Public safety is one of the primary goals of any local government. Public safety operations accompany fire safety and emergency services that every local government and, by extension, the federal government works to facilitate. Though firefighting is the most recognizable care in fire and emergency service, many other careers enable firefighters to execute the mandates in various ways. Careers in administration within the fire service department are an essential aspect of their daily operations, allowing the Fire Department to function effectively without compromising the quality of service they offer citizens. Fire Services Administrators (FSA) perform various duties that enable the department to execute its mandate and effectively serve the people. Persons seeking a career in fire administration have multiple avenues to grow their careers; however, it requires various tactics and strategies to achieve career advancement in fire service administration effectively.
Job Description.
Designing tactics and strategies for career advancements in fire and safety administration requires a proper appreciation of the job description associated with the field. According to (Evarts & Stein, 2020), different departments have different job descriptions. However, there are some overarching concepts in the roles and responsibilities of an administrator in fire and safety services. The personnel perform various administrative duties integral to the success of the respective fire departments. The administrator is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the operation and functions of the administrative division within the Fire Department. The administrator can also supervise the firefighting professionals and participate in human resources activities like hiring, training, and evaluating the staff to ensure optimal operations (Evarts & Stein, 2020). The administrative personnel are responsible for mapping out all the relevant activities and duties to ensure the department achieves its objectives. The administrators are also responsible for keeping records for the department and performing all other responsibilities regarding the documents and information. However, the most recognizable task of the fire services administrators is to organize the schedules and roster line-ups of the various teams and personnel within the department (Evarts & Stein, 2020). Understanding the job description of a fire services administrator is crucial as it facilitates an appreciation of the profession.
Summary of Skills and Competencies.
Fire Services Administrators (FSA) perform many technical duties and require proficiency in several fields to execute their mandates effectively. According to (TradeCollege.org, 2023), some significant knowledge areas for fire service administration professionals include language adeptness as they need to be excellent communicators, public safety and security fundamentals, administration and management, law and governance, and education and training proficiency. The areas of knowledge allow the administrator to execute different aspects of their mandate effectively. Correctly understanding the proficient is essential when considering strategies to help one advance one’s career. Careers related to fire services administration also require several skills and competencies to ensure the proper execution of their mandate. Some necessary skills needed for a successful fire and emergency services career include critical thinking, monitoring and evaluation techniques, reading comprehension, interpersonal communication, active listening, and adaptability (TradeCollege.org, 2023). Fire administrator must continually seek ways to improve their proficiency in skill and competency to increase the likelihood of success in the field. The fire distortion must be a competent decision maker, exhibit adaptability, showcase deductive reasoning, have exceptional organizational skills, and be a successful people person to guarantee collaboration from the local community (TradeCollege.org, 2023). The different skills and competencies associated with the profession are essential when developing strategies and tactics for career advancement.
Tactics and Strategies for Preparing for Career Advancement Opportunities.
Career advancement or development refers to how professionals use their skills, competencies, and other tools to achieve goals and progress their careers beyond their current standing (Shaito, 2019). Career advancement can motivate employees and help them improve how they execute their mandates. In fire and safety administration, career advancement is possible if one implements numerous tactics to leverage one’s skills and competencies to facilitate career advancement (Shaito, 2019). Fire service administrators can utilize the following tactics and strategies to help advance their careers. The strategy and tactics to help promote careers in fire services administration include:
Networking is an essential strategy for career development. A professional network is a group of persons within the sphere of the career one relies on for attention and coaching that can help improve one’s career. Through networking, personnel develop meaningful relationships with influential people who can help them elevate their careers. In FSA, networking is an important tactic to secure career development. Networking allows the administrator access to career advancements such as professional advice, recommendations, exposure to emerging opportunities, and other technical support services that increase their likelihood of career development (Shaito, 2019). Networking depends on interpersonal and communication skills, influencing how to create and maintain relationships (Shaito, 2019). Expanding one’s network is an effective tactic that can open up opportunities to help one elevate one’s career. Therefore, when preparing for career advancement opportunities in administrative fire services positions, it is essential to consider networking as a viable strategy to help prepare. Maintaining the relationship of the established network is crucial, and the personnel seeking career advancement may engage in practices such as regular conversations and other interactive practices to preserve and expand their networks (Shaito, 2019). With the proper network, it is easier to achieve career advancement.
Learning New Skills and Competencies.
