Los Alamos Fire Battalion Chief Benjamin Stone at his graduation ceremony from National Fire Academy Thursday, Feb. 24 in Emmitsburg, Md. Courtesy/LAFD

Los Alamos Fire Battalion Chief Benjamin Stone with his graduation class at the ceremony from National Fire Academy Thursday, Feb. 24 in Emmitsburg, Md. Courtesy/LAFD

LAFD News:

The Los Alamos Fire Department congratulates Fire Battalion Chief Benjamin Stone on his graduation from National Fire Academy (NFA) and completion of the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO).

Battalion Chief Stone completed his EFO Program Thursday, Feb. 24, and was honored in a graduation ceremony at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md. He joins Fire Chief Troy Hughes, Deputy Chief Steve Dawald, Fire Marshal Wendy Servey and other fire service professionals throughout the world who carry this elite designation.

NFA’s Executive Fire Officer Program is a 4-year program that provides senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire, emergency services and administration.

The courses and accompanying research examine how to exercise leadership when dealing with difficult or unique problems within communities.

Students in the EFO Program pursue a path of professional development spanning over four years, taking one course per year. Each course is two weeks in duration and is the equivalent of an upper division baccalaureate or graduate level.

EFO Program courses consist of the following:

• Year one focuses on Executive Development and is designed to assist fire service personnel in developing effective management and leadership skills as they make the transition from manager to senior executive.
• Year two focuses on Executive Analysis of Community Risk Reduction which is designed to help students to become a community risk-reduction leaders. Students build a demographic and risk profile of their home community and examine social, cultural, economic and environmental trends that impact community risk.
• Year three emphasizes Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management which enables students to better prepare their communities for large-scale, multiagency, all-hazard incidents.
• Year four’s Executive Leadership course provides students with the framework of executive-level competencies by focusing primarily on issues and areas of personal effectiveness.