actionable Research program.
Preet Bassi, CAE, CEO of both CPSE and CPSE CFI, highlighted the 21st Century Fire and Emergency Services White Paper published by CPSE and the International City/County Management Association. The report identified eight contemporary forces impacting the industry. CPSE CFI has conducted research on three of the forces and those respective reports were presented. For four of the remaining forces, a panel discussion was hosted. More details on each are described below.
Re-Identification
Chiefs Jim Robinson, CFO (Greensboro Fire Department, NC) and Mary Cameli, CFO (Mesa Fire and Medical Department, AZ) discussed the future of the industry and idea of mission creep. For example, an increase in behavioral health calls and pre-hospital visits, and more severe weather events such as floods and wildfires, require fire and emergency service agencies to think strategically about responding to community demand while keeping their members trained to appropriately respond. They concluded that rather than creep, leaders should view it as mission evolution as community needs change. Therefore, it is important that the industry stays adaptive and innovative, as response types will likely continue to shift over the coming decades.
Partnerships
Chief Salvatore Scarpa, CFO, CFAI Commissioner Representative on the CPSE CFI Board of Directors (Columbus Fire & EMS, GA) and our CPSE CFI Board of Directors Vice President, Alexander Henderson, Ph.D., CTO, Associate Professor (Marist University, NY) discussed The Columbus Correct Care program and our Co-Responder Model Strategic Scan.
Sustainability
Chief Holger Durre, CFO (Prescott Fire Department, AZ) and Dr. Alex Henderson discussed our Apparatus Capital Purchasing Strategic Scan.
Technology
Chief Derek Bergsten, CFO, CEMSO, CTO, PIO (Poudre Fire Authority, CO) and Dr. Alex Henderson discussed the agency’s plans for using drones as first responders and presented data from our Use of and Attitudes towards AI Strategic Scan.
Culture
Chiefs Alec Oughton, CFO (Aurora Fire Rescue, CO) and Dan Curia, CFO (Charleston Fire Department, SC) discussed the importance of relationship building and honoring tradition while fostering a culture that embraces adaptation and innovation. When building relationships with elected officials and municipal managers, it’s important to communicate early and often, and keep it free of industry jargon. With membership, it’s important to show you genuinely care and to lead with love, they shared. When building rapport with anyone, don’t let ego get in the way. They reflected that authentic compassion and respect also lead to members that feel safe sharing their thoughts and opinions on how the agency can evolve and continuously improve.
Robust Use of Data
Chief John Butler, CFO, FM, CEMSO, CTO and Data Analyst Jessica LeBlanc, FESA (Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, VA) discussed the importance of using quality data, which starts with a culture that fosters a positive attitude toward and a curiosity of data, paired with strong data processes and data literacy, which is understanding thehow behind data-informed decisions. They explained how quick, reliable, and mobile-integrated data, automation, and effective collection and storage are paramount for successful advanced analytics. A real-world example of a patient who frequently needed lift-assists finally receiving the resources they needed and therefore no longer calling emergency services was shared to promote the inclusion of outcome-based data. They secured top-down organizational buy-in by getting leadership, firefighters, and analysts all in the same room so each could better understand who was creating the data, who was analyzing, and why the data matters.
Health & Wellness
Chiefs Jonathan Killings, CFO (El Paso Fire Department, TX) and Jason Ness (Fargo Fire Department, ND) discussed important aspects of their programs, like how the Comprehensive Support Network in El Paso promotes participation from internal and external agencies such as behavioral health providers, the union, and the peer support program and how the mandatory mental health visits in Fargo allow members to choose the provider they feel most comfortable with. They spoke about the importance of breaking the stigma around mental health and normalizing asking for help, including how awareness around mental wellness now starts with recruits in the academy at the El Paso Fire Department.
The Audience was asked for their input on research questions for each of the discussed topics using Mentimeter. CPSE CFI will use the feedback from the CPSE Community to inform future Strategic Scans, White Papers, and other products of the Actionable Research Program.
About CPSE CFI
The CPSE Center for Innovation serves as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. A wholly owned 501 (c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary of CPSE, CPSE CFI will highlight innovative solutions developed by CPSE-accredited agencies and credentialed professionals and address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making. Learn more at www.innovationcpse.org.