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Evaluating emergency service interoperability & first responder training for emerging homeland security threats

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Evaluating emergency service interoperability & first responder training for emerging homeland security threats

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Content EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 1

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY & FIRST RESPONDER
TRAINING FOR EMERGING HOMELAND SECURITY THREATS

by
Martin Sedegah

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

December 2018

Copyright 2018 Martin Sedegah
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 2

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction to Problem of Practice 7
Organizational Context and Mission 7
Importance of Addressing the Problem 8
Purpose of the Project and Questions 9
Organizational Performance Goal 11
Stakeholder Group of Focus 13
Review of the Literature 14
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences 17
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences 19
Knowledge Influences 19
Motivational Influences 21
Organizational Influences 22
Interactive Conceptual Framework 23
Conceptual Framework 25
Data Collection 26
Interviews 26
Observation 28
Documents and Artifacts 29
Strategy for Analysis and Writing Completion 29
Phases of Analysis 30
Developing a Codebook 31
Phase One: Interviewing Participants & the Open Coding Strategy 32
Phase Two: Observing Participants with the Axial and Analytical Strategy 33
Phase Three: Qualitative Analysis of the Strategy 34
Timeline of Findings and Results 35
Strategy Conclusion 35
Results and Findings 36
Participating Stakeholders 36
Fire Chief Gregory Dean 36
Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Craig Baker 37
Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Medical Services Edward Mills 37
Assistant Fire Chief of Technical Services Milton Douglas 37
Assistant Fire Chief of Services David Foust 37
Chief of Staff Amy Mauro 38
Deputy Fire Chief Derron Hawkins 38
Deputy Fire Chief John Donnelly 38
Deputy Fire Chief Edward Pearson 38
Fusion Center Captain for Homeland Security Keith Nickens 38
Knowledge Influence Theme 39
Procedural Knowledge 39
Research Questions and Assertions 40
Motivation Influence Themes 46
Self-Efficacy Influence/Motivation 47
Research Questions/Assertions 47
Self-Efficacy Influence 48
Utility Value Influence/Motivation 51
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 4
Utility Value Influence 52
Organizational Influence Themes 56
Climate Influence/Organization 56
Research Questions/Assertions 56
Climate Influences 57
Culture Influence/Organization 59
Culture Influence 60
Findings Summary 62
Solutions and Recommendations 64
Introduction and Overview of KMO Influences 64
Knowledge Recommendations 65
Motivation Recommendations 68
Organization Recommendations 74
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations 80
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators 80
Level 3: Behavior 83
Level 2: Learning 87
Level 1: Reaction 91
Evaluation Tools 92
Level 1 and Level 2 Evaluation Tools 93
Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation 94
Level 3 and Level 4 Evaluation Tools 95
Data Analysis and Reporting 95
Strengths and Weaknesses 96
Limitations and Delimitations 97
Future Research 98
Conclusion 98
Reflection 100
Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria for Interview and
Observation 102
Appendix B: Protocols Reflecting Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Standards 104
Appendix C: Credibility and Trustworthiness 106
Appendix D: Ethics 108
Appendix E: ICS 110
Appendix F: Evaluation Tools 112
Appendix G: Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation 114
Appendix H: Integrated Evaluation & Recommendations 116
References 117

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 5
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Assumed Knowledge Motivation and Organization Influences 18
Table 2: Knowledge Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 64
Table 3: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations 68
Table 4: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations 73
Table 5: Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 80
Table 6: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Times for Evaluation 83
Table 7: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors 84
Table 8: Components of Learning for the Program 88
Table 9: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 91

