Education and Human Relations

Education and Human Relations Division

Education Department

The Education Department continues to expand educational opportunities available to IAFF leaders and members through multiple delivery platforms. The Department continuously provides programs to further educate our affiliate leaders on the latest strategies and crosscutting topics.

Educational opportunities are developed and delivered to members in a variety of ways that include curriculum development, planning and conducting seminars and conferences, FIRE OPS 101 events and train-the-trainer programs, Labor Management Alliance (LMA) training and Human Relations Technical Assistance. In addition, the Department continues to seek out and offer post-secondary educational opportunities. The Department also administers all IAFF scholarships and provides ongoing assistance to the elected human relations committee.

Instructional Design Department

In 2018, General Harold President Schaitberger sought to streamline all education and training curricula development within the IAFF to maintain consistency and quality to our members. Senior staff developed a plan to implement this directive. Upon reporting back to the General President, the Instructional Design Department (IDD) was introduced and placed under direct supervision of the Education, Training and Human Relations Division.

The mission of the IAFF Instructional Design Department is to design, develop, and maintain all IAFF curricula, ensuring collaborative efforts and exclusive IAFF branding of training programs.

Phil Gauer, the deputy director, along with two current in-house instructional design staff were transferred from the HazMat Department to the newly formed Instructional Design Department effective February 26, 2018. 

Programs and Resources Sites

Partnership Education Program (PEP)

State and provincial associations can request either a PEP assisted or a PEP subsidy once during each fiscal year to meet their educational needs.

The PEP assisted option provides one day (up to six hours) of customized training to be presented in conjunction with the state or provincial annual meeting. The IAFF provides the instructors, curriculum and supplies needed for the training at no cost to the state or provincial association.

PEP assisted events delivered to state and provincial associations for fiscal year 2016-17 totaled 16 events. During fiscal year 2017-18 a total of 11 events were delivered or have been processed to date.

The PEP subsidy option provides financial assistance to state and provincial associations in support of their annual education seminars. The IAFF provides a subsidy of $20 per participant per day, up to a maximum of three days. The state or provincial association is responsible for supplying the instructors, curriculum, materials and registrant verification sheets. For fiscal year 2016-17 the PEP Subsidy option was utilized by 15 state or provincial associations totaling $130,840.00 in subsidies. During the 2017-18 fiscal year, a total of 17 subsidy events were approved that were completed or are being processed.

District PEP events allow IAFF affiliate leaders the opportunity to learn about district and regional-specific issues at a general session, participate in eight hours of workshops over two days and network with leaders from neighboring locals. Class options for each event are selected by district vice presidents from the PEP catalog to meet the district’s most pressing educational objectives. In the 2017 fiscal year, the Department helped to coordinate six PEP district events. We have planned and delivered two District PEP events for fiscal year 2018 and have four additional scheduled, as well as two more scheduled for fiscal year 2019.

Instructional Design Department

With the establishment of the Instructional Design Department (IDD) staff began immediately to streamline the design and development of our education and training programs and gave us the ability to build out our current and future educational materials. This process will ensure that we have a consistent look, feel, design, delivery and testing component for every IAFF education and training product or program.

The IDD staff reviewed all the training programs across the IAFF. There are a total of one 119 programs. Among the total we have 98 instructor-led training deliveries and 21 web-based programs. Another 19 programs are in development. The IDD continues to meet with all IAFF divisions to plan for upcoming additions and/or updates to training.

The IDD met with the communications director to better understand how to incorporate 508 compliance into our IAFF programs. This compliance is a federal law mandating that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government is accessible to people with disabilities.

Lastly, staff members are involved in the implementation of the iMIS/Moodle bridge. Moodle is the IAFF’s learning management system that stores the web-based training programs and its associated data. The iMIS System is also the IAFF membership database that serves as a repository for the instructor-led based training programs. Once finalized, the bridge will provide a two-way communication network between the systems which will allow better access and tracking of all IAFF training program data.

The Department is committed to ensuring high quality educational programs by providing annual instructor training, developing new modules based on the current membership needs and revising existing instructor-led and online educational programs.

