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COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)of you based upon rank. The authors of“Crucial Conversations” note that thosein high-level leadership positions are oftenfrustrated because those around them “filterwhat they say by guessing what they thinkI am willing to hear.” Fire chiefs are nodifferent.Finally, you must be accessible andapproachable to have these types ofconversations. Note that these two termsaren’t interchangeable. You can be veryapproachable, but never around. Andyou can be around all the time, but notapproachable.Three QuestionsCourageous conversations occur at twolevels: organizational and personal. But bothare designed to talk about the elephant inthe room. If you believe you’re not gettingthe necessary feedback from your staff tomake good decisions or understand yourpersonal blind spots, you can draw it out ofthem by asking three simple questions.For an organizational perspective, ask:1. What are three things that we do well?2. What are three things that we couldimprove on?3. If you had a magic wand and couldchange one thing, what would youchange?Once you talk to three or more of yourmembers, regardless of rank, you’ll start tosee themes emerge in the answers.As fire chief, your ability to sense the needsof the organization is important, because itdetermines the direction and organizationalvision of the department. You can only dothis by asking tough, direct questions—and listening to responses that may not beflattering.4If you want personal feedback, ask thesethree questions slightly differently:1. What are three things that I’m doingwell?2. What are three things that I could(should) improve on? Put another way:What do I do that gets in your way?3. If there’s one thing I could change thatwould have a profound professionalimpact on me what would that be?Tip: Only ask these questions if you’re reallyinterested in the answers, or it will be seenas an act of placation. If you listen, followup and thank them—even if you don’t actupon all their recommendations—they willknow you took their opinion seriously, andyou give the signal that you’re open to futurefeedback. Remember: You don’t have to agreewith what others are sharing with you. Butyou do need to know what they think.An ICS AnalogyThe incident command system (ICS) worksby using common procedures and commonterminologies. The same concepts can beapplied to courageous conversations.If someone, starts a conversation bystating that you want to have a courageousconversation this will send a signal regardingthe importance of the next few minutes.Next, size up the scene. Who’s involved?What are the facts? What perspectives dothey bring to the table? How do attitudeschange as the conversation develops? Asin any incident, your size-up should beongoing, and your tactics may need tochange as a result of new information.Finally, you must make decisions on whatto do with the information you collect—in effect, how you solve the problem.Like the fireground scenario, courageousconversations require you to make decisionsbased upon incomplete information, butthese decisions are even more challengingbecause they’re often based on individualperspectives or biases.All employees bring their own interests,wants, desires and needs to the workplace.Although problem-solving is seeminglya rational process, it is also a politicalprocess, which is often irrational.Organizational members seek to satisfynot only organizational interests, but alsotheir own wants and needs. The best way toensure that decisions are not being made insomeone’s self-interest: Ask yourself what’sin the best interest of the community, thefire agency, the members and then yourself.Then identify the facts, assumptionsand bias. This works for personal andorganizational feedback as well for decisionmaking.A Final WordCourageous conversations, whether youinitiate them or they occur through otherswho aren’t afraid to come forward whenthe need arises, allow us to see our personalissues and/or organizational issues clearer.The question you must ask yourself: Whatconversations should we be having butaren’t?Marc Revere is the fire chief of the NovatoFire Protection District, an InternationallyAccredited Agency in Marin County, Calif.He has 34 years in the fire service and is anEFO, CFO and a Harvard Fellow. In 2010,Chief Revere became the first recipient of theRonny Jack Coleman Leadership and LegacyAward from the Commission on Public SafetyExcellence.

Legislative Report: StateBudget UpdateBy Ralph Heim, Legislative AdvocateState Budget UpdateAs the state budget saga is on hold,Governor Brown tours the stateseeking support for his budgetlinchpin, a 5-year extension fora number of taxes set to expire atmidnight on June 30.The Governor had hoped he couldsecure sufficient Republican votesto place the extension on thisJune’s ballot, but after negotiationswith the Republican leadershipcollapsed, any hope of a Juneelection evaporated. The Governoris still optimistic a compromisewith the Republicans can bereached for placement on theNovember ballot.Failing to reach such an agreement, anumber of labor/teacher organizationare considering initiatives for theNovember ballot, one of whichwould contain the Governor’s 5-yearextension of the existing taxes, whileanother may propose to increase thepersonal income tax on California’shighest wage earners.In the interim, don’t expect muchmore on the state budget untilthe Governor releases his MayRevision around mid-May, afterwhich the Governor and Legislaturewill reconvene for serious budgetnegotiations.Legislative Deadline LoomMay 6 was the deadline forpolicy committees to considerbills that must also be consideredby the fiscal committees, so thepace of committee hearingsincreased dramatically andcontinued to do so in order tomeet the May 6 deadline. Thenext important deadline is May27, which is when the fiscalcommittees must take action onfiscal bills, followed by the June3 deadline for bills to pass theirhouse of origin.California Forward ReleasesFinal RecommendationCalifornia Forwardrecently released itsfinal recommendation,including,“Making CaliforniaWork Again: RestructuringState-Local Relationships.”Since these recommendationsaffect every local agency inCalifornia, including thepossibility of reallocating thecurrent property tax allocationformula, the report is certainlya must read. You may view thereport and recommendationsby visiting California Forward’swebsite at www.CAFWD.org.5