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 6
FIGURE

Figure: Conceptual Framework

25
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 7
Introduction to Problem of Practice
In homeland security (HLS), the response methods of first responder organizations such
as police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), HLS, and special operations have evolved
since the pre-9/11 era. In the United States, the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York
cities on September 11, 2001, (often referred to as 9/11) resulted in the death of more than 3,000
people. The Bush administration responded to the attacks of 9/11 from the perspective of
conventional thinking of the past, largely viewing problems as state-based and principally
amenable to military solutions. It was this tragically misguided view that led us into a war in Iraq
(Obama, 2007, p. 1). At the time, first responders were accustomed to responding to state-based
incidents and were not prepared for major incidents on such a massive scale (Carafano, 2003;
Rudman, Clarke, & Metzl, 2003). One of the lessons learned from this incident is for first
responder agencies to improve communications on multi-jurisdictional deployments. This study
consisted of an examination of communications and interoperability among first responder
agencies. Interoperability is the act of exchanging information and resources among federal,
state, local, fire and police departments that are in neighboring jurisdictions of first responder
agencies and deploy a tactical response to a major incident. The problem of practice is to
increase interoperability among first responder organizations so that a unified chain of command
is created for amenable solutions for major incidents.
Organizational Context and Mission
The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, which hereafter shall be
referred to as the D.C. Fire Department, is the organizational context for the present study. The
D.C. Fire Department (2017a), is a first responder organization with the following mission
statement: “to protect lives, property, and the environment by implementing fire codes,
investigation of arsons, mitigation of fires, rescue, hazardous material leaks, natural disasters,
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 8
and HLS response” (p. 1). The organization is an all-hazard fire service that, like other similar
departments, deals with approximately 80% of calls being related to EMS and 20% of calls being
related to fire, HLS, and special operations. Prior to 9/11, the courts (29 C.F.R. sec 553.212)
excluded EMS duties from the definition of a firefighter, accounting for what is referred to as the
“80/20 rule” (Mathis & Maine, 2000). The D.C. Fire Department has executed aggressive
response efforts and demonstrated a professional example to other jurisdictions of how positive
interventions can improve survivability rates in HLS incidents. The D.C. Fire Department started
in 1884, currently has 33 firehouses citywide, and serves approximately 700,000 citizens of
D.C.; the number served can quickly become 1 million within a given day when including
tourists and commuters. This first responder agency is an all-hazard fire service, which has
contemporized response strategies to fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations. Approximately
2,200 employees work for the D.C. Fire Department. In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the D.C. Fire
Department funded 2,109 full-time employees (FTEs) operating in the agency, with an additional
1,781 FTEs currently in field-operations and patient contact for FY2017. The fire service that is
being evaluated in this study is located within the District of Columbia, and the budget of the
service is approximately $255 million as of FY2018.
Importance of Addressing the Problem
The problem being addressed in this dissertation is emergency service interoperability
among federal, state, local, fire and police departments. Another issue being addressed through
evaluations and research is the contemporization of first responder training in emergency
management systems. To the D.C. Fire Department, evaluating interoperability is important to
address for primary objectives such as increasing the survivability rates in the emergency service
system. The system in use must be able to expand and contract, change strategic orientation,
modify or switch tactics, and so forth as an incident unfolds (Bigley & Roberts, 2001). When a
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 9
major incident occurs, it is, at times, common to see that there is no particular hierarchical
authority in charge. So, there is an unprecedented need for cooperation among stakeholders who
seek mutual benefits but have little experience dealing with each other (Clarke, 2006). This new
age of emergency service requires organizational change and suggests that the mutual benefits of
emergency service stakeholders dealing with each other improve tact and interoperability.
Evaluating the emergency service response of major cities will save more lives and property
through increasing HLS awareness.
Although the D.C. Fire Department is highly efficient, there are still common
deficiencies that present a challenge to any department. The challenge that the D.C. Fire
Department is tasked with is to meet the needs of a growing population and the rise in call
volume that has resulted. In the area of emergency services, every major city suffers from
inefficient interoperability in some form, which endangers the safety and survivability of larger-
populated cities. Another potential danger that is presented to the city of D.C. is the vulnerability
of the countless soft targets and that a potential attack on these areas of the city could occur at
any moment. The aforementioned problem of practice is important to solve because of the
number of injuries and deaths that have been claimed by major incidents; these injuries and
deaths could have been prevented through stronger interoperability and the contemporizing of
tactical response.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this research project is to evaluate the degree to which the D.C. Fire
Department is meeting its organizational goal to improve first responder awareness, operations,
and interoperability among federal, state, local, fire and police departments. This dissertation will
reference the research questions and be an analysis of the D.C. Fire Department, specifically to
provide an exemplary framework of the emergency service practice for constituent agencies
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 10
nationwide to follow. For example, one of the organizational performance goals is to retrain the
fire service in accordance with the new HLS standards in the post-9/11 era. In this example, the
D.C. Fire Department implements performance goals to improve service, and the goals are set on
an annual basis based on a fiscal year budget. The purpose of the D.C. Fire Department is to
deploy tactical emergency services to Washington, D.C. and to increase survivability rates while
balancing the public finance and budgetary process to support these positive reinforcements. In
accordance with the plan of the D.C. Fire Department, as established by the new fire service
administration in D.C., by the end of 2018, all of the 2,200 firefighters of the department will be
contemporized to the new standards. For example, in accordance with the current initiatives, one
of the HLS retraining’s entices tactic with the Incident Command System (ICS) and National
Incident Management System (NIMS). These two response systems incorporate sections,
branches, divisions, groups, strike teams, task forces, resources, and specialized emergency units
(Appendix E).
Another performance goal shall be the implementation of the new ICS, and NIMS into
the tactical operations in the field of fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations. According to the
Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG), both strategic systems appoint one incident commander
(IC) on the scene to command and manage major incidents. The response strategies in previous
SOGs experienced numerous ICs on the same scene mitigating the same incident, while this new
ICS system appoints the first officer on the scene as the IC until another officer of higher rank
assumes command. The problem of practice is to increase vigilance through contemporized
training and to upgrade the fire services to the new HLS standards of training by the end of 2018;
these trainings will be conducted at the D.C. Fire & EMS Training Academy on a yearly basis.
To assess the status of the D.C. Fire Department in meeting its goals regarding
interoperability, three research questions related to organizational change are being posed to
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 11
leaders within the department. The first research question focuses on the knowledge that
emergency service stakeholders had prior to 9/11 and the organizational change that has been
developed to bring first responder agencies to a higher standard. The second deals with the
knowledge and motivation that supports training curricula to improve standards of
interoperability when responding to major incidents. Finally, the third incorporates the
knowledge and motivation of practice when utilizing organizational resources. Actions were
taken in the three areas just noted to contemporize emergency service and increase survivability
rates in the future. The research questions are included below:
1. To what extent is the D.C. Fire Department meeting its performance goal to train its
2,200 members in awareness, operations, and interoperability in compliance with the
Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and
new homeland security standards by the end of 2018?
2. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to achieving
this organizational goal of having the 2,200 members of the D.C. Fire Department being
trained to awareness, operations, and interoperability of the new homeland security
standards of ICS, and NIMS by the end of 2018?
3. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources, when dealing with the task of training the 2,200
members of the D.C. Fire Department on awareness, operations, and interoperability and
the new homeland security deployment standards of fire, EMS, HLS, and special
operations by the end of 2018 in the post-9/11 era and into the future?
Organizational Performance Goal
The performance goal of the D.C. Fire Department is to continue the implementation of
contemporized training programs to improve interoperability among federal, state, local, fire and
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 12
police departments. The D.C. Fire & EMS Training Academy is responsible for conducting
emergency service training. More commonly, training resources used by first responder
organizations are created to target the safety of the members and the safety of the citizens of the
city. In the D.C. Fire Department, “Target Safety” is the name of the training program that is
directed to the organizational members. The program is named after the first responder agency’s
vision to efficiently “target the safety” of the organization’s personnel. This program
implementation proposes a challenge to influence the knowledge across the following
operational fields of fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations divisions. The target of
organizational change, the intervention strategy, and the proposed outcomes differ considerably
across these fields (Israel, Baker, Goldenhar, & Heaney, 1996). The performance goal has a
focus to influence the differentiation of targets, strategies, and outcomes. This goal supports the
organizational goal, which is to improve first responder awareness, operations, and
interoperability by training firefighters to contemporized homeland security national standards.
A contemporized fusion will exist in the following divisions of fire, EMS, HLS, and special
operations, which define this study of the fire service.
In this study, the “Target Safety” educational project will support the performance goal of
the emergency services training benchmarks in the D.C. Fire Department, and the study is
projected to be completed by January 2019. In addition to the fire and EMS curriculum,
additional new federal standards of training for HLS exist, which are the ICS and the NIMS.
Another organizational performance goal is to implement the ICS strategy of the first officer on
the scene assuming command as the IC in an ICS system. Prior to this standard, the protocol for
fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations incorporated numerous ICs operating on the major
incident scene simultaneously. Both federal systems detail emergency operations of sections,
branches, divisions, groups, strike teams, task forces, resources, and specialized emergency units
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 13
(Appendix E). These two emergency response systems are educational training requirements that
will effectively contemporize members and their aptitude to respond nationwide.
Stakeholder Group of Focus
The stakeholder groups that operate the D.C. Fire Department and are responsible for the
implementation of resources, staffing, and training are the fire chief, the assistant fire chiefs, and
the deputy fire chiefs. The fire chief of D.C. refers to the aforementioned stakeholder group of
focus as the “leadership team.” The primary focus of this study will be the fire chief and the
assistant fire chiefs. These stakeholders primarily direct operational deployment divisions of
firefighting (i.e., fire) and EMS branches; both branches will be discussed in this dissertation.
There is one head fire chief who leads every division of the fire and EMS branches. An assistant
fire chief of operations and an assistant fire chief of emergency medical services flank this fire
chief. The aggressive response efforts used by the stakeholders of the D.C. Fire Department is a
professional example of how positive interventions can improve survivability rates in all-hazard
incidents. This first responder agency is an all-hazard fire service that has contemporized
response strategies to fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations. These implementations from the
executive officers also provide a description of the stakeholder groups, which direct the deputy
fire chiefs that operate the fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations divisions. In D.C., the
executive stakeholder group of the fire chief and the two assistants have constantly implemented
strategies to improve organizational performance; these implementations are formidable and
should be emulated as an example for other major and minor cities.
The chosen stakeholder group will be composed of deputy fire chiefs who operationally
engineer and conduct response measures to all-hazard incidents (whether minor or major)
regarding fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations. The chosen emergency management
stakeholder will be the deputy fire chief of homeland security. In first responder agencies, deputy
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 14
fire chiefs operate under assistant fire chiefs and commonly have performance goals that are
dependent on the emergency services of the subordinate organizational members. Emergency
service stakeholders found it necessary to train organizational members to contemporary levels,
which were core activators of a successful impact after new implementations. These core
activators of workplace performance are affected by change management, which has regarded
managing (either well or poorly) the impact of some particular environmental and/or
organizational changes (Moran & Brightman, 2000). For example, stakeholders in the fire
suppression division might use organizational change management and core activators of
firefighting technologies to catalyze effective performance from first responder members through
contemporary training. The D.C. Fire & EMS Training Academy is the branch of the
organization that is tasked with training and motivating members to adopt contemporized fire,
EMS, HLS, and special operations standards. In D.C., the fire division is deployed to fire
suppression incidents and is operated by deputy fire chiefs such as Chief Pearson. The EMS
division is deployed to medical services incidents and is operated by Deputy Fire Chief Thomas.
The homeland security division is deployed to HLS incidents and is operated by Deputy Fire
Chief Hawkins. The special operations division is deployed to special operations and rescue
incidents and is operated by Deputy Fire Chief Donnelly.
Review of the Literature
The review of literature presents an overview of the knowledge factors, knowledge gaps,
knowledge influences, and motivation factors that may impede the advancements in the
organizational performance goals of the organized emergency department responses. In addition,
this related literature review will support the decisions that lead operational measures and the
education strategies of interoperability among federal, state, local, fire and police departments
used for first responders. This dissertation also identified hypothetical interventions to the self-
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 15
efficacies that are necessary to improve the knowledge and motivations of members of the fire,
EMS, HLS, and special operations of an emergency service organization. In addition, the
positive implementations and the problem of practice issues within emergency management
initiatives of the D.C. Fire Department shall be analyzed. The first step is to identify the general
literature that explores interoperability and to evaluate the knowledge influences that were
implemented in the training projects. The second step is to review the related literature research
on first responders. The problem of practice shall be explored through reviewing general
literature sources on emergency management and then establishing the framework for the study.
This literature shall provide answers to the problem of practice by identifying the negatives such
as performance gaps, and positive interventions that have been proven in previous research
studies to increase survivability rates.
There is a paucity of scientific literature concerning an organized emergency department
response to assist local fire/rescue or EMS agencies with patient care activities (Jaslow, Barbera,
Desai, & Jolly, 1998). Within a study, it is imperative to introduce an examination of the
contemporary training curricula that firefighters are tasked to be educated from. This literature
review supported and examined the performance gaps, which need to be identified to
contemporize a training curriculum to deploy more effective tactics to the emergency services’
interoperability. This identification of performance gaps was explored through this study, and the
training curricula that involve emergency management techniques were the focus. The
performance gaps in emergency service interoperability was identified in this study of the first
responder services. I have conducted an analysis of action, along with an evaluation of
performance goal gaps, knowledge types, and the influences that were implemented through first
responders in tactical operations. In theory, the performance of an investigation on the common
gaps in first responder agencies and strategic solutions can be created to bridge the uncertainties
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 16
and “gaps.” To improve the fire services education curricula’s effectiveness, gaps have been
identified. Following the problem of practice and achievement gap identification, influences that
will impede, progress the fire services education curricula performance goals were investigated.
The findings involved in this literature review will support the “concerns of an organized
emergency departments’ response to assist local fire/rescue, or EMS agencies with patient care
activities” (Jaslow et al., 1998, p. 1). In addition, to this review, there was evidence to support
the implementation which have been made by the stakeholders that are appointed in the fire
services. Although the steps in this literature review provide a logical framework, this review
does not entirely represent the steps to be taken, but, rather, who said supporting quotes and what
is missing in the corresponding authors’ quotations. The organizational performance goal can be
achieved by identifying the fire services problems of practice through literature and gaps in
professional development. Emergency management stakeholders of today require a higher level
of education to professional develop a federally organized emergency service. In this
dissertation, there was an evaluation of the literature that supports knowledge types, and gaps
conceptually influenced by the management. Anderson, Krathwohl, and Bloom (2001) stated,
“There are four types of knowledge when evaluating any knowledge gap. The four knowledge
types are factual, conceptual, and procedural” (p. 1). Anderson et al. added that the four types of
knowledge support evaluating any knowledge gaps that conceptually connect the deployment
methods that are necessities of a first responder organization. This literature review supports
Anderson et al.’s findings and the evident knowledge types explored in this dissertation. These
knowledge type principles explained by Anderson et al. are factual, conceptual, and procedural.
Hypothetically, in the fire department, a model can be created from the concept of procedural
knowledge described by Anderson et al. (2001).
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 17
The authors’ literature conveys the delineation of how a procedural knowledge type will flow
from the stakeholders, then to the instructors who train the firefighters.
One of the defining characteristics of procedural knowledge is that it can be claimed. In
other words, companies that develop their own procedures or methods can protect them as
intellectual property (Gemma, 2014). The articles cited in the review of literature support the
four types of knowledge that are important to distinguish within an educational system that
motivates the fire service organization. The responsibility to contemporize training starts with
reviewing the relevant literature. The problem of practice can be furthermore identified by
conducting searches on contemporary literature that regards the emerging HLS threats of today.
In today’s world, our nation continues to face a multitude of serious and evolving threats ranging
from homegrown violent extremists to cyber criminals and hostile operatives. This dissertation
evaluated responses and training; as these threats evolve, we must also adapt and confront these
challenges, relying heavily on the strength of our federal, state, local, police and fire departments
(Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2017). The focus of the literature review is to research
notations of the knowledge influences, then implement the findings, which support a member’s
motivation to train and ultimately improve the organization.
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
In this dissertation, the knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO) influences are
presented in the annotated table. The final dissertation presents a complete analysis, and a more
in-depth look at the KMO influences with all three sections, which are associated with a
corresponding table. When a major homeland security incident occurs in America, organizations
such as the fire department experience KMO changes internally and externally. First responder
organizations can benefit from organizing the assuming KMO objectives that need improvement,
then implementing policy to support the influential direction of the stakeholders. Table 1
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 18
represents assumed KMO influences, which shall support roles of first responder agencies that
aspire to achieve the organizational performance goal.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 19
Table 1
Assumed Knowledge Motivation and Organization Influences
Assumed KMO
Influences
Knowledge Motivation Organizations

Assumed
Influences
Organizational
Performance Goal.

