Page 15 - InCommand Volume 30

Fire Service to Law Enforcement
OFE SPOTLIGHT
Leaders can be made; they’re not always born. This was my thought when the Ohio Fire Executive (OFE) program was introduced to the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association in 1999, and was accepted into the first class along with 23 other
Chief Officers. The OFE program gave me the opportunity to raise my leadership bar another notch. I retired from Concord Fire Department on the 2nd of January 2016 after 40 years of service with Hambden and Concord, twenty-nine as Fire Chief. The 11th of January 2016, I started a new phase in my life with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, serving as Captain of the Communications Division.
The OFE program was a very important part of my career. Lessons learned in the program were instrumental, such as strategic planning for our community, written communication, and how effective verbal communication with other organizations, residents, and personnel helped our organization with the passage of levies and future planning for our community. Our class had Chief Officers from all over
the state, and the networking in the program was beneficial for me to exchange ideas and knowing your peer was a phone call away. One big take away from our class was the initiation and development of the Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws
of Leadership program to help potential leaders in public safety understand the importance of effective leadership in their lives.
As I reflect back on my career, the OFE program helped my career by learning to give back to the public safety community. The OFE program introduced me to other aspects of leadership, such as being part of the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association and working through the chairs to become President of the Association, also working on legislation and forming an alliance with Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association, the Ohio Police Chiefs’ Association, and the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association to better service the residents of our communities and Ohio. One
of the nice complements I received when being recruited for my new position
was being called a “Senior Statesman”—willing and able to work with others. Transitioning from the fire service to law enforcement was made easier by the lessons learned in the OFE program, since we are in this together.
I believe the OFE program will be the future of the fire service, raising the standards of leadership and putting senior staff officers and chiefs on the same page. Chief Officers can use the OFE principles to help them work with the business world and help their community and fire department grow with the times. I believe the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association is a premier organization, and the OFE program is one of its most promising programs for the future of Ohio’s fire service.
APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2020 • www.ohiofirechiefs.org I n C o m m a n d 15
Captain R. Mike Warner, OFE
Captain R. Mike Warner has spent most of his adult life in public service. He served in the U.S. Army from 1968 -1971, including overseas tours in Vietnam
(2 tours) and Germany (8 months). He continued his military service as a member of the Ohio Army Nation Guard from 1978-1987. Captain Warner has spent 40 years in the fire service, working his way up through the ranks from volunteer fire fighter to Chief in Hambden Township, Ohio, before accepting
the position of Fire Chief for Concord Township, Lake County, Ohio in 1995; served as President of the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association from 2011-2012; Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Federal Legislative Liaison for nine years; retiring as Fire Chief in January 2016. In January 2016, Warner accepted a position with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as Captain in charge of Central Communications. Captain Warner has
a Degree in Fire Science from Lakeland Community College; attended Columbia Southern University; Certified Public Safety Instructor, 1986; CFSI, 1986; Public Safety Instructor train the trainer; ICS; Planning Section Chief, 2008; Blue Card Certification, 2010; Instructor 2012; OPOTA Bailiff Basic Training, July 2014; and is graduate of the Ohio Fire Executive Program. Warner also received Lake County Blue Coats Award, 2006; Hero’s
for Andy Award, 2006; Ohio Police Chiefs’ Award for work starting the Public Safety Alliance, 2012; Chardon High School
Hall of Fame, 2005; the State of Ohio
Fire Marshall Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award, September 2015; and the Ohio VFW Firefighter of the Year award 2015-2016.