Brian Brauer, Associate Director for the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), will travel to Auburn University on June 21 to accept the 2017 Outstanding Dissertation Award. Brauer’s doctoral dissertation presented a case study of a fire department that underwent organization culture change following a firefighter’s line-of-duty death. 

The University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education will present the award that recognizes the contributions to the knowledge base of its field. Dr. Brauer’s dissertation was among five finalists for the award. The Council is comprised of 19 of the nation’s leading universities.

Dr. Brauer received his Ed.D. in Educational Policy and Organizational Leadership Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. For his case study, Brauer chose an Illinois Fire Department, which had experienced a line-of-duty death, to examine what cultural aspects drive decision-making. The results of his dissertation are designed to start a conversation about fire service culture. “Change is possible. This model and others like it can help fire department go from where they are to where they want to be,” Brauer said.

“What Brian learned and the knowledge he brings to IFSI and the fire service can have a dramatic impact on how fire department leadership influences the culture of our business,” Royal Mortenson, Director for IFSI said.

Brauer in his role as Associate Director for IFSI is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations relative to facility management and providing strategic direction for all capital projects. He has been published in a number of trade publications and has made numerous presentations around the United States and in 2012, traveled to China to present to the Chinese Peoples Armed Forces Police Academy. He is the compiling author on the IAFC/DHS project National Safety Culture Change Initiative.

The Illinois Fire Service Institute is the statutory State Fire Academy for Illinois. In addition to training provided at its Champaign campus, the Institute offers one-day hands-on classes for fire departments at Regional Training Centers and local fire stations across the State. The mission of the Illinois Fire Service Institute is to help firefighters do their work through training, education, information, and research.

For more information about the Institute, call 217-333-3800.

The U.S. Fire Administration confirmed that the April death of North Courtland Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Eddie Harris was a line-of-duty death. Harris, 47, reported that he was feeling ill while he took part in live fire training on April 20, according to a release from the USFA. In April, Mayor Riely Evans told the Decatur Daily that Harris suffered an apparent heart attack and was transported to Helen Keller Hospital where he died April 21.
- PUB DATE: 6/9/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

Perspectives on the state of the Meadville Central Fire Department are opposed along predictable party lines as Meadville enters the sixth month since City Council voted to cut departmental staffing levels. City Manager Andy Walker acknowledged the opposing views as he explained the city’s position on the changes.
- PUB DATE: 6/9/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Meadville Tribune

It served for decades, a firefighting powerhouse that lent equipment to local towns and training to area departments. But then times for the Meadowood County Area Fire Department changed, and fortunes slipped. On Wednesday, a small group of general members and board members voted to bring the 64-year-old department to an end, a long-anticipated move following years of financial losses.
- PUB DATE: 6/9/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Keene Sentinel

An off-duty firefighter happened to be driving through a Sandy neighborhood Tuesday when several shots were fired. Salt Lake City Fire Captain Tony Allred recounted the moments he sprang into action. He was driving his 8-year-old daughter to gymnastics when traffic got backed up on Alta Canyon Drive.
- PUB DATE: 6/9/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fox13.com