1. Administrative
teams need to know
how to implement
the most current
response standards
in emergency
incidents.

1. Administrative
teams need to
feel confident in
their ability to
drive the self-
efficacy of
individual
firefighters.

1. The organization
needs to
implement
contemporized
strategies that
support awareness,
operations, and
interoperability
among federal,
state, local, fire
and police
departments.

2. Administrative
teams need to know
how to request
federal resources
during major
emergencies,
through stakeholder
interaction with the
SMEs that convene
at committee
meetings, the
leadership team can
then update
response through
contemporized
policy.
2. Administrative
teams need to see
the value of
utility by
benchmarking
success of
divisions that
have completed
training.
2. The organization
needs to
implement
upgrades by
training
firefighters to
contemporized
homeland security
national standards.

Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
Knowledge Influences
The influence of knowledge will clearly come from the stakeholders, then to the fire
instructors in place at the D.C. Fire & EMS Training Academy to implement a curriculum for the
fire service of D.C. The knowledge influence will clearly be implemented from the chosen
stakeholder groups, the operational fire chiefs who direct and conduct responses to minor and
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 20
major incidents. These knowledge influencers will assertively implement the four objectives of
fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations. The operational fire chiefs are also responsible for
institutionalizing a procedural approach to the administration of tests for the probationary
recruits who are trained for one-and-a-half years in the response strategies at the D.C. Fire &
EMS Training Academy. Gifford, Pelletiere, and Collura (2001) stated, “There are institutional
concerns about interoperability and operations” (p. 8). Table 1 displays that the only way to
improve crisis management and fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations is to incorporate a
procedural approach and retrain first responders to a contemporary level of the new emerging
threats facing the United States. Table 1 also presents a representation of this set of knowledge
influences, types, and knowledge assessments, which will improve preparation methods,
prevention strategies, response deployments, and recovery methods in the emergency services.
For a fire service stakeholder, choosing the inquiry method that fits the knowledge
influence of the organizational conceptual framework is a challenge. For first responder
agencies, inquiries and audits to the knowledge influences expose internal issues involving
procedural tactics and staff members. According to McEwan and McEwan (2003), “It occurs
when unobserved characteristics that influence selection into a specific treatment or program
such as staff or family motivation also influence program outcomes” (p. 37). McEwan and
McEwan (2003) added that, through a conceptual framework of influence, the unobserved
knowledge characteristics that are discovered through inquiry methods can distinctly refine the
focus of procedural implementation. In homeland security, there is a procedural concept, which
relies on a knowledge influence that involves four steps: disaster preparedness, disaster
prevention, disaster response, and disaster recovery for natural and human-made disasters
(Chung & Yen, 2016).
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 21
Motivational Influences
The stakeholders tasked to implement the educational curriculum in the D.C. Fire & EMS
Training Academy implemented the motivational influences. Self-efficacy influences expressed
by the fire service stakeholders come mostly from previous skill development and past
experiences implemented at the training academy. Motivational influences also come from the
performance goal evaluations of utility values with each new initiative. The educational focus of
the stakeholders was on the implementation of the deployment strategy responsibilities of each
first responder. The motivational influences were from fire instructors who are tasked with
supporting the self-efficacy and utility value from the curricula and modules each firefighter has
to complete when training inside and outside the fire academy. Table 2 represents the objective
evaluations of the direct motivational influences from the executive branch stakeholders to the
four main divisions of the fire department. There is also a brief assessment of the utility value of
contemporizing training to the four objectives of fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations.
The D.C. Fire & EMS Training Academy is tasked with these trainings and providing
motivational influence on members to uphold fire suppression standards, EMS standards, HLS
standards, and special operation standards. Table 2 presents information regarding the utility
values of self-efficacy that will come from the motivational influence from the fire instructors at
the academy. In the table, three sections of utility values show an analysis of motivational
influences, types, and assessments prior to deployment into their respective firehouse companies.
The table also delineates the operational and educational focuses of motivation, and self-efficacy
from the four main fire service stakeholders. Table 2 also details responses from the four main
stakeholders who were interviewed about fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations. The table is a
representation of the motivation influence, motivation types, and motivation assessments.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 22
In order to be a successful organization, the utility values must be internally evaluated.
The exploration of the motivational influences should reflect the framework of the central
grassroots levels of the member community. After the qualitative research was conducted, then
quantitative research was conducted; there was a broad look at how motivational components of
a conceptual framework can drive the procedural data of knowledge. Fire service stakeholders
were to strongly adopt motivational decision-making alternatives that a conceptual framework
can expose once divisions in policy are reorganized to improve utility values. In the motivational
framework of influence, the emergency management literature shall support the inquiry methods
used to also reevaluate motivational influence of self-efficacy findings after the implementations.
According to Alkin (2011), “Most thoroughly examined within the literature on instrumental,
and conceptual use is the use of evaluation findings” (p. 207). Alkin suggested that reevaluation
findings improve the utility values, which include motivational influences that are more
definitive, and credible than conceptual framework examinations.
Organizational Influences
The organizational influence focus now is to contemporizing interoperability within the
organization, and fire service stakeholders are tasked to improve the climate and culture among
the organizations’ subordinates. Organizational influences towards staffing, training, and
resources create new climates and culture which are now prepared for more major incidents.
Cultural change is needed for the new HLS standards, rather than a focus on the minor incidents
of just fire and EMS incidents of today. With the new emerging natural and man-made HLS
threats that a fire service stakeholder is tasked to mitigate, there is a new organizational influence
on the climate and culture changes that need to occur to counter today’s emerging threats. Fire
service stakeholders will organizationally change the climate to influence resources, staffing, and
training, and members who shall adapt to implementations of HLS initiatives until a new
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 23
organizational proficiency of culture is achieved. The fire service of the past incorporated a
culture of just fire suppression, then EMS. However, the future culture of emergency service
organizations calls for contemporized fire, EMS, HLS, and special operation capabilities. Table 3
conveys the two main questions focused on organizational influences of contemporizing
interoperability in the interview section of the case study, which explored the following
questions: (a) What are some of the climatic and cultural issues encountered within a first
responder organization (i.e., the D.C. Fire Department)? (b) What do you see as the future of
organizational change and implementations to emergency management services (i.e., in the D.C.
Fire Department)?
Organizational influence depends on the knowledge and motivation influences to guide
the climate and culture of subordinate direction when implementing administration initiatives.
Within a conceptual framework, the organization section represents a climate that corresponds to
stakeholders, groups, and members that collaborate on providing support functions. For the
stakeholders, organizational change and leadership are conceptually driven by subordinate
adaptations to the climate and culture from organizational influencers. For the stakeholders
responsible for organizational influence, organizing priorities depend on climate. However, the
culture can be exhibited through a KMO conceptual framework, which has been shown to
improve implementation of the emergency services and address parts of the puzzle that has to be
leveraged to improve coordination (Chen, Sharman, Rao, & Upadhyaya, 2008).
Interactive Conceptual Framework
Within an organization, there are three objectives that identify requirements and
standards an agency can improve from. The three objectives are identified as KMO. A gap
analysis utilizes the three functions of KMO to identify support systems and support new
implementation in an organization. The aforementioned objectives are a conceptual framework
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 24
that assess an organization from a research standpoint. After an identification is made of the
KMO, stakeholders are challenged to turn research into results (Clark & Estes, 2008). The three
objectives are used to turn research into results and utilize what is known as a gap analysis to
improve organizational operations internally and externally. This dissertation has answered
questions to future challenges in the emergency services; the objective is to acclimate
contemporary training and education curricula to the future of first responder agencies through
KMO.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 25
Conceptual Framework