Following the 2016 convention, the Department began preparations for the 2017 ALTS. Staff helped to edit and update the materials in workshop tracks on union officer leadership, union administration, negotiations and political action. Each track combined three to six existing, related two-hour PEP modules into a six to 12-hour course of intensive and comprehensive training on these key topics.

To improve the negotiations track for ALTS 2017, the IAFF staff also revised and updated the curriculum to add a section on mediation and municipal financial analysis.

Responding to interest among members in increasing involvement of rank-and-file membership in affiliate activities, the Department created a membership engagement track by combining updated versions of six current PEP workshop modules. The curriculum was reviewed by Kaplan University. Members taking the track and passing its assessments will be eligible for one lower level credit. Six PEP tracks now offer this option.

Two modules were developed in 2017 and added to the PEP curriculum. These modules are:

• Building an Inclusive Workforce: Reflecting the Communities We Serve: This module is designed to educate affiliate leaders to the extent that they will be able to create and implement local recruitment and retention plans and efforts that will increase the diversity of the local’s workforce.

• Best Practices for Secretary-Treasurers: Students will gain a better understanding of the role and responsibilities of the secretary, treasurer or the secretary-treasurer as a union officer. Students will also acquire knowledge on maintaining their local’s records, running a meeting, fiduciary responsibilities and common IRS filing mistakes.

The Department also developed a module for the Louisville, Kentucky HR Technical Assistance effort that has been adapted for use at future HR Technical Assistance and selected PEP training events:

• Building on a Culture of Teamwork: Fire fighters have created a culture of teamwork to promote their safety and effectiveness, but to create a more diverse and inclusive work force these values need to be cultivated. This workshop explores many different diversity and tolerance questions affecting the well-being of IAFF members and promotes strategies to deal with incidents that threaten to undermine a tolerant, diverse and ethical workplace.

In preparation for the 2018 IAFF Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit/Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference (ALTS/HRC), the Department reviewed 15 PEP modules that were going to be offered at ALTS/HRC with teams of PEP instructors and updated them accordingly. In addition, materials for Fundamentals of Costing Contract Proposals was revised and updated with the assistance of IAFF staff after IDC.

Resource Web Sites

The division also develops and maintains a variety of web sites for IAFF members. The sites are created to provide information on challenging topics that our members face on a daily basis. Our sites will allow members to gain valuable information and knowledge at their own pace and convenience.

The resource web sites/pages developed/updated since May 2016 include:

Educational Resources

• Education and Training Home
• Education Resources
• Fire Reporting System
• FireRescue1 Academy Member Benefit Program
• Healthcare Enhancement for Local Public Safety Officers (HELPS)
• IAFF Opioid Crisis Toolkit
• PEP Instructors Resources
• PEP Student Resources Toolkit
• PEP Online Catalog
• Purdue University Global (IAFF partner, formerly Kaplan University)
• Resources for New Leadership Toolkit
• Scholarships
• Welcome to the Union

Human Relations

• A Diverse Movement Calls for Diverse Leadership
• Building a Stronger Union
• Elected Human Relations Committee Resources
• Human Relations Committee Members
• Human Relations Online Manual
• Human Relations Resources
• Recruiting Diverse First Responders

Conferences/Training Events

• Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) (2017)
• Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) Post-Conference (2017)
• Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS)/Buddy A. “Mass” Human Relations Conference (2018)
• Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS)/Buddy A. “Mass” Human Relations Conference Post-Conference (2018)
• Boston Health Safety Symposium (2016)
• Instructor Development Conference (IDC) sites for both EHRC and PEP instructors (2016 and 2017)
• District PEP:

FY May 2016-2017

• 4th District
• 5th District
• 8th District
• 10th District
• 11th District
• 14th District

FY 2017-May 2018

• 1st District
• 4th District
• 5th District
• 8th District
• 10th District
• 12th District

FIRE OPS 101

• IAFF FIRE OPS 101 Toolkit
• FIRE OPS 101 for IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery (2017)
• FIRE OPS 101 for IAFF Staff (2017)
• FIRE OPS 101 for Midwestern Legislative Conference Annual Meeting (2017)
• FIRE OPS 101 Registration for New Mexico State Firefighter Association (2018)
• FIRE OPS 101 web sites for USCM Annual Conference of Mayors
  • 2016 − The 84th Annual Meeting
  • 2017 − The 85th Annual Meeting
  • 2018 − The 86th Annual Meeting

• FIRE OPS 101 Post-Conference for USCM Conference of Mayors Post-Conference
  • 2016 − The 84th Annual Meeting
  • 2017 − The 85th Annual Meeting 

Planning and Conducting Conferences

Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS)

The Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) began in 2002 and continues to be the IAFF’s foremost educational event. ALTS gives affiliate leaders the hands-on experience they need to build their local union. It helps current and prospective union officers obtain leadership skills and provides them with opportunities to network with other members from across the United States and Canada.

