Jennifer Cornell's workshops

High Rise Fires (Saturday afternoon, March 27)
Few communities these days have aerial apparatus that can reach all floors of buildings in their areas. As soon as a fire is out of reach of a department's ladders and hoses, strategies and tactics change dramatically. Additionally, high rise incidents claim a disproportionate number of firefighters every year. Whether the fire is four stories above ground or forty, there are key elements to high rise fires that every firefighter, from the nozzle person to the chief, should take into account. This workshop will give all participants a better sense of what to look for in a high rise emergency, and offer tactical choices for handling different situations.

Progressive Discipline Systems (Sunday morning, March 28)
While many fire agencies practice some form of progressive discipline, most are still plagued with complaints from employees about fairness and equity. At the same time, many fire departments have yet to clarify what behaviors will be tolerated at work, leaving employees guessing about appropriate behavior. This workshop will explore progressive discipline systems and discuss how to propose or implement one for your fire department that maximizes the beneficial effects of discipline. These effects can include an increase in morale, a more efficient department, and a stronger defense against employee challenges to discipline. Discussions will include: creating workplace rules that can withstand legal challenges, creating coalitions between management and the rank and file to ensure commitment to the new disciplinary system, training supervisors on disciplinary procedures, and collecting and reviewing data on your new disciplinary system to ensure that it is working and fair.

About the faculty:
Jennifer Cornell is a captain with the Minneapolis Fire Department, a fire science instructor for Hennepin Technical College, and a contract instructor for the National Fire Academy. She has been involved with the Minnesota Women Fire Fighters Association since its inception, and currently serves as its secretary. She has taught workshops at two previous WFS conferences. Cornell holds a master's degree in labor policy from the University of Minnesota.