Figure. Conceptual Framework
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 26
Data Collection
The data collection was conducted with qualitative interviews. This method of inquiry
was conducted with the identity protections and general support measures of consent forms to
external and internal members who were interviewed. The qualitative data collection sustained
ethical integrity by maintaining confidentiality and informed consent of the interviewed
participants. In this study, interviews, observations, documents, and artifacts were utilized to
collect data. The data storage also remained confidential. The generalized theme of the
interviews created a neutral setting for all participating constituents in this study.
In this dissertation, the participants were 14 emergency service stakeholders. The
stakeholders involved in the study were 12 D.C. Fire Department executive chiefs, one D.C.
fighter, and one D.C. police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team member. During the
interviews 10 stakeholders completed the inquiries, and four-were unable to complete the set of
questions. The 10 stakeholders who did complete the interview, were asked a series of questions
that involved KMO. All of the participants reviewed the data that was collected, and the
respondents validated all of the collected information. In the next sections, the responses to the
KMO questions from the participants were reviewed and recorded as valid statements. In
addition to the interview, observations were made in the formal setting of emergency service
executive stakeholder meetings. The observations were made in a meeting between the support
services, and technical services of the D.C. Fire Department. The support services involve the
assistant fire chief of services, and the assistant fire chief of technical services.
Interviews
Countless data collection methods can be incorporated when collecting and utilizing
qualitative information. However, in the field of homeland security, the key is to choose and use
a method to fit a first responder agency’s organizational goals when collecting qualitative data.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 27
Qualitative data collection and instrumentation are intricate tools that can be used when
researching the field of first responder agencies, where the researcher must decipher the method
of data collection that is vital to emergency management. The authors Bogdan and Biklen (2007)
supported using different data collection methods for research in emergency services. This form
of qualitative data collection and instrumentation matches the first and the second research
questions, which relate to “What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences
related to achieving this organizational goal of having the 2,200 members of the D.C. Fire
Department being trained to new homeland security standards of ICS, and NIMS by the end of
2018?” The second research question involved in this study relates to first responder agencies’
preparation and their prevention of challenges by training new recruits on new mitigation
methods and tactical technologies. In the third research question, there is a focus on the futures’
challenges, which first responder agencies face to train and retrain first responders for more
effective operations. Another data collection instrument used in this qualitative data collection
section was the numbers method. This method utilizes numbers to assist the qualitative data
collection and instrumentation by providing numerical statistics that emergency services need for
deployments through databased findings of call volume versus response. The fourth style of
qualitative data collection utilized in this dissertation is the comparison method. This method of
comparison, bilaterally investigates essential resources from a number of different perspectives
of call volume versus response. For this particular example of the comparison method, imagine
what leaders of an emergency management system perceive when comparing tactics.
In this study, the dissertation author, Martin Sedegah, conducted qualitative interviews.
Prior to the administration of the interview, the participants received an information sheet and
received an informed consent agreement form. In addition, there was a structured interview
protocol that included the qualitative formal interview questions, which will be conducted with
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 28
each participant once (Appendix B). The interviews formally cover questions about KMO:
knowledge (six questions), motivation (four questions), and organizational (seven questions).
The KMO questions involved in the interview of emergency service constituents incorporate a
structured protocol. The interviewees included 12 emergency management stakeholders and two
rank-and-file members; one of the interviewees was from the police department’s SWAT Team,
and 13 are from the fire department. The interview questions are in three sections, totaling 17
questions. Each interview research question-section was strongly associated with various KMO
questions. The interviews were conducted in English, and there was no need to incorporate a
translating protocol. Each interview was tape-recorded and averaged 30 minutes per interview.
The qualitative interviews were conducted in each individual stakeholder’s environment, office,
or departmental position.
Observation
The author of this dissertation, Martin Sedegah, observed the chosen emergency service
constituents involved in this study. The observation was conducted within “staff meeting”
environments for the duration of one hour. The observations were annotations taken from D.C.
Fire Department meetings, which involve a focal group called the “homeland security
committee” where there were reviews of public policy in regard to current actual training of first
responders conducted at the D.C. Fire & EMS Training Academy. In this dissertation, the
emergency services were analyzed by using KMO to identify knowledge influences of
participant stakeholders in the committee meetings. The observations of the motivational
influences from the executive staff members were identified from the self-efficacy of members,
and utility value assessments of the organization were recorded at the meetings. Lastly, there was
an observational assessment of the organizational influences. The observation objectives
explored climate, and culture change within the D.C. Fire Department as the evolution of KMO
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 29
influences from the stakeholders’ implementation of organizational change. As the emergency
service stakeholders explore current knowledge, motivation, and organizational change, there
shall be a contemporizing of first responder deployment that exhibit the vigilance that is
necessary to mitigate minor and major incidents of today. This leadership committee is
comprised of stakeholders, and subject matter experts (SMEs), that upgrade the department to
contemporary measures at quarterly time spans for the course of over several years during the
last appointed administration of the D.C. Fire Department.
Documents and Artifacts
By collecting, revising and analyzing documents and artifacts, one can provide support to
a conceptual framework of knowledge and the motivational self-efficacy among members,
especially in organizations such as the emergency services. For example, the training challenges
that fire academies nationwide have experienced involves the delegation of duties from
stakeholders to the fire instructors. Documents and artifacts also assist in reflecting on who
implements new training initiatives to members conceptually through KMO and an emergency
service stakeholder’s own social cognitive implications. There was an analysis conducted to the
collection of documents and artifacts to support improvements to new recruits or members being
trained to contemporary countermeasures of interoperability among federal, state, local, fire and
police departments to minor and major incidents.
Strategy for Analysis and Writing Completion
In this dissertation, the research has been completed on the selected participants involved
in this study, and the following strategy was used to code the data using a codebook. In this
strategy, there was also an analysis of the findings, which was provided. The first phase of the
strategy was to interview fire department stakeholders and apply open coding to the responses to
open-ended interview questions supported by the codebook. The second phase of the strategy
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 30
utilized observational data derived from an executive stakeholder setting, then annotated
axial/analytic comparisons identified in the testimonies; there were also correlations made to the
codebook annotations. The third phase of the strategy qualitatively analyzes an evaluation of
emergency response, then codes answers from the interviewed participants regarding
interoperability questions and training methods. Both dissertation-title based questions in this
study represented a knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO) format, itemized
in Appendix B, and utilized the interpretations of participant answers of the protocol to produce a
supporting codebook. Prior to the interviews that were conducted, the participants consented to
the interview process by reviewing an information sheet and signing a form of consent; they
were neither video-recorded nor photographed. The 14 participants involved in the study were
audio-recorded as they answered an average of 20 questions, which involved evaluating
emergency service interoperability and first responder training for the new emerging threats that
challenge emergency response agencies today. Each interview averaged about 30 minutes.
Phases of Analysis
In the first phase of the strategy, interviews of stakeholders were used, and databased
conclusions were drawn from interviews, observations, and an analysis. This phased approach to
analysis has provided an evaluation of the problem of practice in this dissertation. The codebook
was constructed from thematic references in the participants’ interviews. After the construction
of the codebook, interviewees’ answers were assessed. There was also an additional structure of
the strategy, from the observations of the participants in a meeting held by the executive D.C.
Fire Department services and technical-services fire chiefs. Ultimately, after the identification of
thematic similarities was made, the codebook annotations have been denoted by color. In this
dissertation section, qualitative references were annotated with an evaluation of participant
answers through intervention and comparison. When evaluating the focus group of the
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 31
stakeholders involved, there were also interviews, from which transcript data generated codes.
Such codes then were clustered into comparable groups to form descriptive categories such as
1. Standards of Development, 2. Curricula, 3. Instructors, 4. Resistances, 5. Political Ideologies,
6. Testing and Requirements, 7. Exclusions, 8. Institutions” (Miles, Huberman, &
Saldaña, 2014).
Developing a Codebook
In this section, there are explanations of how the codebook was constructed, with details
on what purpose the code book served when representing data. Distinctions were made
throughout the process of creating the codebook that provided more structure to the codebook
through connecting similarities of the participants’, and answers to the protocol. There are three
vital steps to take when approaching qualitative data collection: interview, observation, and
analyzation. The first phase in constructing this particular codebook was to record interviews and
then to analyze the data from the participants. The first phase represents the knowledge,
motivation, and organization (KMO) of each individual participant involved in the
interview. There are two identifiable subjective traits for each section of analysis in this
particular study of the emergency services.
In the analysis, six descriptive traits were identified that fit the conceptual framework of
the executive emergency managers who were interviewed. The following framework
connections were knowledge (denoted by procedural), the motivations (denoted by self-efficacy,
and utility value), and the organization (denoted by culture or climate). The participants assisted
in building the codebook by answering the open-ended interview questions, and they contributed
to open coding the data. The three sections of KMO followed a red, white, and blue pattern, with
the white section visibly represented by a grey substitution. The red knowledge section is and
procedural, both will be dark red versus light red. The white motivation section is the utility
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 32
value and self-efficacy; both will be dark grey versus light grey. The organization section will
be culture or climate, both will be dark blue versus light blue. The purpose of the codebook was
to provide coded answers to convey a correlation to the research questions.
The second phase in the construction of the codebook was to use observations within an
executive stakeholder setting such as an executive fire officer meeting. This environmental
evaluation of the organizational leadership requires axial, analytic coding to develop patterns to
the answers from the participants being observed. This second phase of codebook construction
has a purpose to provide structure and also was used to evaluate what the emergency service
stakeholders describe as causations in policy that may affect the survivability rates that are also
attributed to injuries and deaths from previous mitigation strategies.
The third phase was to qualitatively interview, observe, and analyze an evaluation of the
coding from the selected emergency service stakeholder participants and their responses to the
KMO protocol-questions found in Appendix B. This third phase of constructing the codebook
incorporated the stakeholders’ ideological connections to interoperability. In this dissertation, the
evaluations of interoperability and training have created stronger capabilities in the emergency
services, that can now implement more effective responses to future emerging threats, which
threaten public safety jurisdictions.
Phase One: Interviewing Participants & the Open Coding Strategy
In phase one, open coding was used, the researcher Martin Sedegah utilized the
qualitative method of intervention by interviewing selected participants, and this researcher
validated answers from the participants who were recorded and examined in correlation to the
dissertation research questions. Phase one was conducted through an intervention form of a
qualitative analysis to convey how the D.C. Fire Department can now implement effective
response to future emerging threats to public safety jurisdictions. Just as in the military, first
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 33
responder agencies mitigate emergencies through the air, land, and sea. These different
geographic operations constantly undergo economic studies to improve response and the
operational safety of members. This dissertation utilized the intervention method of qualitative
analysis and explored how first responder stakeholders improved response methods that may
face unforeseen elements from aerial, land, and maritime operations, then incorporate
transformations and mobilization to improve recovery plans to emergency service
organizations. According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), “To interview is to privilege an
indigenous research agenda that involves decolonization, transformation, mobilization, and
healing” (p. 113). Merriam and Tisdell explained how interviews support trustworthiness and
credibility by allowing the participants the privilege to collaborate candid responses.
Phase Two: Observing Participants with the Axial and Analytical Strategy
In phase two of this study strategy, this environmental evaluation utilizes the comparison
method of qualitative analysis of the organizational leadership, which required axial and
analytical coding to develop patterns to the answers from the participants. This second phase of
the strategy has regarded what the participant emergency service stakeholders discussed during
the executive meeting sessions through a comparative method of evaluation. The emergency
service is not composed of only the fire service, but, for the basis of the study, the D.C. Fire
Department was analyzed. The researcher, Martin Sedegah, can qualitatively create stronger
inclinations through inquiry methods of comparison by inductively comparing strategies of
emergency service stakeholders. According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), “Although
qualitative data analysis is inductive and comparative, there are a number of additional strategies
you can employ depending on the type of qualitative study you are conducting” (p. 297).

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 34
Phase Three: Qualitative Analysis of the Strategy
The strategy of the third phase was to analyze what stakeholders’ value most, including
evidence to display the causation of injuries and deaths that were in the previous mitigation
strategies of other administrations. This analysis suggested that the study benefited from a
qualitative method of comparison to exhibit correlations and variances among the data
collection. Also, in phase three, the emergency service innovations were explored as well
because technology can create stronger capabilities to the Emergency Services Functions (ESF),
which support interoperability. From the interviews and observations, there was conclusive
data that supported the conclusion that first responder agencies are solely responsible for ESF.
The evidence that has been categorized in the analysis of the KMO also reflected connections of
data to every stakeholder. The findings in this research analysis displayed similarities from a
majority of the participants to improve knowledge, and all were motivated to investigate the
causation of injuries and deaths that were in previous mitigation organizational operations. From
the codebook’s notations of similarities, then to the analysis of the current responses to the
protocols in Appendix B, stakeholder plans can now deploy upgrades to mitigation deficiencies.
In this case of evaluating emergency service interoperability, this comparison method involved
first an identification of variables, then an analysis of findings and results, and finally an
evaluation of the successes and failures encountered by the participants. This third phase of
comparative analysis has conclusively analyzed interoperability and the role of agencies that
respond to major incidents that involve multijurisdictional response networks. The strategic plan
to derive the qualitative data annotated in this dissertation is projected to improve emergency
service efficiency through evaluations and data-based conclusions.