CSFA Conducts Free Workshops forVolunteer FirefightersVern Losh, Northern Director, CSFANo one doubts the severity of the currenteconomic crisis the government is facingto provide services. This is not just a local,short term issue, but rather a nationaldilemma. And, nowhere is the issue morecritical than at the local level. This is wheremost services are delivered, especially publicsafety.Specifically, fire districts are challengedby this phenomenon. More importantly,local fire districts are facing anotherchallenge: the need to retain and recruitvolunteer firefighters. Many fire districtsrely on volunteers to staff both firefightingand emergency medical services. It isunfortunate that the economic stresses areoccurring at the same time that the numberof people who become volunteers in fireagencies appears to be declining.The California State Firefighter Association(CSFA) has made an effort to address thischallenge. It applied for and received twoAssistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG)that will assist local fire agencies in doing abetter job of retaining their personnel andrecruiting new members.6The grant is being administered by theRedden Group and is being coordinatedin California by the CSFA VolunteerCommittee. Greg Redden, President ofthe Redden Group states, “This grantprogram is a positive and at the same timecomprehensive effort to give the tools tolocal fire departments in order to maintaintheir level of service.”Ron Coleman, retired State Fire Marshalof California, sits as the Chairman of theVolunteer Committee. His committee is“dedicated to providing support to theentire California Volunteer Fire Servicewithout reservation.” Further he notes that“the retention of volunteers is somethingthat can never be taken for granted. It is ayear round effort and requires concentrationon the value and contributions thatvolunteers make to their communities.”The CSFA and Redden Group areconducting a series of workshopsthroughout the state. The goal is to reachas many volunteers and combination firedepartments as possible.The first of these workshops has alreadybeen conducted in Sacramento inassociation with the CSFA’s AnnualConference. There were more than 40attendees who received information ontopics such as, leadership skills for chiefs,recruitment and retention tips, traininginformation, and much more.The grant provides funding for sixworkshops per year for four years. Theremainder of the workshops for 2011 are setfor May 14 and 15 in Redding, August 13and 14 in Ukiah, September 17 and 18 inBishop, October 15 and 16 in Visalia, andNovember 19 and 20 in San Diego.All expenses to attend the workshops arebeing paid for by AF Grant Funds.Please go to the CSFA website to see specificdetails. www.csfa.netIf your department is totally or partiallyvolunteer, you should have at least onemember in attendance at the next meeting.

Enjoy Grilling, But Stay Safe!Robert L. Gill, Pioneer District Fire Chief/CEOSpring and summer bring the season for Americans to grillburgers, steak and hot dogs. Many of us now fire up the grillssooner in the year and delay putting them away until the firstfrost, and that’s why grill safety is more important than ever.Whether you use charcoal, wood, gas or electricity for grilling,a moment’s inattention can spell disaster, says Pioneer Fire’sChief Robert Gill.To ensure safe cookouts, make sure someone tends the fire at alltimes. Here are some safety tips to consider: Keep grills away from combustibles, including the outside of your house,balcony or garage. Check hose integrity and hose connections to make sure gas is not leakingfrom your gas grill. Apply soapy water to hoses and connections to revealany leaks. Use only equipment bearing the mark of an independent testing laboratory.Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to set up the grill andmaintain it. Never store propane cylinders in buildings or garages. If you store a gas grillinside during the winter, disconnect the cylinder and leave it outside. Enforce a “kid-free zone” of 36” around the grill. Also keep your pets fromunderfoot. Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals or kindling have already beenignited, and never use any flammable or combustible liquid other thancharcoal starter fluid to get the fire going. Keep the grill clean.Did You Know? The popularity of gas-fueled grills nearlytripled between 1982 and 1993 (up 193percent from 9.4 million users to 27.5million users). Gas grills have a higher fire risk thancharcoal grills; leaks and breaks are theleading cause, accounting for nearly halfof gas grill fires. Gas-fueled grills caused an estimated600 residential structure fires and 3,200residential outdoor fires in 2001. Charcoal grills have a higher risk than gasgrills of death due to fire or un-ventedcarbon monoxide; most of these deathsdo not involve fire. Charcoal-fueled or other solid-fueledgrills caused an estimated 400 residentialstructure fires and 200 residentialoutdoor fires in 2001. Placing combustibles too close to heat,and leaving cooking unattended, arethe two leading causes for charcoal grillresidential fires. Half of all gas grill and charcoal grillresidential fires begin on an exteriorbalcony or unenclosed porch. Gas fuel is the leading item first ignitedfor residential outdoor gas grill fires. Wall coverings, exterior trim and plantsare the leading items first ignited inresidential outdoor charcoal grill fires.7

FDAC EBAHealth Insurance PoolSince 1972, the Fire Districts Association ofCalifornia (FDAC) has provided Californiafire districts with programs, services andclasses to help the districts they serve andenable their personnel and representativesto become more successful and effective.In 2005, FDAC facilitated the creation of theFDAC Employment Benefits Authority (FDACEBA) in order to offer fire districts a low-costalternative for quality medical, dental, visionand life insurance. Today, more than 45 FDACmember fire districts are taking advantageof these beneÿts:Choice FDAC EBA offers over ten medical plansto choose from for active employees andretirees, including an HSA-compatible PPOand HMO.Savings All participating districts have seen greatersavings over a 3-year period compared toprior carriers.Quality FDAC EBA contracts with top carriers,administration and consultants.Technology FDAC EBA utilizes consolidated billing anduser-friendly online administration.Trust FDAC EBA is the only pool that wasdeveloped by firefighters for firefighters.For more information about the FDAC EBAbenefits package, contact Thoits Insurance at408.792.5447.

conversations where the stakes are high, opinions vary and emotions run strong—as defined in the book “Crucial Conversations” by Patterson, Grenyy, McMillian and Switzler. But before any of this can occur, you must create an environment and supportive culture that allows for these types of