PRINCE GEORGE — Prince George Fire and EMS is proud to announce that Lieutenant Greg Taflinger recently completed the 2019 Virginia Fire Officers Academy held at the University of Richmond. Lieutenant Taflinger is now the ninth Fire and EMS Company Officer from Prince George that has completed the program.
The Virginia Fire Officer Academy is an interactive, highly challenging, educational initiative of the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association. The academy provides modern, ethical leadership values while promoting best practices in fire and emergency services. Health and safety initiatives are achieved by offering fire and emergency service professionals a comprehensive certificate program providing the key skills and techniques of exemplary leadership necessary to enhance firefighter safety as well as advancing a culture of leadership through ownership and safety in today’s ever-changing fire and emergency services profession.
The Virginia Fire Officer Academy exists to prepare fire and emergency services professionals for the transition from the tactical view of personnel and operations to a strategic, safety-oriented view of the fire service, its operations, personnel safety, and administration; by providing a foundation of general leadership skills that compliment and promote fire and emergency services best practices in health and safety through ethical leadership, personal accountability, and organizational ownership.
The Virginia Fire Chiefs Association selected 80 candidates out of a highly competitive selection process that yielded several hundred applications. Variables considered in the selection process were: the applicant’s rank and tenure, as well as the strength of the recommendation from the fire chief or department head. In addition, the applicant’s geographic location was considered in order to ensure the academy is representative of the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Progress-Index