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 35

Timeline of Findings and Results
The focus of this research strategy was to produce findings and results with respect to the
benchmarked timeline that supported the answers from each participant being analyzed in this
study. The timeline of this study followed a paramilitary benchmark style approach to the
assessment analysis utilized by the D.C. Fire Department for quarterly accountability reference
points. The January, April, July, August, or (JAJO) benchmarking strategy depicted the
conduction of the analysis and the interviews, along with the observations that will be annotated
by the researcher on the selected participants utilizing the protocols in Appendix B. The three
aforementioned phases, along with the After-Action Report (AAR), have constructed the JAJO
timeline for the research conducted on the 20 participants who signed consent forms and
participated in the qualitative inquiry and observation. The timeline for findings and results
followed a duration of 10 to 12 months: October 2017 for phase one interviews, January 2018 for
phase two observations, April 2018 for phase three qualitative analysis, and August 2018 for
the AAR to incorporate a JAJO system of accountability into this study.
Strategy Conclusion
In conclusion, the strategy to derive qualitative research has provided conclusive
evidence that exhibited credible and trustworthy data for implementing contemporary versions of
organizational change and leadership in emergency service operations. In the emergency
services, strategic plans are vital to the four operations of emergency response. The four
operations that are evaluated through the research questions presented in this dissertation explore
details about ESF such as preparations, prevention, response, and recovery. Conclusively,
strategic planning addresses all four operations of ESF through recommendations in the findings
derived in this dissertation. The KMO influences from the 14 participants provided a majority of
the data; the participants were selected based on subject matter expertise.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 36
In the end, through the utilization of qualitative inquiry methods of intervention and
comparison on the KMO of the SMEs, one can implement improvements to emergency service
interoperability. Ultimately, the findings from the qualitative data in this dissertation will
improve stakeholder interventions by rendering the respondent validations that will provide
trustworthy and credible research. The results of this study are projected to become applicable in
improving the tactical level of response networks that are challenged to apply knowledge, inspire
motivations, and provide organizational leadership in the future to first responder agencies.
Results and Findings
Participating Stakeholders
The participants were 14 emergency service stakeholders. The stakeholders involved in
the study were 12 D.C. Fire Department executive chiefs, one D.C. fighter, and one D.C. police
SWAT Team member. During the interviews, the stakeholders were asked a series of questions
that involved KMO. All of the participants reviewed the data and validated all of the collected
information. In the next sections, the participants’ responses to the KMO questions are reviewed
and recorded as valid statements. In addition to the interview, observations were made of an
emergency service executive stakeholder meeting between the support services and technical
services of the D.C. Fire Department. The support services involve the assistant fire chief of
services and the assistant fire chief of technical services. All of the corresponding appointments
to executive positions were designated to stakeholders who can influence the organization with
KMO influences.
Fire Chief Gregory Dean
Fire Chief Dean has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 40 years. As the
D.C. fire chief, he has the responsibility to lead approximately 600 officers and 1,500 first
responders in the various fire department divisions of Fire/EMS and homeland security (HLS).
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 37
Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Craig Baker
Assistant Fire Chief Baker has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 30
years. He is one of the four members of the main fire chief’s leadership team and is responsible
for the operations of fire suppression, pre-hospital care and transport, HLS, and special
operations.
Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Medical Services Edward Mills
Assistant Fire Chief Mills has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 30
years. The assistant fire chief of EMS is responsible for the all-hazards division, which provides
emergency medical care and transportation. The fire chief of EMS serves as the second of the
four members in the leadership team.
Assistant Fire Chief of Technical Services Milton Douglas
Assistant Fire Chief Douglas has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 30
years. This particular assistant fire chief is the third of the four members of the main fire chief’s
leadership team, and this appointed position is responsible for the technical services of internal
affairs.
Assistant Fire Chief of Services David Foust
Assistant Fire Chief Foust has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 30
years. The role of the appointed position of assistant fire chief of services is to provide service
support to the fire department through education and resource allocation, including fleet
maintenance on apparatuses and vehicles. The assistant fire chief of services is the fourth of the
four members of the leadership team and directly implements the training curricula that starts at
the fire academy.

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 38
Chief of Staff Amy Mauro
Chief of Staff Amy Mauro has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 5 years.
This position is held by an executive stakeholder who can provide legal analysis and executive
managerial guidance to the fire chief and corresponding staff members.
Deputy Fire Chief Derron Hawkins
Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 30
years. The role of the appointed position of the deputy fire chief of homeland is to provide the
strategy and support response for all HLS and special operations activities, trainings, and
incidents.
Deputy Fire Chief John Donnelly
Deputy Fire Chief Donnelly has been with the D.C. Fire Department for almost 30 years.
The role of the deputy fire chief of special operations is to provide procedure and mitigation
tactics to rescue incidents, hazardous material response, water operations, and HLS security for
government officials.
Deputy Fire Chief Edward Pearson
Deputy Fire Chief Pearson has been with the D.C. Fire Department for more than 30
years. In role of the deputy fire chief of operations is to be responsible for procedurally
influencing the operations of fire suppression, pre-hospital care, transport, and the training of all
operational personnel.
Fusion Center Captain for Homeland Security Keith Nickens
Captain Keith Nickens has been with the D.C. Fire Department for over 25 years. The
role of the fusion center liaison is to move information into actionable intelligence and
implement strategies to mitigate potential threats to our region.

