NEWBURY — Newbury Fire Chief David Evans recently graduated from the Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Management Training Program, furthering his training in effective municipal leadership and community response.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22, Evans was one of 37 fire service leaders across the state to graduate from the 30th Chief Fire Officer Management Training Program at the Department of Fire Services (DFS) in Stow.
The program, presented in partnership between the DFS and the University of Massachusetts’s Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management, is designed to provide new chief officers with a variety of leadership and management skills essential in municipal management. The program is a competitive, highly demanding capstone course in the overall fire officer training track.
Evans said that the 14-week program had been on his “wish list” of professional development programs for some time and that the experience instructors provided benefitted his education.
“The program is important for new chiefs and those hoping to become chief officers in their development as a leader. The guest lecturers from the Fire Academy and through the Collins Center are experts in their fields of study,” Evans said. “The opportunities given are invaluable. The fact they are willing to pass on their knowledge and wisdom is imperative to our success and the success of the program.”
The program combines classroom instruction, out-of-class assignments, and student presentations over four months. Through these methods, attendees learn about essential topics for effective public sector management, including human resource management, ethics, executive leadership, governmental and organization structures, information management, customer-focused strategic planning, legal issues, budgets and public finance, community awareness, and labor relations, according to program officials.
Evans joined the Newbury Fire Department as chief in November 2023. One of his main goals is to improve Newbury’s already solid training program and offer quality training to department members.
“I ask a lot of our department members when it comes to professional development and training. This includes the Chief Officers, Company Officers, all the way down to our newest members. I hold myself to the same standard,” Evans said.
He also noted how essential the class was for connecting him to other fire service leaders.
“The friendships and bonds built throughout the four months and the chance to network with all 36 officers in the CFO class are the building blocks for our success,” Evans said.