In 2017 the annual IAFF Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) was held on January 24-26, 2017, at the Anaheim Hilton in Anaheim, California. The 2017 ALTS drew 1,787 registrants with 1,735 paid affiliate leaders and 52 cancellations. Among attendees there were 1,715 members and 20 non-members. It was the highest attendance in the history of ALTS.

ALTS totaled 371 instructional hours delivered to affiliate members, an increase from 333 at the 2016 ALTS. These instructional hours were presented in 136 total workshops offered over two days in seven pre-conference workshops and 23 information sessions. Also within these workshops were 47 new or updated offerings.

The 2017 ALTS included six workshop tracks that were accredited through Kaplan University with the following college credits offered as a fire science elective course:

• Membership Engagement Track (two days): one lower level credit
• Union Administration (two days): three lower level credits
• Union Officer Leadership (two days): three upper level credits
• Negotiations Bootcamp 1 (two days): one lower level credit
• Negotiations Bootcamp 2 (two days): two upper level credits
• Non-Collective Bargaining (one day): one lower level credit

In 2017, ALTS received the highest amount of feedback on record through members’ participation in downloading and using the IAFF Frontline App to complete the online evaluations. We received 4,661 workshop evaluations and 767 overall evaluations. Evaluation responses were received from every workshop or track delivered and from most of the information sessions delivered.

In 2018, the Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit/Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference (ALTS/HRC) was combined for the first time into a single event, held January 28-31, 2018, at the Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida the event drew 1,632 registrants. We processed 19 cancellations with 1,595 members attending and 20 non-members in attendance.

Workshop and instruction highlights include:

• A total of 359 instructional hours delivered.
• There were eight pre-conference workshops offered, compared to six at previous ALTS events. There were 413 attendees at these pre-conference workshops.
• There were 141 total workshops offered over three days, of these 67 were new or updated.
• 22 Workshops, two Pre-Conference workshops and six information sessions were specifically directed at human relations issues.
• There were 27 information sessions offered.
• IAFF Center of Excellence and Cancer, Research, Prevention and Treatment workshops were both webcast live from ALTS. In almost all 50 states and Canada members could watch the workshop in progress.

The 2018 ALTS/HRC included 4 workshop tracks that were accredited through Kaplan University with the following college credits as a Fire Science elective course:

• Membership Engagement Track (two days): one lower level credit
• Union Administration (two days): three lower level credits
• Union Officer Leadership (two days): three upper level credits
• Negotiations Bootcamp (two days): one lower level credit

Total number of Registrants for tracks: 413

Also for the first time in ALTS/HRC history, the IAFF hosted a 5K Fun Run to raise money for the IAFF Charitable Foundation. We had 175 participants run in our Union Strong 5K, raising over $5,000 for the foundation. We received $8,000 in sponsorships from the IAFF Financial Corporation and Kaplan University.

*2018 ALTS combined with HRC

Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference

The 2018 biennial IAFF Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference was combined with ALTS into the IAFF Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit/Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference (ALTS/HRC) and held January 28-31, 2018 at the Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL.   The conference offered an energetic and a very productive atmosphere that thoroughly embraced the combined theme, Decades of Education, Generations of Inclusion: One Hundred Years of Union Strength. 

At the 2018 ALTS/HRC, 22 workshops, two pre-conference workshops and six information sessions were specifically directed at human relations issues, equal to 58 hours of HR-specific sessions. Sessions were led by PEP instructors, IAFF leadership, IAFF staff and several outside experts. Highlights included a general session with Vi Lyles, mayor of Charlotte, NC as the keynote speaker for the conference.