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 39
Knowledge Influence Theme
This section shall support the results pertaining to knowledge influences gathered through
interviews with executive emergency service stakeholders who provide leadership to the D.C.
Fire Department. Among the influences, two themes emerged from the knowledge influences.
The two themes that emerged from the procedural influences were training and activities. The
findings from this study regarding stakeholders’ knowledge influences were found to be relevant
for the interviews conducted with the stakeholders.
Procedural Knowledge
The first influence studied in this knowledge section was procedural knowledge. Rueda
explained that procedural influence refers to knowing how to do something. This type of
influence correlates to the research questions mentioned in the section on the purpose of the
project, and the research questions inquire about how the fire department plans to train
operational members for response to minor and major incidents that now require upgraded
standards of Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System
(NIMS). The executive officers provide a form of procedural influence that exhibits training,
activities, and professional development. The knowledge questions in the stakeholder interview
focus on interoperability.
The following sections explore the procedural influence exhibited through the emerging
themes of training and activities found through interviews with stakeholders, and the sections
include their answers that were recorded to support the assertions. The results of the analysis
were supported by the interview data from a majority of the fire stakeholders. The fire service
now plans to instruct subordinates who have adopted the new ICS and NIMS trainings and
activities. The term of training and activities represents what emergency managers have utilized
on intrinsic and extrinsic perspectives to engage members of a first responder organization prior
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 40
to deployment. The activities and trainings that prepare operatives for responses to minor and
major incidents need up-to-date homeland security–based resources for deployments.
Research Questions and Assertions
Training. The first research question in this study related to knowledge influence was on
training first respond new deployment methods. Administrative teams need to know how to
implement the most current response standards in emergency incidents. The assertions which
develop the support to themes associated with this first research question were compared,
contrasted, and transcripted from stakeholder interviews to exhibit knowledge. The first assertion
focuses on how incident commanders are trained on the new strategies of ICS and NIMS. A
second focuses on major incidents such as mass casualty and multijurisdictional response. The
third assertion explores the responsibility of administrative teams to identify standard procedures
and increase safety measures for dangerous “hot-zones.” This third reference correlates with the
fourth, on how administrative teams require procedural knowledge to incorporate local, state,
and federal responses. In the last two assertions, the administrative team is challenged to first
upgrade key points of HLS standards and provide interoperability training for first responders for
the improvement of deployments to major incidents.
Knowledge assertion 1. Incident commanders know how to implement current responses
to incidents. In D.C., the stakeholders currently are trained on the new ICS and NIMS. The
training on each command system is covered in what FEMA calls ICS 100 and 200 to first
responders, but to fire officers and supervisors, the 300 and 400 levels are the stakeholder
credentials. The findings also exhibit how emergency service interoperability and procedural
standards have been upgraded in all jurisdictions nationwide. The fire chief asserted that
ultimately the multijurisdictional responses rely on controlled environments to train first
responders on procedures. The new strategies now incorporate the highest-ranking officer to
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 41
serve as an IC until a higher-ranking officer arrives on the scene to assume command. According
to Fire Chief Gregory Dean,
When it comes to company officers, I tell them you are responsible for your people. And
I have visited enough homes now where we watched firefighters, and I had to explain to
people that firefighters have been killed because of procedure. And so, I never want to do
that. But I know I don’t completely control those environments of procedure. So,
communicate this over with company officers. It’s simply this, make sure firefighters are
well trained, you get there by making firefighters procedurally fit and making sure our
firefighters are procedurally disciplined.
Knowledge assertion 2. The procedural knowledge that the stakeholders possess covers
what the emergency services call mass casualty and multijurisdictional response; both strategies
of deployment are defined as tactics that require interoperability. Administrative teams have
procedural knowledge on responding to HLS incidents. The fire chief of D.C. is the highest-
ranking official and is dedicated to implementing more effective standards of procedure. The fire
chief of D.C. also mentioned more procedural examples in this knowledge section that support
the facilitation of learning ICS and NIMS to train personnel for the new emerging threats of
today, beginning with his subordinate stakeholders then onto implementations in the D.C. Fire
and EMS Training Academy.
In the chain of command, the knowledge influence begins with the main fire chief and
flows to the fire chief of operations; this action means that the chain of command has
implemented an executive order. In D.C., the assistant fire chief of operations position is held by
Craig Baker. The fire chief who holds this position specifically deals with procedural response
strategies of ICS and NIMS in efforts to contemporize and sustain the consistency of an agency
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 42
that responds to minor and major incidents with an ideology of having an all-hazard response.
During the interview, Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Craig Baker stated,
I think the procedures here in D.C. are consistent. It’s appropriate. I think that we have
evaluated our capabilities, our response plans, our SOGS to different kinds of specialized
incidents, and our normal routine daily responses. I think that we are ready for all-
hazards. I don’t think that we’re necessarily ahead of anybody else or that we need to be
ahead of anybody else. The D.C. fire service is doing what it’s supposed to be doing, and
we’re doing things with some consistency across the board with—you named New York
City, or Chicago, or Los Angeles or any other organizations. If procedures are in the right
place, then I’m not so sure that contemporary is the right word. We should look similar in
our response based on the size of our city and the threat that we’ve determined that we’re
trying to address. So, I think that’s the best way I could answer that question is that, no
we’re not concerned with our present procedures, and we probably shouldn’t be. At the
same time, we’ve identified minor gaps in our procedures of response and in our training
and maybe even to some degree the resources as far as what we have available to us in
times of emergency.
In the response to the stakeholder questions, the assistant Fire Chief of operations made the
assertion of the importance of analyzing objectives and key points when upgrading HLS
standards.
Knowledge assertion 3. Administrative teams have identified new standardized
procedures for new threats. For example, the new procedures include more safety measures for
firefighters responding to active shooter incidents, to respond with awareness but operate with
vigilance. In this example, the emergency medical service workers are protected with more
safety for those who operate in what are referred to as dangerous “hot zones.”
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 43
Knowledge assertion 4. Administrative teams have procedural knowledge for
multiagency response. The major incidents that agencies responded to require procedural
knowledge on a larger level. The main objective of mitigating major incidents is to collaborate
with local, state, and federal departments when responding to larger scale incidents. The
procedural knowledge that is involved with the multijurisdictional deployments incorporate ICS
and NIMS. The corresponding agencies operate under what the emergency services calls a
unified command. Most notably, in 2015, there was an implementation of an outsourced third-
party ambulance company named American Medical Response (AMR), which, through
implementation, has balanced a rising call volume and enabled more time to learn training and
activities that regard response procedures. When it comes to knowledge influences, which
exhibit procedural knowledge, Fire Chief Gregory Dean also stated,
I think what 9/11 taught us is that communication is a critical piece. That’s why you talk
about inoperability. It has taught us that, having structure defined to integrate a number of
organizations, this is why ICS and NIMS is the designated format that we’ll all use. So
that we can all work on the same plane. ICS and NIMS has taught us that training and
equipment is [sic] critical to our success. The procedure before was fire did fire, police
did police, and we never integrated with the private sector. In today’s world, we have big
concerns. We now share information to regional fusion centers which we never shared
before with civilian forces. We now share with civilian forces, and it has brought us to a
level where “See something, say something” has value to everybody regardless of
whether you are in the fire service or not.
The fire chief asserted that the training of his first responders on the new emerging threats of
today results from the evaluation of the organization to the new ICS and NIMS standards. The
fire chief of D.C. has a responsibility of engaging other jurisdictions for regional trainings and
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 44
activities that promote interoperability. Assertions 3 and 4 coincide with balancing training for
new procedures to assist multi-jurisdictional deployments and applying safety measures to first
responders in “hot zones.”
Knowledge assertion 5. Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Craig Baker believes that the
administrative team considered some key points for upgrades to HLS standards. The assistant
fire chief is responsible for directing the operations division, and the examination of the extrinsic
capabilities of other cities may influence the intrinsic operations of the D.C. Fire Department.
The administrative teams indicated the importance to articulate key points such as balancing call-
volume and ultimately increasing survivability rates. To this assistant fire chief, contemporizing
means consistency and having the procedural influence on pre-planning for an all-hazard
response prepares the fire department to provide the strategies that are appropriate to close gaps
and ultimately to support the emergency service functions (ESF) more effectively. The following
excerpt from the fire chief of EMS asserts the importance of training on the emergency service
function of firefighting, search and rescue, then hazardous materials and how medical
interventions are important. The assertion that develops the support to themes associated with the
first research question focuses on the preparation and training of the ESF, which are firefighting,
search and rescue, then hazardous material response.
Knowledge assertion 9. In D.C., the fire chief wants the training academy to train the
new firefighters on the new procedures and current standards regarding ICS and the NIMS.
When questioned, the Fire Chief asserted that predictability is a factor for knowing response
measures prior to deployment. Training prepares the D.C. Fire Department first responders for
unexpected threats on minor and major levels. According to Fire Chief Dean,
I think for me, the title of fire chief is just the seat. I’m still a firefighter but just now with
more additional responsibilities. As a firefighter, you can never forget where you came
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 45
from. You become predictable, and predictable isn’t always going to work for me. So, I
always take on additional responsibilities, but I don’t lose the fact that I’m a firefighter.
Predictability says that whether I’m the lieutenant, captain, fire chief, you already know
when you get presented with situations, and how you will plan from your formal
trainings.
Fire Chief Dean wants to convey to the fire department and the public that he faces the same
adversities of a firefighter, but only now in the capacity of the fire chief who is responsible for a
higher level of accountability.
Knowledge activities. The second research question that arose in this study was on
contemporizing policy. Administrative teams need to know how to request federal resources
during major emergencies, through stakeholder interaction with the SMEs that convene at
committee meetings. The leadership team can then update response through contemporized
policy. In D.C., the term ESF supports firefighting, rescue and hazardous material response, and
all three of these essential government functions are procedurally influenced by the assistant fire
chief of EMS. This assistant fire chief was also asked to state the most important knowledge
influences that organizational leaders need to incorporate towards executive decisions.
According to Assistant Fire Chief of EMS Edward Mills,
We got to be good at HAZMAT. We have to be good at technical rescue. We have to
continue to be good at putting out fires. We have to be good at delivering EMS care. We
have to be good at being able to put everything together at the same time. But by also
making sure that we’re not neglecting training in any of the areas, and, to be able to do
that, again you have to carve out time. You have to set what your department priorities
are based on the needs as well as continuing to maintain what’s required for your
procedural response certifications.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 46
The assistant fire chief of EMS believes the administrative teams have upgraded public policy
towards the ESF. One of the duties of the assistant fire chief of EMS is to not only upgrade the
level of medical intervention with more effective procedural standards, but the deployment of
first responders to high priority areas of the city.
Knowledge assertion 6. In D.C., ESF are indicated as firefighting, search and rescue, and
hazardous material response. The District Response Plan has identified the three aforementioned
EFSs as essential functions and capabilities that the fire department is responsible for when
mitigating major incidents in D.C. To the assistant fire chief, procedural strategies can become
more effective when department strategies incorporate response times and a form of procedural
influence to target areas and units that experience higher call volumes. This tactical approach by
the EMS fire chief is strongly supported by the mayor and the city council.
Motivation Influence Themes
Motivational influences are essential to organizational change and leadership. The two
influences that were analyzed and evaluated in the data collection section of this study were self-
efficacy and utility value. From the influence of self-efficacy emerged a theme of professional
development. The theme of utility value was represented by a curriculum of modules for first
responders at the academy. Activating personal interest through opportunities for choice and
control can increase motivation (Eccles, 2006). Eccles (2006) asserted that self-efficacy supports
a stakeholder’s choice and control of intrinsic motivations.
In this section on motivation findings, the focus is on supporting the following assertion:
“Targeting training and instruction between the individual’s independent performance level and
their level of assisted performance promotes optimal learning” (Scott & Palincsar, 2006). Scott
and Palincsar (2006) provided evidence to the assertion that self-efficacy and utility value
