Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
E <br />Orange County Chief's Associatior 1 2012 <br />Hardship fund: In 2009, the OCCA established a fund where firefighters in distress can apply for <br />small grants of emergency financial assistance. The OCCA believes in taking care of their <br />respective personnel, and is mindful of the sacrifices that many personnel, especially volunteers, <br />make in order to contribute to the greater good. Such assistance helps retain valuable trained <br />firefighters. <br />Outside Speakers Forum: The Orange County Chief's Association brings in speakers periodically <br />to share lessons learned. In November 2010, the OCCA hosted Worchester, Massachusetts Fire <br />Chief John Sullivan, who has spoken nationally about line -of -duty deaths. In January 2011, a <br />representative from Salisbury, NC spoke about losing two firefighters in 2008. <br />THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS <br />The Orange County Chief's Association engaged the UNC School of Government in August 2011. School <br />of Government faculty and staff work with local boards, managers, department heads, and nonprofit <br />groups to help them set priorities, plan and manage work towards those priorities, and evaluate results. <br />Lydian Altman, Director of the Strategic Public Leadership Initiative, worked on this project with Master <br />of Public Administration student Jake Pflepsen, who has worked as an emergency service provider for <br />almost ten years in two municipalities and is a Nationally Registered EMT. Lydian and Jake developed a <br />work plan for the overall project, drafted agendas and a discussion exercise, facilitated discussions, and <br />documented the decisions of the group into this final report. <br />Summary of the Work: <br />1. Individual Interviews: October - November 2011 <br />• School of Government representative conducted individual interviews with each OCCA member <br />to discuss concerns and priorities. <br />2. First Retreat: Saturday, November 19th, 2011 <br />• Initial retreat focused on airing concerns and developing a shared vision. <br />3. Evening Planning Session: Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 <br />• Progressive goal formulation and agreement <br />4. February Retreat: Saturday, February 11, 2012 <br />• Retreat finalized goals and objectives, discussed strategies for moving forward. <br />5. Final plan review: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 <br />• OCCA representatives met and edited final strategic plan. <br />11 <br />