Instructor Development Conference (IDC)

The Instructor Development Conference assists IAFF instructors in developing their facilitation techniques and allows them to become familiar with new or revised instructor-led workshops. During the conference PEP instructors gather to participate in general sessions and individual workshops to help facilitate an understanding of the topics and techniques needed to be more effective facilitators.

In 2016 IDC was held in Phoenix, AZ. During this conference, the PEP instructors reviewed three new modules that were added to the PEP curriculum and piloted in the field during the year. Those modules were: Disaster Relief: Assisting Members in Preparation and Recovery, An Introduction to FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and Generational Differences. 

In order to ensure that the PEP instructors had strong knowledge of this new curriculum, three subject matter experts from the IAFF were brought in to facilitate a train the trainer presentation of their respective module. Two of those SMEs facilitated in-person presentations while the third participated electronically using Go-To-Meeting software. These presentations were extremely beneficial to PEP instructors so they could gain a better understanding of this new content by asking the SME questions. Also during IDC, the PEP instructors were able to engage in small group activities and collaboration in order to help the instructional designers update the negotiations curriculum.

In 2017 IDC was held in Clearwater, FL and included an additional full day of orientation for three new PEP instructors. The instructors along with participants from the peer support training, fire ground survival program and the wildland urban interface program were taught effective teaching methods and facilitation techniques from two seasoned PEP instructors.

During the rest of the 2017 IDC, instructors reviewed new and revised PEP curricula to prepare for the 2018 combined Vincent J. Bollon Affiliate Leadership Training Summit (ALTS) and Ernest A. “Buddy” Mass Human Relations Conference. This included the introduction of three new modules:  Building an Inclusive Workforce: Reflecting the Communities We Serve, Best Practices for Secretary-Treasurers, and Building on a Culture of Teamwork, all of which were written in 2017. It also included the review and revision of 15 older modules which would be presented at ALTS/HRC. This assured that the PEP instructors were not only familiar with the modules they would be presenting at the conference but also to assure that the content, formatting and module resources were all updated and relevant to our members. 

Scholarships

The IAFF offers scholarship opportunities for the benefit of its members as they look to develop and harness their leadership skills through continuing education. The Department administers the following scholarship programs:  Harvard University Trade Union Program, Harvard Canada/Ottawa Executive Leadership Program, Labor College of and Canada and the W. H. “Howie” McClennan scholarship. The programs provide financial assistance for sons, daughters or legally adopted children of fire fighters killed in the line of duty who are planning to attend a university, accredited college or other institution of higher learning. 

Harvard University Trade Union Program

This scholarship provides IAFF members the opportunity to explore key issues of the labor movement in today’s work environment. The Harvard University Trade Union Program Scholarship is awarded annually. Under the Executive Board Policy, the amount of the scholarship is the cost of tuition plus a $1,000 stipend to cover incidental expenses per awardee.

For the 2016 Harvard Program, the education Department processed a record 23 applications for consideration. At the September 2016 board meeting three scholarships were awarded to Ali Cooper, Local 788, Ron Kuley, Local 2068 and Joel Abelson, Local 1879 totaling $45,000.

For the 2017 Harvard Program, the Education Department processed 31 applications for consideration. At the September 2017 board meeting, the scholarship winners were: Marc Sanders, Local 718, Patrick Lancton Local 341 and Jeffrey Bayne Local 765 totaling $48,000. 

Harvard Canada/Ottawa Executive Leadership Program

The Ottawa Executive Leadership Program is an opportunity for local union leaders to gain advanced executive leadership training through an 18-month program run through the Canadian Policy Association. According to executive board policy, this scholarship covers tuition fees, travel accommodations and incidental expenses up to a maximum of $15,000 a year for two participants.

At the September 2015 board meeting, the scholarship funds trustees reviewed 11 applications for consideration during 2015-2016. The committee awarded scholarships to Mike Carter, Local 255 and Damien Walsh, Local 3888.

For the 2017-2018 program the Department reviewed 15 applications for consideration. At the February 2017 Board Meeting, the scholarship Funds Trustees Committee meeting awarded three scholarships to Andrew Spence, Local 2461, Dan VanderLelie, Local 1552 and Glenn Miller, Local 1053.

