SFU Hosts Cambria County Volunteer Firemen's Association Leadership Academy

Loretto, PA (03/18/2020) — Saint Francis University is dedicated to not only providing a world class education to it's students, but the local community as well.

The Cambria County Volunteer Firemen's Association, in conjunction with the Experiential Learning Commons, hosted a series of classes, from February 8th to March 11th, called the "Leadership Academy".

Line Officers, Administrative Officers, and future officers from 13 local fire departments participated in the five-week course.

The series helped to create a better understanding of handling fire department administrative functions. Students had the opportunity to gain an understanding of the critical skills that are necessary to develop successful leadership in their fire organizations.

The series strengthened the idea that effective leadership in today's fire service involves more than just tactics. Students took part in lectures, assessments, simulated scenarios, and skills building activities to gain an understanding of their own personal leadership assets and liabilities.

The program consisted of 10 professional development courses and was held over a course of 5 weeks. The courses were taught by highly regarded professionals including our University president, Father Malachi Van Tassel. The topics discussed were:

Local Government in PA - Ed Mann - Director of Training and Education for Provident Insurance and former Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner

How to Motivate Your Firefighters - Jerome Ozog, MPA, EFO - Executive Director Pennsylvania Fire & Emergency Services Institute

Positive Relations with the Media - Tim Longwill BA - Grant writer, technical writer, PR specialist, former broadcast journalist

Budget and Financial Planning - Paul Kundrod BS - Asst. VP 1st Summit Bank, Fire Chief Adam's Township, Past President Volunteer Firemen's Association...and...Matthew Barczak MBA - Northern Cambria Community Development Corporation

Emergency Management - Art Martynuska MS, CFPS, EFO, EMC, EMT-P - EMA Deputy Director, Cambria County

Community Risk Analysis - Randy Santone - retired Asst. Chief, City of Altoona Fire Dept.

Technology in Today's Fire Service - Steve Kocsis GIS Director for Cambria County.

Grant Writing Fundamentals - Jerry Brant BA - Decoplan Associates

Ethics in the Fire Service - Father Malachi Van Tassell PhD - President, SFU, former Deputy Fire Chief, Loretto Volunteer Fire Co.

Media Attachments