Will the wildland fire leadership development program cost agencies more money and time due to additional training?
Developing effective leaders who operate in one of the riskiest occupations in the country will require training, cost money, and demand time and management support. However, consider the leadership development program as an investment – in time, money, and management support – that will help increase the effectiveness of our fireline leaders, which will, in turn, help ensure the safety of firefighters and the public during wildland fire incidents. It should also be noted that the first three formal courses in this leadership development curriculum are either being integrated into current S courses or replacing current S courses. So the additional training load is not as significant as one might assume at first glance. It might also be worth asking: what is the cost of a single accident that could have been prevented by the exercise of good leadership? Not developing our leaders can be incredibly costly.