Learning new skills and competencies can help one develop a facilitating skill set for career development. Developing new skills and competencies expands one’s abilities, allowing one to take up new roles and responsibilities beyond their traditional job description (Kaše et al., 2019). The skills and competencies help the employee become a formidable competitor for career advancement opportunities. The approach to constantly finding ways of developing your skills and competency opens you up to new opportunities and possibilities at the workplace. Consider a scenario where the company acquires new technologies like computers to help with administrative duties (Kaše et al., 2019). The employees with the relevant skills and competencies to run the machines will likely be the first considerations when maintaining and promoting personnel to take up new positions facilitated by the devices. Therefore, developing one’s skills and competencies is an effective strategy and tactic to consider when improving one’s chances at career development. Employees should appreciate regular development of their skills and competencies as it ensures they are always likely to secure emerging career development opportunities. As time passes and technology improves, new skills and competencies replace old, established alternatives. Their regular updates of one’s skills and competencies increase their indispensability.
Utilizing Mentors and Resource Personnel.
Mentoring programs entail using resource personnel to help teach, coach, and guide others toward specific goals (Okolie et al., 2020). Mentoring programs are essential as they can facilitate career development in any field. In fire service administration, mentoring can help advance one’s career in various ways (Okolie et al., 2020). For instance, mentoring programs facilitate the acquisition of new skills and information from the mentor to help prepare the administrator for new roles in their career development journey. Mentorship programs also enable personal insights from the mentor to help improve the overall performance of the employees. Mentors can draw from their experience and deliver sound advice to help elevate the employee’s possibilities of securing a promotion. Mentors can also provide recommendations whenever the employee seeks a career development opportunity (Okolie et al., 2020). Fire administrations should consider mentorship programs as the work on the career development journey. Selecting the right mentor is crucial in ensuring one develops the necessary knowledge and opportunities for career development. Therefore, the fire services administrator must conduct a proper survey to identify the best mentor for their ambitions. Matching the mentor with preset goals is crucial as it will help define the relationship and ensure the employee develops the necessary skills and competencies to elevate their careers.
Taking Up New Responsibilities and Tasks.
Taking up new responsibilities at the workplace can showcase to superiors that you are ready for career advancements. Taking up more responsibilities entails that one is willing to accept additional duties and work on essential tasks regardless of the stakes (Shaito, 2019). Taking up more responsibilities also shows one is ready to take up more accountability, thus helping one improve their overall workplace persona. Taking up new workplace responsibilities can increase one’s chances of advancing one’s career. For instance, when taking up new responsibilities, one learns new skills, showcases responsible behavior, builds the employee’s resume, and increases interactions with superiors, thus increasing the likelihood of career development (Shaito, 2019). As a fire administrator, one can assign extra tasks to help showcase they can work on multiple tasks and coordinate with others to increase the likelihood of securing employment and promotion opportunities. When taking up new responsibilities at the workplace, it is essential to balance and avoid instances where one becomes overwhelmed with the additional responsibilities. Approach the strategy tactically by taking up small tasks, working upward, and securing larger tasks (Shaito, 2019). Maintaining consistency and consistently delivering high-quality work is essential whenever one takes up new and additional responsibilities.
Volunteer within the Industry.
Volunteerism facilitates career development for fire service administrators. Volunteering can improve one’s chance of career development in multiple ways (Ashfaq et al., 2021). Volunteerism can help enhance or allow a professional to develop new skills to increase marketability in the industry (Ashfaq et al., 2021). Through volunteerism, one learns critical skills like interpersonal communication, teamwork, and other essential interactive skills to help advance one’s career. Volunteerism can also encourage avenues of interacting with the community and prominent personnel within the industry to increase one’s chances of career development. Volunteerism can also help one improve one’s image and societal standing (Ashfaq et al., 2021). Volunteering shows that one cares about the community and is committed to the betterment of humanity. Working in such programs helps employees paint images of humanity and compassion that can improve their career prospects (Ashfaq et al., 2021). Fire services administrators should participate in volunteerism as it opens up other avenues for developing their careers and allows them to establish meaningful relationships with the community. Participating in volunteerism can directly impact the lives of the community members, thus acting as an inspiration to foster hard work and commitment from the employees. Therefore, fire service administrators should find and participate in volunteerism to help increase their chances of career progression within the industry.
Building Strong Personal Brand.
Personal and professional success relies on persuading others to recognize your value (Prestridge, 2019). Personal branding is an approach that allows professionals to effectively define and express their value proposition by undertaking several enabling tactics. Personal branding involves carefully cultivating a public persona and reputation intrinsically associated with you and your abilities (Prestridge, 2019). Engaging in personal branding can encourage employers and other facilitating stakeholders to help one improve their career progress. Developing one’s brand is crucial to help create the image associated with the brand to help them accrue the various benefits of having a solid brand. An established personal brand increases visibility among key stakeholders. A personal brand can help stakeholders appreciate the value of the professional and the accomplishments (Prestridge, 2019).