promote optimal learning. An assessment to support the assertions made regarding self-efficacy
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 47
motivations was conducted through interview questions asked of stakeholder participants
regarding what attributes improve self-efficacy for members through professional development.
Again, in this section on motivation findings, the other influence of utility value was examined
by exploring the utility values of the training modules in the curriculum of the D.C. Fire and
EMS Training Academy to improve tactical strategy.
Self-Efficacy Influence/Motivation
The first theme identified in the motivation section was self-efficacy motivation, and,
according to Rueda (2011), “Self-efficacy is defined as people’s judgments of their capabilities
to organize and execute the course of action required to attain designated levels of performance”
(p. 39). Rueda explained that self-efficacy motivation refers to judgments of their capabilities to
organize and execute the course of action, and this type of influence correlates with the research
questions addressed in this study. In this section, the self-efficacy theme that emerged from the
findings was professional development. In emergency services, professional development is a
key element to a first responder’s career. Also, continuing formal trainings is essential to the
career advancement potential of each firefighter.
Research Questions/Assertions
When analyzing motivation influences, the first research question that arose in this study
was, administrative teams need to feel confident in their ability to drive the self-efficacy of
individual firefighters. The assertions that develop the support to themes associated with this first
research question were compared, contrasted, and transcripted from stakeholder interviews to
exhibit motivation. The first assertion focused on the self-efficacy of rank-and-file firefighters
who correspond with stakeholders to identify and influence the motivation of the organization.
The second assertion focuses on improving confidence and ultimately supporting performance
towards organizational goals. The second research question that arose in this study was,
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 48
administrative teams need to see the value of utility by benchmarking success of divisions that
have completed training. In this section, the first assertion addresses the benchmarking system,
that also compliments the last assertion which details how all three divisions of service Fire,
EMS, HLS and special operations shall be trained to 100%. There were two final assertions
made which include raising awareness to operations and then implementing new standards of
ICS and NIMS and training firefighters to respond with confidence.
Self-Efficacy Influence
Motivation assertion 10. D.C. Fire Chief Gregory Dean asserts that in order for the D.C.
Fire Department to sustain motivation among members, the administrative team needs to
promote high self-efficacy for the employees who confidently drive the organization. The fire
chief of D.C. has a responsibility to motivate the department. Whether through executive
supervisors or entry-level firefighters, self-efficacy is vital to vigilance. The motivational
influences begin with the highest-ranking officer of the organization. During Fire Chief Gregory
Dean’s interview, he was asked to state the most self-efficacious form of motivation an executive
stakeholder needs to influence the organization with. The motivation questions in the stakeholder
interviews focus on promoting high self-efficacy, and the fire chief asserted that the personal
confidence of each firefighter drives the organization. According to Fire Chief Gregory Dean,
When it comes to motivation, two things happen. It’s either how people get better at the
job, which also gives off the confidence in a firefighter deciding “Is this for me”? Or it
motivates everyone with the confidence to believe everybody should have the drive.
Everybody has to have the ability to do everything. Because those are the requirements,
motivation is “empowering people so that they could make good decisions.” Either
you’re a great firefighter or you move on and you get to reflect on the tools that got you
there at one point.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 49
The stakeholders were efficacious in identifying the motivations of each individual
member and the attributes to the training curricula, which shall be created in a more effective
manner to provide motivation and raise survivability rates. Once the self-efficacy is identified,
the fire department shall then train on their attributes, which shall ultimately sustain and motivate
first responder deployments. Fire Chief Dean also motivates his organization through the
intrinsic motivation of self-efficacy that meets his own standards of professional development
before expecting the extrinsic actions of his surrounding members. The fire chief’s self-efficacy
intrinsically influences the expectations he has for his leadership team, then extrinsically
influences the professional development of the members in the organization. The leadership team
is led by executive stakeholders who hold the position of fire chief, assistant fire chief, and
deputy fire chief. In D.C., there is also Chief of Staff Amy Mauro, Esq.
Motivation assertion 11. The chief of staff asserted that the administration team felt that
new resources and trainings would improve their confidence in being able to achieve the
performance goals. The chief of staff is an executive position that is responsible for directing the
administration by implementing policy, and one of the angles to asserting new directions is
derived from identifying motivation barriers that impede self-efficacy. The administrative team
shall also assess the utility value of performance goals to raise confidence levels within the
organization. To the fire service stakeholders, it is important to identify the self-efficacies that
are critical behaviors that members need to ultimately provide stronger response to major
incidents. When interviewed about the motivational influences that are essential to organizational
leadership, Fire Department Chief of Staff Amy Mauro, Esq., stated that confidence was a key
factor:
I have great confidence in our command staff in making those types of calls and Chief
Dean. I think they’re very comfortable asking for help when necessary. I think, in D.C., it
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 50
kind of depends on the nature of the emergency. I think, if they were rioting in D.C., the
federal government would be knocking on our door saying, “We’re here to help” because
it’s the nation’s capital, right? I think it’s a little different from our neighbor, Baltimore,
because there’s going to be less motivation from the feds themselves to get involved than
there would be in D.C. In D.C., the federal law enforcement presence is so significant
that I don’t think there would be much of a delay. But, if it’s just a snow storm or
something like that, that the federal government is less concerned about ESF, then I think
that’s more of a decision that the mayor has to make, and she has to depend on our
advice. So, we give her the public safety advice, and she has to consider the political
atmosphere. She has to consider the economic atmosphere, and then she’s the one who
ultimately makes that call. But I absolutely have confidence in our folks in being able to
do those capabilities for this organization.
The chief of staff believes the administrative team sees the utility value of assessing
every division more effectively. The assessment of resources, staffing, and training is an ongoing
task that is performed by stakeholders. In emergency management, the organization is tasked to
allocate resources for the balance of call volume, staff vacancies to support the staffing factor,
and train first responders on the new emerging threats that threaten the survivability rates of
every jurisdiction.
The chief of staff explained that the D.C. Fire Department has improved the conspicuous
service program to support the self-efficacies and professional development of the members. The
goal is to motivate members to accept the new motivations, which have upgraded professional
development within the organization. For example, the training academy is a major mechanism
to the engine that drives the self-efficacy of firefighters, and professional development is the key
that provides the directions a member needs along the journey of their career.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 51
Utility Value Influence/Motivation
The second theme identified in the motivation section was utility value, which, according
to Rueda (2011), “refers to the importance one attaches to a task. It gets the question why should
I do this task?” (p. 42). Rueda (2011) explained that utility value motivation refers to the
importance one attaches to a task, and this type of influence correlates to the research questions
mentioned in the purpose and project research questions section. In this section, the utility value
theme that emerged from the findings was on the training modules for first responders. In the
D.C. Fire and EMS Training Academy, there is a constant focus to contemporize training to meet
the demands of today. All operational members, totaling 1,900 of the 2,200 members of the
department, all complete through modular-based curricula to enhance their professional
development.
Motivation assertion 12. Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins explains that the D.C. Fire
Department administrative team finds it important to train first responders to the new standard of
ICS and NIMS. The deputy fire chief of HLS is responsible for motivating members to
participate in trainings and activities that involve HLS. This action shall, in turn, create a more
effective unified command at major incidents. The initial idea that the stakeholders had about
training the organization was to begin with awareness only. However, as the new emerging
threats of today presented themselves to the fire service, operational training became imperative.
Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins was interviewed on asserting utility values and motivational
influences in the fire department. In order to increase his utility values from his position as a
deputy fire chief, he stated,
When it comes to utility value, one of the things I want to add is that there wasn’t a heavy
focus pre-9/11 on multi-agencies coming together with ICS and NIMS or working
together on an incident. Everybody had an organic command structure from training, you
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 52
know, pretty much their silos, how they operate, but not coming together collectively and
integrating that response plan. Not to say that cities, and fire departments, and law
enforcement, and first responder agencies around the country did not do that, but it
wasn’t necessarily a focus to come together and train collectively, for unified command.
It was always, “This is your responsibility, this is my responsibility” and, as you go
through the phases of mitigating emergencies, you’ll be the lead of the subordinates.
There wasn’t a lot of coming together collectively, looking at that whole bigger picture of
how to mitigate an emergency. So, through training and improving utility values we can
improve, and those are some of the encounters that faced first responders nationwide
prior to 9/11.
Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins suggests that the motivational influences of professional
development sustain utility values and can increase through training at the fire academy or
consortiums. The organizational change leadership that executive stakeholders execute to
influence their division is challenged with adapting innovations to improving interoperability by,
first, influencing self-efficacy, and, second, enhancing the utility value. The influences of
knowledge and motivation both create an organizational climate that ultimately influences an
administration’s culture. The assertion that ICS and NIMS shall mitigate incidents more
effectively, coincides with the vision held by the D.C. Fire Department stakeholders to respond
to major incidents with more vigilance.
Utility Value Influence
Motivation assertion 7. The assistant fire chief asserted that the administration team felt
that a benchmarking system is important because they see the utility value of assessing every
division more effectively. The focus of the assistant fire chief of operations is to reach
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 53
benchmarks, and complete objectives that ultimately promote confidence. According to Assistant
Fire Chief Craig Baker, when interviewed about motivation influences,
I don’t really believe there’s any special training attributes, motivationally speaking.
We’re looking for people with all the things that contribute to initiative and
benchmarking. We look for people with high-caliber confidence, high energy, high
efficiency. That’s what we want. That’s what any organization wants. I think we had this
thought in our mind that we focus on utility value and we need to do something special.
Then you start throwing things into the Homeland Security umbrella. I don’t think we
need to do anything special to utility value. I think we need to be prepared, and I think
our basic training prepares us to do that. I think that the training that you’ve received as a
firefighter and the training that you’ve received as an emergency technician is obviously
the foundation for how you respond and how you are trained to provide service.
The assistant fire chief is responsible for directing operations, and motivating firefighters to face
the challenges of every incident is a large part of that. The administrative team shall also assess
the utility value of performance goals to raise confidence levels within the organization. To the
fire service stakeholders, it is important to identify the self-efficacy–related critical behaviors
that members need to ultimately provide stronger response to major incidents. Fire Chief Baker
added that training the joint task forces supports emergency service functions and increases the
utility value of this organization, and the training academy is a major element.
Motivation assertion 8. The current vision of the stakeholders is the importance of
having members train to new standards at 100% in all three divisions of Fire, EMS, HLS and
special operations. An assertion can be made that the administration team is confident that all
three divisions of Fire, EMS, HLS and special operations shall complete training at 100%.
Another fire chief was interviewed to explain what utility value meant to the technical support
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 54
service. Utility value is imperative to the operations of the fire service, and Assistant Fire Chief
Milton Douglass was interviewed. He stated,
Valuing utility is bringing challenges to homeland security, and special operations. I
think we’re looking at training to upgrade response and that has actually been our answer
probably for the last couple years since Fire Chief Dean has come here is motivate
members to new trainings and instill discipline. You can’t have discipline if you don’t
have a member that has been trained and understands what discipline is, and if they don’t
understand they need the training.
Milton Douglass is the assistant fire chief of technical services. His focus is to support services
that involve all divisions in the fire department. He also believes that discipline is a formidable
form of motivation to first responders when training service members. The fire service
stakeholders have formally set a vision to supervisors and subordinates to train the 1,900
operational members to the new standards of ICS and NIMS. The fire services stakeholders’ plan
is to support training measures to the Fire, EMS, HLS and special operations divisions. The
organizations general vision is to have each first responder complete the new trainings at 100%
of the operational member population in the fire department.
The assistant fire chief added that multijurisdictional response training presents an
immediate danger to life or health (IDLH), and when an IDLH atmosphere exists, one must
acknowledge that the EMS division shall deploy an intricate response using the medical
