Linda Willing

Linda Willing is a retired career fire officer and currently works with emergency services agencies and other organizations on issues of leadership development, decision making, and diversity management through her company, RealWorld Training and Consulting. She is also an adjunct instructor and curriculum advisor with the National Fire Academy. Linda is the author of On the Line: Women Firefighters Tell Their Stories. She has a bachelor’s degree in American studies, a master’s degree in organization development and is a certified mediator. Linda is a member of the FireRescue1/Fire Chief Editorial Advisory Board. To contact Linda, e-mail Linda.Willing@FireRescue1.com.

Full list of Linda Willing results

6 character building strategies for firefighters
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Leading through positive example and clear expectations crafts firefighters who achieve their full potential
Mitigating the risk of training LODDs
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Training exercises carry the same risks as real fires and should be approached with even more caution
3 easy steps to improving community relations
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Firefighters are uniquely positioned in their communities to see real needs that may be overlooked by others
Firehouse hazing and pranks: The distinction is important
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Training, good leadership, mentoring, and yes, pranks all contribute to creating the best possible firefighters, but hazing has no place in the fire service
Why is fire department hazing still a problem?
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To fully end hazing requires a strong push from the top down and the bottom up within a fire department
When a fire chief needs to go to all-hands, in-person communication
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In-person communication can be a logistics nightmare, but there are times it is the only way for a chief to get important messages to the entire department
Why the media singles out wrongdoing by firefighters, EMTs
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Do the right thing because it is right, but also do the right thing because your job, supported by the currency of public trust, depends on it
Is there a better approach for fire department testing?
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Testing plays an important role in the application and promotion process, but needs to evolve to remain valid and useful
Fire chief's video troubles may mask larger issues
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In a situation where no good could come from it, no good came from it
Why you should attend the National Fire Academy
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Beyond the top-notch education, there's a lasting sense of fire service community that's not replicated anywhere else
Firefighter PTSD lessons from POWs
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U.S. prisoners held in the infamous Hanoi Hilton had remarkably low incidents of PTSD; here's how they did it and how that can be adapted to the fire service
How fire chiefs can better manage their time
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The rapid growth of demand and a stagnant growth in resources makes time management more critical than ever
How fire departments can use dispute resolution teams
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The education sector learned long ago that peer teams are a great way to head off and resolve conflict, and it's getting some air time in the fire service
What the Fairfax Co. Fire Dept. report missed
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The 53-page assessment of the fire department following Nicole Mittendorff's suicide didn't address the core issues or their solutions
How to build self-motivated firefighters
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All organizations will falter and ultimately fail if the only motivators are punishment and reward
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