Chief Alan Brunacini Keynotes at 2011 CPSE Excellence Conference

Chief Alan Brunacini was introduced as the opening keynote speaker of the 2011 CPSE Excellence Conference in Orlando Florida by the President of the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), Fire Chief Randy Bruegman of Anaheim, California.

Chief Brunacini’s keynote address was based upon the concept of personal effectiveness. He presented the idea by posing a question to every audience member, “What do you wish someone had taught you before you got in the position you currently hold?” He led a humorous yet informative discussion around various individual responses. The core message was that our early technical preparation and training to control an emergency incident do not adequately prepare us for positions where we are responsible for understanding, managing, and leading an organization or personnel. Also, we cannot select and adhere to a single method of dealing with management and leadership positions. Instead, we must be able to adapt to and apply different solutions to different situations.

In Chief Bruegman’s welcoming remarks, he acknowledged the many challenges faced today by communities and their emergency services providers. He reinforced the models of fire accreditation and professional credentialing as contemporary and innovative tools available to prepare and lead emergency services through these times. He reminded the audience of Ken Walsh’s message, “…determine your own destiny or someone else will determine it for you.” Chief Brunacini recognized the Center for Public Safety Excellence, the accreditation and credentialing programs, and specifically, the members of the audience who are part of the CPSE community, as the most thoughtful and rational people in the fire service today. He continued to say that the accreditation model, while still a work in progress, is an “incredible process” and that CPSE has created, in its fifteen years of existence, the best model for emergency services, a model that is providing positive direction for our industry today.

The CPSE 2011 Excellence conference continues through Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Caribe Royale Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

The Center for Public Safety Excellence Inc. (CPSE) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization established in 1996 to award accreditation to fire and emergency service agencies and to pursue scientific research and education in the public interest. In 2000 credentialing was developed to facilitate in the professional development and career planning for fire and emergency service personnel.

The Center for Public Safety Excellence primary concentration is on its accreditation and credentialing models. The accreditation model identifies and maintains optimal levels of fire and emergency services for agencies. The credentialing model elevates and sustains the professional standards for those persons responsible for managing and delivering essential fire and emergency services.

The Center for Public Safety Excellence conducts workshops and publishes materials specifically designed to achieve and maintain a continuous path for quality improvement for both fire and emergency service agencies and personnel. CPSE has a consulting service to help the fire and emergency service community meet the new public expectations to achieve and measure standards of effectiveness for the cost and methods of delivering essential fire and emergency services.

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