Texas Border Business
(McAllen, TX – Nov. 22, 201) The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) announced that Assistant Fire Chief Jim Schultz of the McAllen Fire Department has been accepted into the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI). Chief Schultz competed with new fire chiefs and chief officers from across the country to become a member of the 2018 cohort program. Along with being accepted into the program, Chief Schultz has been awarded a scholarship which covers the expenses for attending the program.
“We know that in the City of McAllen we recruit and retain the very best,” said City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez. “This selection of Chief Schultz reinforces that fact. I am so proud to have him on our team representing McAllen.”
Chief Schultz joined the McAllen Fire Department in March of 1993 and has been promoted through the ranks and was appointed Assistant Fire Chief in September of 2012. He serves on the McAllen Ambulance Advisory Committee, South Texas College Associates of Fire Science Curriculum Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Hidalgo County Local Emergency Planning Committee and serves on the Texas Fire Marshals Firefighter Fatality Investigation program for Non-Metro departments.
Chief Schultz has an Associates in Fire Science from South Texas College and is currently enrolled in the Bachelors of Organizational Leadership. Chief Schultz holds Master level certifications with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection in Fire Suppression, Investigator, Inspector, Instructor, Fire Officer, and Hazardous Materials Technician. He also graduated from the Texas Fire Chiefs Association – Fire Chief’s Academy, earning the designation of Certified Fire, receiving the designation of Fire Service Chief Executive Officer. He is married and has two wonderful girls, ages 6 and 8.
This is the sixth year that the Motorola Solutions Foundation has provided the IAFC with a grant to fund the program.
“Motorola Solutions Foundation recognizes the how these challenging times require a new breed of leader to head our local fire departments and national fire service”, said Matt Blakely, Executive Director of Motorola Solutions Foundation. “We’re proud to help support the education of these leaders to ensure they have the skills necessary to meet these complex and emerging issues confronting our communities.”
The Fire Service Executive Development Institute is a year-long leadership-development program created and implemented by the IAFC to provide new and aspiring chiefs with the tools they need to have successful and productive tenures. The members of the cohort will meet in December 2017, for their first 6-day session in addition to 2 other sessions scheduled six months apart. The group will communicate between sessions using an online community.
“The IAFC is most pleased to be able to provide career- and leadership-development opportunities to the individuals selected for the program thanks to the generous support of the Motorola Solutions Foundation,” said Chief Thomas Jenkins, IAFC president and chairman of the board. “The program has become the premier development piece for chief officers transitioning to fire chief roles. Many officers from the previous programs have been successful in achieving fire chief positions and effectively leading their departments.”