W.H. “Howie” McClennan

The W.H. “Howie McClennan Scholarship provides financial assistance worth $2,500 per year for sons, daughters or legally adopted children of fire fighters who have died in the line of duty to attend a university, accredited college or school of higher learning in the United States or Canada. The McClennan Scholarship is awarded annually.

For the 2016-2017 academic year 64 applications were received and awarded for a total value of $160,000.

For the 2017-2018 academic year a total of 66 applications have been received by the Education Department. The Scholarship Funds Trustees will take action at the upcoming June executive board meeting due to meet in Seattle, WA. The projected cost will be $165,000.

Recent McClennan Award History:

Recent McClennan Cost History:

 9-11 Applicant History:

Post-Secondary Educational Opportunities 

Kaplan University /Purdue Global University

The sale of Kaplan University to Purdue Global University became official on April 2, 2018. During the transition the Education Department has continued to work closely with Kaplan and Purdue. The IAFF has maintained a partnership agreement with Kaplan University since 2013 that offers reduced tuition option for members, their immediate family members, and IAFF staff.

In academic year 2017 175 IAFF members were enrolled in the following Kaplan University degree programs with 110 new enrollees and 48 IAFF members graduating.

During the first semester quarter in 2018 there are 62 IAFF members enrolled in the following degree programs including 48 new enrollees and 11 graduates.

In addition, the IAFF and Kaplan University launched a pilot program to promote the LRC 100 which is an open learning, self-paced program for students who are interested in earning undergraduate credits for learning acquired outside of the classroom. On average our members have been earning 36 undergraduate credits which is valued at $7,560.

For the 2017 ALTS and 2018 ALTS/HRC conferences the IAFF offered several “tracks” of PEP workshops combined to address a given area of learning. Students became eligible for Kaplan University college credits by passing one or more assessments after the training.

Kaplan’s faculty and staff reviewed the curriculum of all workshop tracks that were offered and the review team consisted of three subject matter experts from Kaplan University’s School of Public Safety and a prior learning subject matter expert from the registrar’s office. The review consisted of an administrative review and a course content review. Kaplan determined that the PEP workshop tracks are of substantial learning value to warrant the college credit.

The 2017 ALTS included six workshop tracks that were accredited through Kaplan University with the following college credits as a fire science elective course:

• Membership Engagement Track (two days): one lower level credit
• Union Administration (two days): three lower level credits
• Union Officer Leadership (two days): three upper level credits
• Negotiations Bootcamp 1 (two days): one lower level credit
• Negotiations Bootcamp 2 (two days): two upper level credits
• Non-Collective Bargaining (one day): one lower level credit

The 2018 ALTS/HRC included 4 workshop tracks that were accredited through Kaplan University with the following college credits as a Fire Science elective course:

• Membership Engagement Track (two days): one lower level credits
• Union Administration (two days): three lower level credits
• Union Officer Leadership (two days): three upper level credits
• Negotiations Bootcamp (two days): one lower level credit

FIRE OPS 101

The Education Department assists locals, state and provincial associations with the coordination and delivery of the IAFF FIRE OPS 101 program. The Department maintains the Fire Ops 101 online toolkit that contains resources to assist affiliates with planning their FIRE OPS 101 event.

The following are FIRE OPS 101 events that the Department coordinated between 2017 and 2018:

• The IAFF hosted a FIRE OPS 101 event on February 27, 2017 at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute for staff of the Behavioral Health Center for Excellence. A group of 32 staff members participated in this event to gain a better understanding of their future patients and the physical and emotional impact of their daily work.
• On June 23, 2017 in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami Beach, FL, a FIRE OPS 101 was hosted by the Miami Beach Fire Department in partnership with the IAFF, drawing more than 30 participants.
• On July 9, 2017 the IAFF also planned a successful FIRE OPS Event in Des Moines, IA in conjunction with the Midwest Legislators Conference in Des Moines. More than 20 state and provincial lawmakers were able to feel the heat for the day.
• On October 5, 2017 the IAFF hosted a FIRE OPS 101 program for its own headquarters staff at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute in College Park, MD. Over 45 staff members participated, giving staff a deeper understanding of the members they serve.
• We started registration for the 86th Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors FIRE OPS 101 in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday June 8, 2018.
• Our second 2018 national FIRE OPS 101 will be held at the Fort Meyer Army Base in Arlington, VA on September 27, 2018 with the focus on senior leadership in the United States Department of Defense. We have been working with 16th District Vice President Jim Johnson and our federal IAFF locals to plan this event.

