Probie to Promotee: The Missing Link of Professional Development
Marc Aloan
Friday, June 14, 2024
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
As the fire service has become infatuated with leadership, it has inadvertently overlooked the importance of followership in building the next generation of leaders. It is time we brought apprenticeship back to the professional development of our newest, most influential members and addressed the largest gap of fire service development; initial certification to first promotion. The goal of this program is to remove the stigma associated with the “junior” position by teaching each member on the roster their role in grooming our future leaders. We will discuss how to navigate the transition from recruit training to firehouse life, creating and modeling behaviors, investment in individual and organizational needs and goals, capitalizing on formal and informal training opportunities, how to build experience, taking a proactive approach to preparing for promotional opportunities, and ensuring we don’t overlook sharing the things we wish we had known when we began our careers. From the first-year firefighter to the 30-year chief, all members will find strategies in this course to make a solid foundation of fundamentals the norm in their department!
Marc Aloan
Marc Aloan is a career Battalion Chief with the West Columbia Fire Department (SC) and creator of The Fire Inside blog. He has been immersed in the fire service for 20 years, in both volunteer and career departments, and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He is a nationally recognized speaker and published author with work in culture and professional development. He holds a B.S. in Fire Protection Administration from Eastern Kentucky University and a M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Waldorf University.
