Northwestern University & NIPSTA Collaboration: Public Safety Leadership

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Supervision of Public Safety Personnel

The result of a unique collaboration between NIPSTA and the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, the Supervision of Public Safety Personnel is a new two-week course that provides front-line public safety personnel with a solid foundation for professional development and growth.

Spring 2020: Week 1 March 30th-April 3rd and Week 2 April 20th-24th Register Here

Fall 2020: Week 1 September 28th- October 2nd and Week 2 October 26th-30th Register Here

Strong first-line supervisory skills are essential for public safety professionals to successfully mitigate emergency incidents. Increasingly, an effective response to a crisis requires a collaborative effort between leaders representing a variety of public safety disciplines. Such professionals have a responsibility to not only consistently demonstrate a cohesive public safety response to an emergency, but also to support a daily shift in existing paradigms which often promote an ineffective, siloed and antiquated approach. 

An integrated public safety training model promotes our collective mission to improve overall effectiveness during the provision of essential community services. As such, we contend that dynamic, multidisciplinary, first-line supervision training will become the emerging leader's cornerstone to embracing contemporary leadership challenges, better appreciating human behavior, and further developing enriching relationships with peers, co-workers and the general public. This program exceeds that goal. 

This new two-week course is designed to encourage supervisors from across the public safety spectrum to collectively study and embrace leadership concepts in a combined and supportive manner. Throughout this program, students will collaboratively engage in classroom activities, discussions, assessment techniques, and learning technologies in order to prepare them for a wide-range of current topics relevant to supervising public safety personnel. Students who successfully complete this program will be well-equipped to immediately apply these progressive concepts within their own organizations and communities.

Who Should Attend*?

This course is designed to meet the demands of leadership within the modern world of public safety. The program has been intentionally developed in consideration of a wide range of potential participants, including fire service, law enforcement, emergency medical services ("EMS"), telecommunication, hospitals, public health and public works representing local, state and federal agencies. Others are encouraged to be creative in their nexus to this type of progressive program. All applicants will be considered. This program is also an exceptional opportunity to further expand one's understanding of other public safety disciplines and the intersection of our collective responsibilities to preparedness and response on behalf of the public we serve.

*This program is not specific to Illinois; we encourage participants from other states and countries to become involved in our programming.

Course Content


The Personal Profile System: DiSC InstrumentJoint Information Systems
Key Elements of Dynamic Leadership and MotivationEthical Behavior and Diversity
Performance ManagementPhysical and Mental Wellness
Communication SkillsRisk Management and Liability
Incident Command and Unified CommandGenerational Issues and Future Trends
Community and Media RelationsThe Disciplinary Process

Course Materials

Students are required to bring a laptop computer or other device with internet capability. Students without access to a portable device should contact the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety for assistance. Contact NU CPS here...

Tuition Fees

The tuition to attend this two week program is $1,000. NIPSTA members receive a 20% discount.

In order to receive the NIPSTA member discount, please use the code NIPSTAMember (no spaces, not case sensitive) in the Promo Code box when checking out. Once entered, click the 'recalculate' button to apply the discount. All registrations will be confirmed to ensure that the membership code is only being utilized by NIPSTA members. Any questions? Contact Jill McCormack at jmccormack@nipsta.org or 847-998-8090 x 101 for assistance.

Interested in becoming a NIPSTA member? More information available here...

Location

This course will be held on the NIPSTA Campus, 2300 Patriot Boulevard, Glenview, IL 60026. 847-998-8090.