Professional Coaching & Problem Solving is Back

VCOS Symposium in the Sun - Professional Coaching & Problem Solving

Saturday, November 12

VCOS Symposium in the Sun offered personal coaching and problem solving opportunities to attendees in 2021 and it's back!  Interested attendees may sign up for coaching sessions with experienced professional coaches to get personal feedback on their personal development journey, or to discuss a unique issue they are facing in their organization in a private and confidential manner.  

You must be a full conference registrant to patriciate.  Sign up for a timeslot early - limited slots available! Sign up here

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COACHING
As a fire service leader, you are on a journey. Sometimes the journey is smooth while other times it is downright tough. Learning to negotiate the rough roads of your journey is imperative to your success. The benefits of speaking to our coaches gives you the ability to gain a fresh and informative perspective on the challenges you may be facing.

This is your opportunity to have one on one conversation with experienced coaches who want to help make your journey a little easier. Gain professional learning experiences to support your professional advancement, wherever you are in your career.  Our team will provide guidance and suggestions based on your personal talents, credentials, and experience to help you realize your individual goals. 

PROBLEM SOLVING
Our experienced team of coaches will listen to your situation or challenge facing your organization and provide feedback specifically tailored to your needs.  Discussions can be based on a specific issue, or broader and more strategic in nature.  This gives participants the opportunity to hear fresh, objective, and confidential perspectives on local challenges.


MEET THE COACHING TEAM

Vickie Pritchett became involved in the fire service in 1997. Vickie served on the Board of Directors for the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department from 1998-2013, and was awarded lifetime membership into PVVFD in December of 2013. Vickie served as the Community Development Liaison for the Town of Pleasant View and Executive Director of the Joint Economic & Community Development Board of Cheatham County at the time she began her service to the local volunteer fire department. During this time she was instrumental in bringing fire service officials, builders and developers, and elected officials together. This coordination resulted in a zero square foot fire sprinkler ordinance for the town in 2001, and county-wide in 2006.
Vickie’s dedication to the improvement of quality of life, passion for the community, and her ability to bring people together makes her the “spark plug” and advocate of fire sprinkler requirements at the local, state, and federal level.  She has presented across the state of Tennessee and the nation. She has worked in Washington D.C. to promote fire protection issues and to highlight the differences that can be made by fire sprinklers and the legislation that requires them.  
Vickie is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and received her MBA from Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management. She is a VCOS Symposium committee member, Board Member of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, Board member of the IAFC Fire & Life Safety Section, Board Member of Common Voices, and is a member of both NFPA and ICC.  
Vickie currently serves as Vice President/Executive Officer of the National Fire Sprinkler Association.

Tim Holman is a 47 year veteran of Fire & EMS. He currently serves as chief of the German Township Fire & EMS in West Central Ohio. He has conducted training programs or leadership, fire and EMS management and safety issues throughout the United States.
Tim graduated with honors from Ottawa University in Kansas. He has an extensive background in health care management, the fire service and organizational development. He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (EMS Section And VCOS Section), the Ohio Fire Chiefs and the National Association of EMTs.
Fire Chief magazine named him Fire Chief of the Year in 2002. He is a past commissioner of the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He also serves as an advisory board member for Clark State Community College.
Tim has over 500 hours of training in active shooter hot zone response. He has written numerous articles and he has published two books on leadership and one on team building. He co-authored The Chief Fire Officer Desk Reference (Jones & Bartlette) and The Leadership Guide For Volunteers (Jones & Bartlette).

Eddie Buchanan began his fire service career in 1982 and retired as assistant chief with Hanover Fire & EMS in Richmond, VA in May, 2022.  He is a past president of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and is the 2015 recipient of the George D. Post, Instructor of the Year Award from the ISFSI. He serves on the executive advisory board of Fire Engineering Magazine and FDIC and is author of the Volunteer Training Officer's Handbook from Pennwell Publishing.  He serves on the NFPA Technical Committee on Fire Service Training and the NFPA 1700: “Guide for Structural Firefighting” Committee.  He is a past board member of the Volunteer/Combination Officer's Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and serves on a variety of advisory boards and committees for the fire service industry.  

Brita Horn is a Coloradan public servant, keynote speaker, best-selling author and leadership expert recognized as one of the most prominent voices advocating for public safety, justice, and women empowerment in Colorado. With her background in finance management and fire fighting, her career expands over several industries including community organizing, administration, and public service.
She is the first woman to be elected as VP for the Colorado State Fire Chiefs Association and has been serving her community for the past 14 years as a Volunteer Fire Chief at the Rock Creek Volunteer Fire Department, McCoy, CO. Brita served on the Colorado Fire Commission and is currently serving as Board of Director for International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Volunteer Combination Officers Section (VCOS).
Brita started her fire career on that fateful day September 11, 2001. Her community did not have a fire department and neighbors joined together to create one because emergency service was over an hour away from the unincorporated town.
Honing on her training as a firefighter, engineer and officer for Greater Eagle Fire Protection District, Gypsum Fire Protection District including Eagle County Ambulance District as an EMT. Brita has been on various Incident Management Teams across the state and region as a Plans Section Chief and currently with the Southwest (Colorado) IMT as a Safety Officer.
When Brita is not running emergency calls for her community, she's heading Never Give Up Consulting as a consultant, speaker, and leadership coach. She is passionate about helping other women learn the leadership strategies they need to succeed and achieve their goals even if the odds are against them, and to adapt and excel in careers in male dominated workplaces.

Chief Norvin Collins was selected as the Fire Chief for San Juan Island Fire & Rescue in Oct. of 2018.  The District protects 55 sq. miles and the population of approx. 9,000 residents on San Juan Island as well as those living on other nearby Islands along with the DNR land on all 172 named Islands within San Juan County.  500,000 visitors populate San Juan Island throughout the course of the year for the natural beauty the area holds.  The District is a combination Emergency Services Organization with 12 full-time staff and 60 Paid-On-Call volunteers.
Chief Collins was selected as Sauvie Island Fire District's first paid fire chief in Dec. of 2010. Norvin Collins served as a Division Chief for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue where he worked from 1994 through 2012 having held the ranks of firefighter/paramedic, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, and division chief.  Additionally, Norvin served as the District’s Volunteer Coordinator for five years overseeing the volunteer operations for Oregon’s largest combination department.
Chief Collins presents nationally on a variety of leadership and development topics for the International Association of Fire Chiefs' (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), State Chief’s Associations, Elected Officials Conferences, and other local and national organizations.  Norvin is an Elected Board member for the VCOS and holds positions on the VCOS national conference planning committees, a Planning Section Chief for a regional Type III Incident Management Team, and a member of numerous committees both internal and external to the fire service.
Chief Collins holds a B.S. in Fire Administration, a M.S. in Psychology, and Executive Fire Officer (EFO) credentials through the National Fire Academy.  He holds numerous fire and medical operational certifications as well as having published papers and articles on various fire service topics. He also consults with departments throughout the country on leadership development and organizational planning.