Earning Your Credentials

There’s something about a string of initialisms following a person’s name that lends an automatic air of authority. Granted, having an extensive educational and professional background with the credentials to prove it doesn’t guarantee you’re better than the next provider, but it does show you’re willing to put in extra time and effort to be a well-rounded EMS practitioner.

The Center for Public Safety Excellence has, since its inception, striven to promote continuous quality improvement in fire and EMS agencies through training and career resources. In addition to providing agency accreditation, the CPSE also offers professional credentialing for fire and EMS officers. And for officers looking to take their professional careers to the next level, the CPSE is a great place to start.

“These designations are recognized by fire and EMS systems as well as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and the designations demonstrate, in essence, personal accreditation,” says Debbie Sobotka, deputy director and credentialing program director for CPSE.

That’s important for EMS providers and firefighters taking on greater leadership roles within their organizations and advancing their careers into the management ranks. Not only do the professional designations offered through CPSE assist with professional development, Sobotka explains, they also provide a self-assessment tool for providers, enabling them to critically examine themselves to ensure they’re performing at a high level.

“Becoming designated also provides an external validation from a group of peers,” Sobotka adds. “Additionally, we have seen some agencies begin to require or prefer designations in their promotion and/or hiring process.”

Professional designations offered through CPSE include Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO), Chief Training Officer (CTO), Fire Marshal (FM) and Fire Officer (FO). CPSE’s Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) developed these designations using a model that looks at the “whole” officer. Achieving these designations requires not only a strong educational background but also broad participation in emergency services at the local, state and national levels, as well as demonstrated involvement in the broader community, according to the CPSE website.

The Chief EMS Officer designation recognizes EMS leaders of fire, private, hospital and third-service providers who have demonstrated excellence throughout their careers. The designation both verifies past accomplishments and represents a launching point for continued achievement. The Chief Fire Officer designation was created to recognize fire officers who have demonstrated excellence and outstanding achievement throughout their careers. It demonstrates that individuals have developed a strategy for continued career improvement and development. The highly competitive CFO designation assures departments that their leaders have the educational and technical competencies necessary to meet the demands of today’s fire service.

Becoming a CEMSO or CFO designee enhances the stature and capabilities of not only the individual who achieves the designation, but their organizations and communities as well. The benefits include:

• Demonstrating an individual has developed a strategy for continued career improvement and development.
• Highlighting professional and personal growth and providing an individual source of pride.
• Showcasing superior leadership characteristics.
• Developing a commitment to continuing education, training and skill proficiency.
• Establishing critical core competencies for senior officers.
• Affirming the organization’s dedication to proficiency and the proactive delivery of services to the community.
• Improving the hiring process by enabling authorities to quickly identify individuals with superior skills, knowledge and abilities.

The designation process for both CFO and CEMSO are similar and extensive. Individuals seeking the designation complete an application consisting of seven components:

1. Personal, employment and department demographic information
2. Letters of reference
3. Professional development
1. Education (formal degrees)
2. Certifications
3. Training/courses
4. Development goals
4. Professional contributions and recognition
5. Professional memberships, affiliations and community involvement
6. Technical competencies
1. Outline of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed in each one of 18–20 proficiency areas
2. Exemptions from the technical competency component are available to chief medical officers for the CEMSO designation, and to fire chiefs and chief fire officers for the CFO designation who have a certain level of experience and education.
7. Certification statement

A team of peers then reviews portfolios submitted for the CEMSO or CFO designation. The peer review process includes:

• Reviewing the application;
• Determining whether an applicant has met all program criteria and requirements;
• Conducting an oral interview with the candidate;
• Researching and verifying statements made on the application; and
• Making recommendations to the CPC on the candidate’s eligibility.

The peer review process takes 30–45 days to complete. The CPC meets every 60–90 days to act on CEMSO and CFO applications, and the CPC makes the final determination of applicant eligibility and confers the CFO or CEMSO designation.

Both the CEMSO and CFO designations are valid for three years. Renewal is based on four components:

• Professional development;
• Professional contributions/recognition;
• Professional memberships and affiliations; and
• Community involvement.

The payoff for achieving these designations is summed up by Jack Taylor, CFO, CEMSO, chief of the Emporia (KS) Fire Department/Lyon County EMS: “After 33 years in the fire service, I was looking for a program that would bring a wide variety of training, education, experience and public service into one complete package. Chief Fire Officer and Chief EMS Officer credentialing provided the mechanism to accomplish that. During a recent city commission meeting where I was recognized for accomplishing these designations, my city manager called this ‘the highest level of achievement possible for a fire chief.’”

For more information on the CPSE’s programs, visit publicsafetyexcellence.org.