NFPA Co-Sponsors Harvard Fellowships for Fire Officers

QUINCY, MA -- Fellowships co-sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have been awarded to eight senior fire officials for participation in the Harvard University Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.

Recipients are slated to participate in the program this summer at Harvard University' s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

NFPA partners each year with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security’s U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International Fire Service Training Association  (IFSTA) to offer fellowships for the Harvard program.

The candidates were selected by the John F. Kennedy School of Government's admission committee and a nominating panel made up of representatives from NFPA, IAFC, IFSTA, DHS/USFA, and former program participants.

The 2008 awardees are:

·         William “Bill” L. Bingham, City of Boynton Beach Fire & Rescue, Boynton Beach, Florida

·         Eugene Campbell, City of Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, Las Vegas, Nevada

·         John D. Eggleston, Albermarle County Fire Rescue & Rescue, Charlottesville, Virginia

·         David James, City of Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Department, Delray Beach, Florida

·       Marc Revere, Novato Fire Protection District, Novato, California

·         Michael O. Randolph, City of Gainesville Fire & Rescue, Gainesville, Florida

·         Lawrence Rooney, City of Peoria Fire Department, Peoria, Arizona

·         Mark W. Wendelsdorf, City of Caldwell Fire & Rescue, Caldwell, Idaho

Fellows will participate in a three-week program scheduled to take place on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. The curriculum was developed to cover a broad range of topics that are common to public sector professionals. The program emphasizes how leadership skills can be utilized in a variety of situations.

“As a graduate of the program, I know first-hand that the individuals attending this prominent program stand to benefit greatly from this learning experience,” said Chief Russ Sanders, NFPA’s central regional manager, executive secretary of the Metropolitan “Metro” Chiefs Section, and NFPA’s representative on the selection committee. “I am very pleased that NFPA continues to sponsor this important program and support public safety professionals seeking to enhance their education and skills. On behalf of the NFPA team, I offer congratulations to the candidates selected to attend the 2008 program.”

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.