A Fire Chief's Guide to Surviving Local Politics

Chief officers are often well versed in the strategies, tactics, and operations of their departments. In their positions, comes the added responsibility of becoming the “face” of their agency with every encounter they have. The focus is on the formal and informal politics that a newly promoted chief officer must be ready to encounter, navigate, and engage upon. These will be some of, if not the most critical relationships that must be developed for both the chief and agency to be successful. This interactive presentation will discuss how politics impact not only the internal stakeholders, but also how external stakeholders and their support are affected by it. Emphasis will be placed on the attitude, practices, and steps that the new chief can take to avoid mayhem and survive local politics.