DAY ONE: July 20, 2004

8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 Keynote Address: Successful Strategies and Available Resources to Improve Recruitment and Retention in Fire/EMS
Hear the latest perspectives on enhancing the quality fire and EMS personnel and improving accountability. Examine new developments in:
- The Need for Thorough Planning and Investment in Recruitment and Retention Initiatives
- Challenges Facing Human Resource Departments
- Integrate the Perspectives and Needs of a Diverse Workplace
Chief Will Chapleau, Chicago Heights Fire Department

9:30 Profiles for a Positive Hire for Fire and EMS
- Identify the Key Traits of Positive Hire
- Learn How to Implement a System to Identify and Utilize the Best Skills and Work Traits of Your New Hires
- Examine and Improve Current Personality and Assessment Methods
Dr. Cassi Fields, President & CEO, Fields consulting Group, Incorporated

10:30 Break and Refreshments

10:45 Managing the Training Function
- Target and Maximize Training Potential
- Improve Training Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness
- Integrate the Latest Innovations in the Interactive and Standard Classroom
Battalion Chief Robert Avsec, Director of Training and Safety Division, Chesterfield Fire & EMS

11:45 Networking Luncheon

12:45 Effective Outreach for Recruiting Minorities and Women
- Overcome Obstacles in Policy and Selection Process
- Targeted Outreach Strategies that are Specific to Minorities and Females
- Recruitment Methods Designed to Make Candidates Feel Welcome Within the Department
Theresa Everett, Executive Director, International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters

1:45 Break and Refreshments

2:00 Progressive Discipline
- Develop and Implement an Effective System of Progressive Discipline
- Address Major Complaints that Arise
- Hear Best Practices and Lessons Learned from One Successful Department
Captain Jennifer Cornell, Minneapolis Fire Department

3:00 Break and Refreshments

3:15 Successful Integration of Paid and Unpaid Departments
- Determine Roadblocks You May Run Into
- Overcome Obstacles in Policy
- Hear “Best Practices” From One Successful Agency
Volunteer Fire Chief, Timothy S. Wall, North Farms Volunteer Fire Department

4:30 Adjourn

DAY TWO: July 21, 2004

8:00 Continental Breakfast

8:30 Keynote Address: The Importance of Selective Recruiting and Thorough Training to Avoid Liability and Litigation
The need for awareness regarding liability is greater now than ever before. In this session Dr. Kalinowski will discuss strategies your department can implement to avoid liability when recruiting new candidates and when you are training personnel.
- Gain Proactive Strategies on Risk Management and Legal Representation
- Know the Red Flags in Employee Screening
- Establish the Latest Officer Training Programs to Reduce Allegations and Litigation
Dr. Edward Kalinowski, Former Chairman, National Council of State Emergency Medical Services Training Coordinators

9:30 Leadership Panel: Effective Collaboration between Employers and Unions
This panel will focus on ways to successfully improve labor-management relations to deliver the best possible citizen services. Hear from union leaders and management on how building an effective relationship can increase employee morale.
- Ensure that labor-Management Relational Policies and Practices Help Your Agency Achieve its Mission
- Discuss Lesson Learned from the Experiences of the Panel
- Identify and Overcome Common Obstacles
Eric Lamar, International Association of Fire Fighters
Dr. Edward Kalinowski, Former Chairman, National Council of State Emergency Medical Services Training Coordinators

11:00 Break and Refreshments

11:15 Managing Psychological Fitness for Duty
- Recognize Important Factors in Making an Office Emotionally Fit for this Type of Work
- Effectively Measure the Emotional Fitness of Officers in the Context of Real Work
- Build Academy and In-Service Programs to Ensure Emotionally Sound Personnel
Karen Spencer, Ed. D., Purposeful Development Associates

12:15 Networking Luncheon

1:15 Utilizing Personnel Evaluations and Performance Management as a Tool
- Develop Standards for Measuring Performance
- Define Duties and Competencies for Officers
- Communicate Final Performance Elements and Standards to Each Employee
Harry Brull, Personnel Decisions International, Inc.

2:15 Break and Refreshments

2:30 Succession Planning and Leadership Development
- Establish a Process that Recruits Employees, Develops their Skills and Prepares Them for Advancement While Ensuring a Return on Investment
- Maintain a System that Places Highly Qualified People in all Positions, For Now and For the Future
- Identify and Track High-Potential Employees for Leadership Positions
Dr. Ron Wakeham, The 831 Group

3:30 Break and Refreshments

3:45 Exchange of Best Practices and Lessons Learned
In this interactive session, participants at the conference become the authority. You will have the opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned with representatives from departments across the nation. Also, attendees can reflect on the concepts and opinions presented by each of the previous speakers.
- Exchange Lessons Learned
- Learn from the Experiences of Your Peers
- Discuss Concepts and Strategies
Damon Circosta, Director, Law Enforcement Development Center, The Performance Institute

5:00 Adjourn


POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS: JULY 22, 2004

8:30 Workshop Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00 Workshop A: Homeland Security Recruitment, Retention and Certification While law enforcement is much more prepared today than ever, homeland security threats are constantly changing. Training and certification strategies for staff is becoming an essential component in federal assistance and funding. In this application workshop, you will examine how the threat of terror has altered the way agencies recruit, retain, and train personnel. You will emerge with the skills to align your human resource efforts with the terror threat and government mandates. - Recruit Capable and Qualified Applicants that will Contribute to Your Mission of Safety - Retain Personnel that will Ensure Your Agency’s Domestic Preparedness Success Preparedness - Train Incident Command and Emergency Response Personnel and Get Certified - Meet Government Requirements for NIMS

12:00 Networking Luncheon

1:00 Workshop B: Identifying and Obtaining Grants for Human Resources Funding opportunities and sources for law enforcement agencies are changing every day. While Federal funds decline, performance measures are being written into grant requirements and private sector firms are offering tools to be used by local and state law enforcement. In this special workshop, join a successful grant writer for a nuts and bolts primer course that will enhance your ability to identify, apply for, and win grants for your department initiatives. - Learn to Write Grant Applications that will Link Resources Requested to Activities Being Funded and to Ultimate Results - Discover Sources of Funding for HR and Homeland Security - Uncover New Sources of Funding to Fight For and Protect our Homeland - Communicate Your Agency’s Mission to Funding Sources

4:00 Adjourn