Fire service administrators can enlist the help of experienced brand managers to help establish their brands, thus allowing them to accrue the accompanying benefits. Personal branding shows the narrative one wants to associate with work. Through the individual brand, one increases their marketability and thus becomes a viable consideration when seeking career development opportunities (Prestridge, 2019). Proper personal branding can expand the administrator’s reach beyond the confines of the fire and emergency services sector. Therefore, fire services administrators should seek ways to improve their brand to accrue benefits and encourage career development.
Facilitating Feedback and Inputs from Various Stakeholders.
At the workplace, feedback is the communication of the strengths and weaknesses of any undertaking from the relevant stakeholders. Feedback allows stakeholders to participate in critical aspects of the workplace, from workflow to employee performance (Shaito, 2019). Facilitating and utilizing feedback is an effective avenue for advancing one’s career. Fire services administrators should find effective ways of promoting feedback to help them identify weaknesses and strengths, allowing them to make the necessary adjustments to increase their effectiveness. Using avenues such as performance evaluations, fire service administrators can facilitate feedback from the relevant stakeholders (Shaito, 2019). Utilizing the feedback, the administrator can analyze the report and highlight all the contentious areas. Therefore, the fire services administrator can work on the controversial areas by undertaking complementary steps to improve their effectiveness as administrators (Shaito, 2019). For instance, the administrator can utilize performance survey questionnaires to highlight the areas of strengths and weaknesses. Using the report from the feedback, the administrator can improve their skills and competencies to increase their chances of career development. Therefore, establishing proper feedback mechanisms to identify weaknesses and strengths is crucial in encouraging the progress of the individual. Every employee should find the relevant avenues for securing feedback from all the necessary stakeholders.
Attend Industry Events and Conferences.
Attending fire exhibitions, shows, seminars, conferences, and other industry-relevant events is essential when preparing for career development (Shaito, 2019). Attending such events allows employees to explore different industry aspects, opportunities, and developments to help them advance their careers (Shaito, 2019). The employee can interact with relevant personnel and technology shaping the industry by attending industry events. The interaction can highlight all the areas necessary for them to make the next step in their careers. Attending industry events also facilitates other crucial strategies like networking and learning new skills and competencies. For instance, by attending an exhibition, a fire services administrator may interact with higher-ups and establish their network.
The administrator may also interact with new technologies and innovative techniques that help them elevate their skills and competencies. Going to industry events allows employees to identify and familiarize themselves with some of the industry’s best practices and regulations, thus allowing them to develop skills and competencies to avoid errors and costly mistakes that can deter their progress (Shaito, 2019). Industry events enable stakeholders to familiarize themselves with emerging industry trends, thus allowing them to adjust their practices to reflect the most effective current approach when executing their mandates. Therefore, attending and actively participating in industry events is an important avenue to increase the likelihood of career advancement.
Participate in Community Service and Other Social Responsibility Programs.
Participating in various community programs and other socially responsible activities can help one advance one’s career in fire service administration (Panjaitan & Djogo, 2020). Community programs allow one to connect with the community and other significant persons (Panjaitan & Djogo, 2020). Through community programs, fire service administrators interact with the community and various personnel, allowing them to develop the relevant communication skills to advance their careers. Committing and establishing relationships with community leaders increases one’s recommendation pool (Panjaitan & Djogo, 2020).
The leaders can write letters of recommendation to influence the future of the fire services administrator. Aside from meeting with prominent personnel, community and social programs help develop personal and professional skills. These skills are crucial in the workplace and can help a fire service administrator improve their organization, project planning, problem-solving, decision-making, task supervision, public speaking, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. These skills are crucial in developing the right connections and competencies to improve career development. Working closely with the community can also allow one to develop an effective network to inform them of career development opportunities. The fire administrator needs to work with the community to ensure they establish cooperation and meaningful communication with the local community to increase their chances of advancing their careers.
Regular Self-Evaluation Sessions.
