Hales Corners Fire Chief Completes Prestigious Executive Fire Officer Program

Hales Corners Fire Chief Michael A. Jankowski recently completed the prestigious U. S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy’s (NFA) “Executive Fire Officer Program” (EFOP). This 4-year program is administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U. S. Department of Homeland Security.

The program is designed to provide senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire administration, in addition to providing them with the expertise they need to succeed in today’s challenging environment.

Completion of the course required extensive study in Executive Development, which emphasized team development and decision-making to enhance organizational effectiveness. The second year studies focused on Leading Community Risk Reduction, focused on identifying risk, assessing, and reducing this threat in their community. The third-year studies included an Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management course, which is especially critical for incident response environment. The final course, Executive Leadership, examined all aspects of executive-level leadership and tied together the educational experiences of the three previous years.

Chief Jankowski was accepted into the EFO program when he was the Deputy Chief for the Franklin Fire Department. Fire Chief Jankowski has been with the Hales Corners Fire Department since January 2007 and when asked about this accomplishment, he said, “It was a privilege just to be accepted into the EFO program. That was the first challenge; the second was actually completing it! I could not have done it without the support from my family and co-workers. Completing the course is an important step in achieving my goal to be a leader in the fire service.” “The EFO program has provided me with additional knowledge and tools to further enhance services to our Village and surrounding communities”.