National Fire Academy’s: Managing Officer Program

Managing Officer Program

The National Fire Academy’s (NFA’s) Managing Officer Program is a multiyear curriculum that introduces emerging emergency services leaders to personal and professional skills in change management, risk reduction and adaptive leadership. Acceptance into the program is the first step in your professional development as a career or volunteer fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) manager, and includes all four elements of professional development: education, training, experience and continuing education.

The Managing Officer Program can help you, as a first- or mid-level officer/supervisor, jump-start professional development early on in your career or volunteer service.

You will build on foundational management and technical competencies, learning to address issues of interpersonal and cultural sensitivity, professional ethics, and outcome-based performance. On completion of the program, you will:

Be better prepared to grow professionally, improve your skills, and meet emerging professional challenges.
Be able to embrace professional growth and development in your career.
Enjoy a national perspective on professional development.
Understand and appreciate the importance of professional development.
Have a network of fire service professionals who support career development.

The Managing Officer Program consists of:

Five prerequisite courses (online and classroom deliveries in your state).
Four courses at the NFA in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
A community-based capstone project.

A certificate of completion for the Managing Officer Program is awarded after the successful completion of all courses and the capstone project.

Selection criteria for the Managing Officer Program

The selection criteria for the Managing Officer Program are based on service and academic requirements.

Service Requirement

At the time of application, you must be in a rank/position that meets either the Training or Experience requirements below. Your chief (or equivalent in nonfire organizations) verifies this training and experience through his or her signature on the application.

1. Training

You should have a strong course completion background and have received training that has exposed you to more than just local requirements, such as regional and state training with responders from other jurisdictions.

This training can be demonstrated in one of many forms, which may include, but not be limited to, the following:

Certification at the Fire Officer I level (based on National Fire Protection Association 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications).
Credentialed at the Fire Officer designation through the Center for Public Safety Excellence.
Training at the fire or EMS leadership, management and supervisory level.
State/Regional symposiums, conferences and workshops supporting leadership, management and supervision.
Other training that supports the competencies identified for the Managing Officer in the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Officer Development Handbook, Second Edition.

2. Experience

You must have experience as a supervising officer (such as fire operations, prevention, technical rescue, administration or EMS), which could include equivalent time as an “acting officer.” Your chief’s signature on the application attests that you have supervised others.

Academic Requirement

To be considered for the Managing Officer Program, you must have:

Earned an associate degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

Earned a minimum of 60 college credit hours (or equivalent quarter-hours) toward the completion of a bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution of higher education.

If you are in the final quarter or semester of work toward your associate degree, you may apply. Submit an unofficial transcript with your package that indicates your history and steady progress toward the degree. The application process is competitive, however, and you may not be selected.

In addition, you need to pass these courses before applying (available both locally and online through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the NFA):

Curriculum for the Managing Officer Program

You may take prerequisite courses before, during or after the NFA on-campus first and second year program. If you complete the on-campus program but not the prerequisites, you won’t receive a certificate until you complete them.

Starting Oct. 1, 2017, prerequisite courses must be completed before beginning the on-campus program.

Prerequisites substitutes are not allowed	First-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year	Second-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year
Prerequisites substitutes are not allowed “Introduction to Emergency Response to Terrorism” (Q0890)	First-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year “Applications of Community Risk Reduction” (R0385)	Second-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year “Contemporary Training Concepts for Fire and EMS” (R0386)
Prerequisites substitutes are not allowed “Leadership I for Fire and EMS: Strategies for Company Success” November 2011 version or later (F0803 or W0803)	First-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year “Transitional Safety Leadership” (R0384)	Second-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year “Analytical Tools for Decision-Making” (R0387)
Prerequisites substitutes are not allowed “Leadership II for Fire and EMS: Strategies for Personal Success” November 2011 version or later (F0804 or W0804)	First-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year	Second-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year
Prerequisites substitutes are not allowed “Leadership III for Fire and EMS: Strategies for Supervisory Success” November 2011 version or later (F0805 or W0805)	First-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year	Second-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year
Prerequisites substitutes are not allowed“Shaping the Future” (F0602 or W0602)	First-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year	Second-year on-campus courses offered back-to-back only, twice a year

Courses must be completed back-to-back; they can’t be split.

You are eligible for stipend reimbursement on one trip per year to the NFA.

One-time exception: students enrolled in the fiscal year 2015 (October 2014 – March 2015) first semester and accepted into the Managing Officer Program are eligible for a second stipend in 2015.

There is no formal start-to-finish time frame for the Managing Officer Program.

You will receive a certificate after all of the required courses and the Managing Officer Program Capstone Project are completed.

Managing Officer Program Capstone Project

The Managing Officer Program Capstone Project allows you to apply concepts learned in the program toward the solution of a problem in your home district.

You and the chief of your department (or equivalent in nonfire organizations) must meet to identify a problem and its scope and limitations. The scope of the project should be appropriate to your responsibilities and duties in the organization, and it should be appropriate to the Managing Officer Program. Possible subjects include:

Lessons learned from one of the core courses required in the Managing Officer Program.
Experiences of the Managing Officer as identified in the IAFC Officer Development Handbook, Second Edition.
An issue or problem identified by your agency or jurisdiction.
Lessons learned from a recent administrative issue.
Identification and analysis of an emerging issue of importance to the department.

Before initiating the project, you must submit a letter from your chief indicating the title of the project, projected outcomes, how it will be evaluated or measured, and approval for the project to go forward. When the project is completed, your chief must submit a letter indicating that it was completed successfully.

How to apply to the Managing Officer Program

You may submit an application package at any time during the year, but not later than December 15 for consideration in the next available session.

To apply, submit the following:

FEMA Form 119-25-1 General Admissions Application Form
The Managing Officer Program checklist
- Your letter requesting admission to the program.
- A letter from your chief supporting your admission.
- A copy of your transcript from an accredited degree-granting college or university.
- A list of your professional certifications.
- A list of management and leadership courses completed.