Deputy Chief Tom Bartlett of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services has completed the executive fire officer program offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Fire Academy.

The four-year program involves one course each year tied to a written applied research project to demonstrate how to apply the course theory and concepts to real-life situations in the student’s organization. Each project is evaluated individually in a formal process and progression through the program depends on achieving related milestones, officials said.

Fayette County Chief Jack Krakeel said the course represented a significant off-duty time commitment on Bartlett’s part, and he noted that the courses were at such an elite level that Bartlett had to apply for acceptance to the program.

The courses focused on a variety of topics including executive development and leadership, community risk reduction, and analyzing fire services from an executive role.

Krakeel noted that completion of the course does not involve a pay raise for Bartlett, who is the deputy chief in charge of operations for the department. At the same time, the course demanded research and analysis in addition to attendance at classes in Maryland lasting two weeks at a time.

In Bartlett’s operations role, the knowledge he acquired through the course is being directly applied to improve the entire organization, Krakeel added.

“It demonstrates Tom’s commitment to this profession and this community,” Krakeel said. “I’m really proud of his accomplishments in this area.”

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