National Fire Academy Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

Course: Fire Service Financial Management (R0333)

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 and execute

financial and resource plans. Implementation and evaluation processes are adapted to reflect

organizational mission based on 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 a transition model for performance outcome budgeting, best practices for

managing local government finance and budget, legal and ethical issues/consequences, and

development and presentation of decision packages for policymakers.

Criteria for Contract Instructor Selection

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

accordance with the National Fire Academy’s (NFA’s) Contract Instructor Evaluation program.

Existing contract instructors are subject to evaluation in accordance with this program

Two instructors work collaboratively to offer this six-day course.

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

of the fiscal management and administrative systems and have the ability to explain, demonstrate

and instruct in the best practices, processes and procedures used in data program management,

analysis and reporting.

An instructor is a new full performance candidate with limited experience teaching the course.

This candidate will present five years of extensive experience in developing, analyzing,

presenting and/or auditing local or state level fiscal programs.

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 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 “Fire Service Financial Management”

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 “Fire Service 

Financial Management” 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. Expert knowledge of the International City/County Management Association’s

Municipal Management Series content related to management policies for local

government finance; current knowledge of Government Accounting Standards

Board’s Statements on Basic Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion

and Analysis for State and Local Governments; knowledge of the Government

Finance Officers Association’s performance measurement indicators.

b. Expert knowledge of financial planning best practice: management tools, revenue

sources, and financial management, demonstrated by four years of work experience 

in forecasting local revenue and expenditures; developing budgets and benefit-cost

analysis for project proposals; and implementing risk management

policies/procedures to limit organizational/community fiscal/resource liability.

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

expected to directly impact performance planning and risk reduction in the

fire/EMS service in the next five years, demonstrated by a one-page synopsis that

directly relates issue to the “Fire Services Financial Management” course content.

d. Current knowledge of government financial best practice models to be able to

compare and contrast the benefits and limitations of various models and their

relationship to performance-based decision-making, demonstrated by providing

examples of your training and evaluation materials as applied to terminal learning

objectives for a fire/EMS course you have taught.
e. Knowledge of fire/EMS performance standards, data sources, comparative

analysis models, establishing metrics, benchmarking and effectiveness indicators

used to develop outcome-based performance budget decision packages.

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

Project and Access.

4. Additional Submittals

Submission of a written essay expressing what and why external influences on the

emergency service community should now be influencing hazard risk reduction and

organizational change.

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