Writing papers, answering reflective questions, defending a thesis — not many people would associate those things with firefighting. But that’s exactly what it takes to graduate from the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Washington Fire-Rescue-EMS Interim Fire Marshal Doug Bissette recently completed the four-year program, consisting of one, two-week course per year. Created to expand perspective on Fire and EMS administration and leadership when dealing with difficult or unique problems within communities, the program takes fire education to the next level.

“It’s pretty intense learning — taking all those things. It’s a master’s level program,” Bissette said. “Really, it allows you to reflect on yourself and where you want to go in your career and also allows you to understand ways to make your department and the fire service around you better.”

The coursework over the past four years has found its way back into the local department. For example, in the first year, Bissette researched ways to improve the health and wellness of Fire-Rescue-EMS employees—firefighters have always been at risk of heart attacks, but now face an increasing threat of cancer, Bissette said. As a result, the department has instituted a wellness program.

“It was, ‘What we could do to reduce our risk for cancer and heart attacks, as well as how we could implement things in our department, like a wellness program, to make sure people stay healthy and retire successfully,” Bissette said.

His second-year paper tackled community engagement. Whereas the law enforcement arm of Washington Police and Fire Services has made great strides in community outreach, outside of a few well-known people in the department, such as the recently retired Fire Chief Robbie Rose, engagement with the public was limited.

“A lot of our younger officers weren’t known in the community,” Bissette said. “We didn’t get engaged with our citizens.”

Bissette has since engaged in an effort to make sure Fire-Rescue-EMS programs are seen, as are the faces of those in the department.

Year 3 brought an in-depth study in the importance of having immediate access to an instant management team in case of natural disaster or other large-scale incident within the city. While an emergency operations plan exists, a team comprised of members with all the necessary training, who can immediately step into a role, does not. Bissette said they’ll be tackling that in the future.

Though he made plenty of contacts nationwide that he can now call to exchange ideas and advice, he said the biggest takeaway from the program was an ability to get the overall picture of the department and its services.

“They say, ‘Examine from the balcony, not from the dance floor,’” Bissette said. “It allowed me to see how to make small improvements — some that we’ve already done — that improve emergency services for everyone.”