National Fire Academy Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

Course: Executive Planning (R0506)

Curriculum: Planning and Information Management

This course is designed to provide fire, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and allied

professional chief officers with the framework, knowledge and skills to develop a strategic plan

and implementation and evaluation processes that can be adopted/adapted to reflect

organizational mission through support of community values, vision and acceptable level of risk.

Groups of up to four individuals from the same organization are encouraged to attend the same

session.

Topics include strategic planning for outcome based performance, comparative leadership

models, assessing best practices and feedback from customers, influencing acceptable

community risk, project management for analysis and prioritization of resource allocation, legal

and ethical issues/consequences, and informed decision-making based on values, vision and

mission.

Applicants not meeting the basic National Fire Academy (NFA) criteria outlined in the general

criteria established by the NFA will not receive further consideration.

Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

All new contract instructors shall be evaluated in three consecutive course deliveries in

accordance with the NFA’s Contract Instructor Evaluation program. Existing contract instructors

are subject to evaluation in accordance with this program.

Two instructors are used to offer this 10-day course.

A content developer is a full performance candidate who will present expert level knowledge of

the strategic planning and have the ability to explain, demonstrate and instruct in the best

practices, processes and procedures used in the design, development, application and

implementation of a strategic plan.

An instructor is a full performance candidate with limited experience teaching this course. The

candidate will present five years of extensive experience in the performance-based management

using comparative leadership models and best practices. The candidate must demonstrate expert

level knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

1. Academic Requirement

a. The candidate should possess a graduate level degree from a regionally or

nationally accredited institution of higher education. The degree should be in a

discipline closely related to the subjects covered in this course, and the candidate

should complete of one of the following:
- An 80-hour instructional methodology course from an educational

institution; or

- International Fire Service Accreditation Congress or Professional

Qualifications Board Fire Service Instructor II certification.

b. Attendance within the last three years in the “Executive Planning” course or upon

preliminary approval of the application, attendance as a contract instructor trainee.

c. Completion of one of the following: the 10-day or six-day “National Fire Incident

Reporting System: Program Management” course.

2. Instructional Experience

a. Documented successful facilitation of student-centered adult learning for

public/private administration and management level emergency services audience

and demonstrated ability to guide discussions using existing or created

instructional materials to ensure course learning objectives are achieved.

Experience presenting concepts and standards used in fire/EMS administrative

and programmatic decision-making courses.

b. Documented success developing and instructing online Web-based distance

learning applications for fire/EMS courses or materials similar to the “Executive

Planning” course content, during the past four years for a community college, or a

state or regional level training organization.

3. Documented Knowledge and Experience in the Subject Area

a. Current knowledge of community hazard identification, risk management and

analysis processes used to facilitate fire/EMS informed decision-making.

Demonstrate by four years of related work experience as a chief officer and/or

organizational trainer.

b. Current knowledge of the International City/County Management Association’s

Municipal Management Series content and current applied strategic planning

models, demonstrated by examples of your selection and use of training and

evaluation materials as they have been applied to terminal learning objectives in

current or recent presentations.

c. Current knowledge of legal issues, organizational behavioral trends, and research

expected to directly impacting performance planning and risk reduction in the fire

service in the next five years, demonstrated by a one page synopsis that directly

relates issue/behavior/research to the “Executive Planning” course content.

d. Current knowledge of strategic planning models and ability to compare and

contrast the benefits and limitations of various models and their relationship to

performance-based risk-reduction decision-making.
e. Experience in benefit/cost analysis used in project management.

f. Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft

Project and Access.

4. Additional Submittals

Submission of a written essay expressing what emerging external emergency service

influences should now be influencing organizational change. Cite sources.

5. Continuing Practice or Education

Ability to maintain currency in the field and the specific course by one of the following:

a. teaching a similar course at the college, state or regional level;

b. teaching the course at the NFA or in the field within the last two years; or

c. writing and researching a paper or article related to the course topic for at least

one of the fire service or related disciplines’ trade journals within the last two

years.

Failure to provide approved documentation of ongoing training or instruction may result

in revocation of the contract instructor status.

6. How to Submit an Application 

The following documents are required with each submission:

a. A cover letter listing the courses you want to teach.

b. Your résumé.

c. Documentation that clearly addresses how you meet the instructor selection 

criteria for each course you are seeking to teach (e.g., academic requirement, 

instructional experience, knowledge and experience in the subject matter, and 

continuing practice or education). This document needs to be written in that order. 

Incomplete packages will not be processed.

d. Three references from persons who are knowledgeable about your character as 

well as your teaching ability. One reference letter should be from the department 

or agency head in your organization or certifying organization.

e. Include a current email address so we can communicate more efficiently with 

you.

Application package(s) must be submitted to:

National Fire Academy

fema-nfainstructorapp@fema.dhs.gov