WMAFC Membership Meeting
Thursday, March 16, 2023
8:30 AM - 4:30PM
Boulder Creek Golf Club
5750 Brewer AVE NE
Belmont, MI 49306
$20 Per Person
Sincerest thanks to Belfor and RAFT for sponsoring this meeting!
PRESENTATIONS
8:30AM - 10:00AM
Be The Target!
Paul Combs
2 Certified Fire Inspector CE Points Available!
It is not enough to want to make a positive difference, you must put in the hard work and be prepared for the success of your goals – and the inevitable backlash from critics! Any cause worth your passion makes you a target for criticism, but it’s how you respond to your critics that in most circumstances dictates the success or failure of your mission. Criticism can make you stronger, prove your point, make you wilt under the scrutiny, or destroy your reputation – it’s up to you. Be the Target explores these scenarios in an interactive environment where student participation is encouraged with positive discussions on how best to respond to critics. Join Paul for a fun and interactive class that will give you the tools to succeed where others fail. Paul will share some of the criticism he has faced over the years and how he responded. Not only will you be better prepared when you’re the target, but you will put yourself in a better position to be the target of aspiration, as well.
Paul will present an energetic and positive experience where students will be encouraged to discuss their passionate goals, where they may succeed or fail, and how criticism will affect the outcome. Paul will share some of his experiences as a company officer, as well as cartoons that have created the most backlash and how he chose to respond as an example of what to do, and what not to do! This presentation will use humor, cartoons, and interactivity to connect with the audience in a unique way that will get results.
Paul joined the fire service in 1995 and is a retired lieutenant for the City of Bryan Fire Department (Ohio) where he is a Firefighter/EMT, HazMat Technician, and continues to teach for the City of Bryan Fire Training Academy. Paul is an FDIC keynote speaker, presenter, and H.O.T. instructor. He is an adjunct instructor for The Ohio Fire Academy and On-Scene Training Associates, LLC. Paul is the 2018 recipient of the George D. Post ISFSI Instructor of the Year Award. Paul Combs is a classically trained artist, cartoonist, and Firefighter/EMT. His lavishly detailed illustrations are published worldwide in newspapers, magazines, and books. He is the editorial cartoonist for Fire Engineering Magazine, FireRescue Magazine, and JEMS. Paul is the author/illustrator of four books: Drawn By Fire, Drawn By Fire, Too, Drawing Lines, Drawn by Fire 4, and Sprinkles the Fire Dog.
For additional information, please contact paulcombs7@gmail.com • 419•630•5074 call or text
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Personnel Problems and Litigation: Out of Your Control?
Mike McCall, J.D.
6 Certified Fire Inspector CE Points Available!
Personnel lawsuits, such as workplace harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination can be lodged against your emergency services district at any time. How will you do under the scrutiny of a deposition or on the witness stand? Emergency services organizations and professionals are uniquely vulnerable to personnel lawsuits and public relations nightmares.
Presentation attendees will receive practical guidance on how to best protect their professional reputations, the legal liability interests of their organizations, and maintain equitable and safe work environments for their personnel. A goal is to help organizations deal with personnel problems in-house, rather than the courthouse or court of public opinion.
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For the last 26 years, Mike McCall, J.D. has provided training and consultation to over 700 emergency services organizations in Michigan and across the country. Mike specializes in developing human relations risk management programs addressing work-related harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and other forms of misconduct. A frequent and well received speaker at conferences and conventions, Mike is also a published author of the “Employment Practices Resource Manual”, a risk management guide for emergency services agencies, as well as many industry newsletter articles. He developed an anti-bias training program in 2021 titled “Differences Without Division” for implementation nationwide for emergency services organizations.
McCall graduated with distinction from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Letters and was named a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He subsequently studied law at Oxford University in Great Britain and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Mike can be contacted at mikemjconsulting@tx.rr.com or (cell) 214-415-8121.
