Workshop to examine next wave of firefighters

    A workshop this Saturday, hosted by Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC) and the Frenchman Valley Mutual Aid Association, will examine the issue “How do we motivate today’s recruits away from the Xbox long enough to answer the box alarm?”
    The workshop presenter will be Tiger Schmittendorf, Chief Recruiter with FireRECRUIT ER.com in the game-changing facilitated conversation.
    According to Timothy Zehnder, Director of Fire Science at MPCC, Saturday’s workshop will transition from the perspective that today’s Xbox generation of firefighters are all “unmotivated slackers” to the reality that most of them are simply starved for strong, effective leadership.
    “It’s now the challenge of the ‘more experienced’ firefighters to step up and be the coaches, mentors and leaders that we’ve always wanted to be—and that they need us to be now, more than ever before,” Zehnder said of the workshop.
    Attendees should be ready to respond to this “Xbox Live” conversation to crack the code and connect generations.
    The workshop this Saturday is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT at the McCook Senior Center. Workshop fee is $25 per person and includes lunch.
    Attendees from fire departments in the Frenchman Valley Mutual Aid District can attend free. Imperial is a district member. Contact Fire Chief Doug Mitchell in Imperial for details on attending.
    For more information contact Zehnder at 308-345-8126, or email him at zehndert@mpcc.edu.