Self-awareness is a crucial quality in any career. A deep understanding of oneself can facilitate growth in all facets of life. Self-awareness allows us to perform critical self-evaluation to determine potential weaknesses and strengths that can help us in the journey to career development (Hirschi et al., 2022). Having a proper self-evaluation mechanism allows the employees to determine areas that require improvements, thus allowing them to work on improving the contentious areas. Self-evaluation will enable employees to assess their interests, recognize their values, and help them establish their goals and objectives (Hirschi et al., 2022). It can encourage them to undertake facilitating activities that improve their significance as employees. Employees can use different approaches to self-evaluation, like reflecting on past experiences, to enhance their effectiveness (Hirschi et al., 2022). Therefore, establishing a self-evaluation mechanism is a crucial tactical understanding every employee should utilize when preparing for career development opportunities (Hirschi et al., 2022). The regularity of the self-assessment depends on the employee and their respective professions. In Fire Service Administration, the employee needs regular self-assessment to ensure they are constantly updated on the significant changes in the industry and increase their potential to secure career advancement opportunities with their respective Fire Departments or beyond.
Leverage Online Portfolio to Increase Viability and Popularity.
Online portfolios can effectively market oneself endearingly to secure career development opportunities (Prestridge, 2019). Online portfolios with a professional undertone, like LinkedIn, can introduce the fire services administration to various new options to advance their careers beyond the fire and emergency service sector (Prestridge, 2019). An online portfolio is an effective marketing tool that aligns with the current times where social media is an effective communication tool. Fire service administrators can utilize their online portfolio to increase their reach and visibility. Through the online portfolio, the administrators gain leverage by showcasing their skills and influence, thus encouraging employers and other stakeholders to facilitate their career progression. An online platform is valuable for showcasing one’s resume and work samples to help sway stakeholders into promoting career progression (Prestridge, 2019).
Online portfolios can also act as platforms for collaborating with other fire services administrators (Prestridge, 2019). The exchange of information through the portfolio encourages the development and improvement of various skills and competencies, and thus, increasing one’s online portfolio can increase one’s likelihood of securing career advancement opportunities. An online portfolio also helps create a professional image to attract potential employers and clients (Prestridge, 2019). Fire services administrators can hire experienced online portfolio managers to help establish a meaningful online presence they can leverage to secure career advancement opportunities.
In conclusion, career development in fire safety is possible if one can implement the correct strategy to pursue the objective. The diversity of the tactics and their impacts on different facets of the profession suggest that fire service administrators implement the strategies in combination. Utilizing multiple tactics simultaneously allows the administrator to accrue benefits that influence various aspects of their practices while exposing them to new opportunities to expand their skills and interact with facilitators that help them actualize their career advancement goals. The administrator must consider their traits and the external workplace environment before implementing their preferred tactics in the quest for career development.
References.
Ashfaq, F., Butt, M., & Ilyas, S. (2021). Volunteering: what drives and retains it? An analysis of motivational needs together with organizational policies and practices. Qualitative Research Journal, 21(2), 189-205. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QRJ-04-2020-0024/full/html
Evarts, B., & Stein, G. P. (2020). US Fire Department Profile 2018. Quincy, MA, USA: National Fire Protection Association.
Hirschi, A., Zacher, H., & Shockley, K. M. (2022). Whole-life career self-management: A conceptual framework. Journal of Career Development, 49(2), 344-362. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845320957729
Kaše, R., Saksida, T., & Mihelič, K. K. (2019). Skill development in reverse mentoring: Motivational processes of mentors and learners. Human Resource Management, 58(1), 57-69. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21932
Okolie, U. C., Nwajiuba, C. A., Binuomote, M. O., Ehiobuche, C., Igu, N. C. N., & Ajoke, O. S. (2020). Career training with mentoring programs in higher education: facilitating career development and employability of graduates. Education+ Training, 62(3), 214-234. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-04-2019-0071
Panjaitan, B., & Djogo, O. (2020). The Effect of career development and compensation on the employee’s performance. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy, 11(3). https://web.s.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=09758453&AN=144418908&h=60kZy5lDaDfIwba%2f%2fwdfAJSiHy18%2fCN0mnCWiP%2bW2Zf3lCTBeHrn4UvBFpR%2b4ubvpQAwXpcbcApfzuSCtBmeWw%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d09758453%26AN%3d144418908
Prestridge, S. (2019). Categorizing teachers’ use of social media for their professional learning: A self-generating professional learning paradigm. Computers & Education, 129, 143-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.11.003
Shaito, F. (2019). Career development: An overview. Research Gate. See this publication’s discussions, stats, and author profiles at https://www. researchgate. Net/publication/336812981. Research· October. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fadel-Shaito/publication/336812981_Career_Development_An_Overview/links/5db3489f92851c577ec35976/Career-Development-An-Overview.pdf
TradeCollege.org. (2023). Fire Services Administration Major: What Does It Take? TradeCollege.org. https://tradecollege.org/majors/law-enforcement-and-firefighting/fire-protection/fire-services-administration/
write