Labor Management Alliance

The LMA is designed to improve cooperative relationships and help avoid critical labor management issues, disputes and costly arbitrations.  Highly experienced IAFF and IAFC cohorts facilitate this program to help fire departments develop and enhance positive, cooperative labor-management relationships.

In 2015 the IAFF was awarded a grant for $111,629 from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for a Labor-Management Cooperation Grant Program. The IAFF currently partners with the IAFC to perform this type of training. The award recognized staff worked directly with IAFF District vice presidents to target locals in need of this critical training. The training program focused on labor and management working together to improve communications, enhance training labor/management effectiveness, increase participative decision-making and promote a positive labor-management relationship.

The IAFF originally proposed delivering the LMA program to 10 departments, but with prudent financial management and cost savings, the IAFF exceeded this goal by 50 percent and delivered the program to 15 jurisdictions before the end of the grant reporting period.  The IAFF received an extension from FMCS to do its follow-up visits to ensure the program’s success. The IAFF is now in the process of writing its final report to close out this grant.

Thanks to the FMCS grant funding, we were able to conduct the following LMA deliveries over the grant period:

Charlottesville, VA                 Jan 19-20, 2016

Auburn, ME                            Jan 21-22, 2016

Wichita, KS                            May 10-11, 2016

Fresno, CA                             May 11-12, 2016

Broken Arrow, OK                 May 17-18, 2016

Truckee Meadow, NV            June 1-2, 2016

Vancouver, WA                      August 24-25, 2016

Euclid, OH                              September 7-8, 2016

Bloomington, IN                    October 11-12, 2016

Cape Girardeau, MO              November 28-30, 2016

Houston, TX                           February 7-8, 2017

St. Cloud, MN                        March 14-15, 2017

Savannah, GA                         April 19-20, 2017

Redding, CA                           May 101-1, 2017

Spokane, WA                          June 13-14, 2017

The IAFF received overwhelming interest from locals looking to participate in the grant program and will continue to seek future funding to help keep minimal cost to its members. 

Human Relations

Human Relations Committee Conference Participation and Training

Since the last convention in Las Vegas, NV members of the elected human relations committee represented the IAFF at various events.

The committee met during the following times/dates:

• IAFF Human Relations Conference/ EHRC Meeting Jan 18-21, 2016 in Lake Buena Vista, FL
• EHRC Meeting held May 5-6, 2016 in Toronto, CAN
• EHRC Meeting held May 9-10, 2017 in Silver Spring, MD
• EHRC Meeting held November 14-15, 2018 in Charlotte, NC
• AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference held Jan 11-15, 2018 in Houston, TX

EHRC members will also attend:

• EHRC Meeting in Silver Spring, MD on May 22-23, 2018
• One EHRC member will attend IAFF 54th Convention in Seattle, WA for HR Booth

Technical Assistance

In order to resolve any complaints related to discrimination or harassment, the IAFF General President provides the necessary coordination to resolve these issues. IAFF affiliates can request assistance for human relations issues that may arise in the fire service. The elected human relations committee works in conjunction with the Division of Education, Training and Human Relations to provide technical assistance for locals who are involved in discrimination or harassment disputes. During this reporting period we currently have three pending and nine completed technical assistance programs including:

• Calgary, ON – October 12-13, 2016 – completed
• Louisville, KY– January 13-15, 2017– completed
• OPFFA, Burlington, ON – Feb 7, 2017 and April 4, 2017- completed
• Kitchener, ON – Mar/Apr 2017 – completed
• Sun Coast, FL – June 26-28, 2017 – completed
• Pompano Beach, FL – Oct 17, 2017 – completed
• Tampa, FL – December 7, 2017 – completed
• Jeffersonville, IN – December 11-12, 2017 – completed
• Austin, TX – April 27-28, 2018 – open
• Little Rock, AR – May 8, 2018 – open
• Orlando, FL – June 13-14, 2018 – open