interventions. This stakeholder finds his personal self-efficacy in his commitment to train and
thereby increase the utility value and survivability rates that the city of D.C. may be challenged
with.
Motivation assertion 15. The assistant fire chief of EMS explained that the D.C. Fire
Department has an administrative team that has indicated the importance of supporting
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 55
awareness and operations during training. The utility value stakeholders and firefighters have to
the organization is only effective when the levels of awareness and operations are raised to new
and higher standards. After this assistant fire chief evaluates the successes and failures of
previous deployments, he plans to create an implementation to improve utility values through
training in the D.C. Fire and EMS Training Academy and consortiums. According to Assistant
Fire Chief Edward Mills,
When you focus on utility value right now, you need to take look at what we need to do
for EMS certification. Well, the model that we have of sending people to the training
academy for 40 hours every two years didn’t work well for us to continue to keep our
employees in ESF training and learning more. So that’s why we decided to take the
modular type approach to training. It takes about 10 weeks to get everybody through, and
this is a challenge this year because we have to meet certain goals for 2018, but, moving
forward, we’ll keep the modular type organization.
Another responsibility of the assistant fire chief of EMS is to motivate members to
respond to incidents after attaining the highest level of medical intervention trainings. In order to
update response measures and deployment effectiveness, awareness and operations trainings
must occur. The trainings are important because the trainings and activities held by neighboring
jurisdictions prepare departments and improve prevention methods. The assistant fire chief of
EMS also suggests the vital need to implement contemporary strategies to increase the value of
utility and meet the standards of today through training. These same utility values are influenced
by the HLS division, and these divisions are the main focus groups of this dissertation. In D.C.,
the deputy fire chief of HLS is Derron Hawkins.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 56
Organizational Influence Themes
To an emergency service stakeholder, influencing the organization is vital. This solely
relies on adapting members to the climate and culture that lead their organizations’ respective
divisions intrinsically and extrinsically to reach performance goals. The assertion this
organization section shall examine is how “Effective change efforts will test (and if needed,
modify) a change or innovation on a small scale before implementing it widely or, Plan-Do-
Study-Act” (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Climate Influence/Organization
The research questions also exhibit a correlation with the climate theme. Clark and Estes
(2008) explained, “A climate is when all key stakeholders’ perspectives implement a design of
change.” In this section, this type of organizational theme of climate also correlates with the
research questions. The research questions explore how evaluating emergency services and first
responder training improves climates through contemporization of resources, staffing, and
training. In the emergency services, contemporization made to technology, resources, staffing,
and training prepare jurisdictions for today’s emerging threats.
Research Questions/Assertions
When analyzing organizational influences, the first research question that arose in this
study was that the organization needs to implement contemporized strategies that support
awareness, operations, and interoperability among federal, state, local, fire and police
departments. The assertions that develop the support to themes associated with this first research
question were compared, contrasted, and transcripted from stakeholder interviews to exhibit
organization. The first assertion focused on organizational change by upgrading HLS standards;
the second assertion described the culture and climate in regard to the emerging threats of today.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 57
The second research question that arose in this study was that the organization needs to
implement upgrades by training firefighters to contemporized HLS national standards. From the
second research question, two assertions emerged. The first represented multijurisdictional
response, and the last assertion focused on major training initiatives to support the ESF of
firefighting, search and rescue, then hazardous material response to major incidents.
Climate Influences
Organizational assertion 13. Fire Chief Gregory Dean asserted that the D.C. Fire
Department has developed organizational changes to emergency service response and upgraded
HLS standards. The fire chief wants to develop organizational change through upgrading HLS
standards. Fire Chief Gregory Dean was asked to state his opinion on the most significant
organizational influence. He responded,
In regard to the climate and culture, leadership contains all these different objectives of
obtaining resources staffing and training. So, we talked about implementing the questions
about considerations when implementing training for Homeland Security. I don’t think
that’s any different than what we talked about as far as being prepared to respond with
more contemporary strategies. So, if we’re evaluating what our threats are and where our
gaps are, that’s all part of our climate. That’s how we come to what our training goals
are. Again, if we’re providing basic training for our incident commanders, basic training
consists of NIMS 300 to 400, but more importantly appropriate standard ICS training that
meets NFPA 1560.
The D.C. fire chief believes there should currently be a climate of standardized trainings to
support a culture of vigilance. In the fire service, there have been new emerging threats, which
are in need of new strategies. In order to contemporize the fire service, the fire departments must
constantly evaluate response and deployment tactics to counter the threats of today. Fire Chief
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 58
Gregory Dean suggested that climate and culture directly affect each other. Contemporizing
resources, staffing, and training prepares the D.C. Fire Department for unforeseen emerging
threats. The influence of climate begins with basic training at the fire academy and initiates that
each member incorporates a climate of vigilance.
The interaction of climate and culture affect contemporization and the public
administrators who implement public policy or appoint new fire administrations. Currently, the
appointed executive fire service stakeholders who assist fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations
shall incorporate a climate of being vigilant in not only fire or medical interventions and HLS
tactics, but in a more focused approach to the new climate influences of emerging threats that
challenge first responders today. Effective change efforts ensure that all key stakeholders’
perspectives inform the design and decision-making process leading to the change. Clark and
Estes (2008) supported the aforementioned assertion of this organizational section by reiterating
that “all key stakeholders’ perspectives” implement design change.
Organizational assertion 16. Assistant Fire Chief Craig Baker explained that the
administration team described the climate and culture of the organization as consistent with the
emerging threats of today. Another assertion to support the operations of organizational change
in the emergency services is the new identity of culture change, which focuses on emerging
threats. When interviewed on organizational influences, Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Craig
Baker collaborated to support this assertion by stating,
When you ask about culture, well, that’s what you’re using to move forward. You’re
using standards, you’re using what you know to be the right place for any fire service
organization. That should be no secret to anybody in my position. That should be no
secret to anybody who is the fire chief. Those things don’t change from administration to
administration. If an administration makes the conscious decisions that they’re going to
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 59
disregard national consensus standards, well, that’s a totally different ball game and that’s
really what we’re talking about. We’re talking about changing course in a way that is
advancing the organization forward. You are always trying to move the organization
forward, you’re always trying to improve, obviously. That goes without saying. There
may be objectives that get in the way of that, with certain administrations. Maybe outside
influences of culture standards that don’t go away—you can’t outrun them.
The assistant fire chief of operations is responsible for advancing the organization forward by
instilling a climate of vigilance. In the emergency services, there is a climate of vigilance that
directs a culture of interoperability. The term interoperability defines the importance of training
for multi-agency response to major incidents. Interoperability is also the primary training that the
emergency services wishes to upgrade for increasing preparedness and strengthening levels of
prevention. Assistant Fire Chief Craig Baker also suggests that new administrations shall always
represent the contemporization to support the ESF, which focuses a respect on the new emerging
threats that challenge first responder agencies today. This contemporization of the ESF directly
affects the resources, staffing, and training, but more specifically firefighting and special
operations.
Culture Influence/Organization
The research questions that guided this study also exhibit a correlation with the culture
theme. According to Clark and Estes (2008), “Culture is both a powerful force in performance
and a difficult characteristic to identify and to influence. There are three common approaches to
culture in an organization such as, environment, groups, and individuals” (p. 108). Clark and
Estes (2008) explained the definition of culture is a powerful force in performance identified
with environment, groups, and individuals. In this section, this type of organizational theme also
correlates with the research questions, which explore how evaluating emergency services and
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 60
first responder training improves interoperability and culture. Interoperability is important to
address for primary objectives such as increasing the survivability rates in the emergency service
system. The system in use must be able to expand and contract, change strategic orientation,
modify or switch tactics, and so forth as an incident unfolds (Bigley & Roberts, 2001).
Culture Influence
The focus of HLS and special operations on the ESF is dependent on organizational
influences from the deputy fire chief of homeland security. Deputy Fire Chief of Homeland
Security Derron Hawkins was interviewed on organizational influence and how culture
influences affect the organization.
Organizational assertion 14. Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins asserted that the, D.C. Fire
Department has indicated the importance of contemporizing upgrades in the organization
towards interoperability and multijurisdictional response. An assertion can be made here, which
indicates the importance of interoperability and multijurisdictional response. Deputy Fire Chief
of Homeland Security Derron Hawkins stated,
Well, when it comes to culture, once again, it relates to what I said about homeland
security. For our culture to be effective in protecting the homeland, it starts with
protecting the hometown. So, understanding internal customers within the agency and
external customers, you know, how do I effectively get out in front whereas, though, I’m
always in a position to serve and protect them. That is the key, moving forward. With
emergency management, you’re always looking ahead of the problem looking down at
your forecasting. Whether its resources, replacing equipment, fire apparatus, or training,
looking at changes in the threat environment and being out front, trying to understand
that threat picture and having training and equipment for first responders.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 61
The deputy fire chief is responsible for protecting and serving the jurisdiction by providing
strategies that implement higher standards for HLS in D.C. The administrative team thinks this
process of training the surrounding jurisdictions is important because the trainings upgrade
preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery.
Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins explained how the strategic challenges of today rely on a
culture influence of federal resource allocation from the HLS division. This innovation to expand
the fire service culture of fire and EMS to now HLS and special operations is the new form of
interoperability. The HLS division is flanked by the special operations division, which also deals
with the culture influences on organizational change. This new culture influence of emerging
threats such as homegrown violent extremism that account for mass casualty incidents such as
active shootings, active vehicles, lone-wolf bombings, and so on require training for more
effective mitigation tactics to more intricate and technical incidents.
Organizational assertion 17. Deputy Fire Chief of Special Operations John Donnelly
concluded that, in the D.C. Fire Department, the administration team has indicated that the major
training initiatives were the importance of upgrading firefighting, search and rescue, and
hazardous material response. The deputy fire chief of special operations was interviewed about
organizational influence regarding cultural influence. More commonly, a stakeholder can assert
that the emergency service functions are vital to mitigate major incidents such as firefighting,
search and rescue, then hazardous material response. The deputy fire chief of special operations
supports the aforementioned assertion by stating,
After September 11, 2001, vigilance has improved, and first responders have increased
trainings that integrate jurisdictional coordination to homeland security awareness and
operation incidents. The fire service strongly believes in leadership; however,
professional development requires culture-based changes to increase participation in
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 62
education and training. Organizational leadership and vision can be very effective, and
the culture of an organization can be influenced by the climate. An example of this is
how, after 9/11, Fire and EMS departments have redirected the training focus to
incorporate an all hazards response for all employees.
In D.C., there is a district response plan that covers all forms of government. Within the district
response plan, there are the ESF. There are three functions of the fire department that deal with
the ESF: the firefighting, search and rescue, and hazardous material response.
Findings Summary
In conclusion, the KMO attributes that the executive stakeholders who were interviewed
have asserted have a direct effect on the aptitude and tactics that the subordinate members of the
D.C. Fire Department represent. First responder agency stakeholders have gained more KMO
after 9/11. These benefits of KMO are derived from after-action reports and evaluations of
attempts to mitigate the new emerging threats that some jurisdictions were just not ready for
prior to 9/11. Emergency services in the fire department and the police department, as well as the
federal services, have also benefited greatly from this new culture of information and intelligence
integrated in regional fusion centers. The future of emergency services shall also hold these
fusion centers accountable to the upgrades of information and intelligence, which also provide
KMO to emergency service jurisdictions and their corresponding members.
Along with the D.C. Fire Department, stakeholders instilling a climate of vigilance to
consumerization for all rank-and-file members, the fusion centers have now added a “third eye”
to this cultural influence that is vital to this post-9/11 era. According to the stakeholders, there is
now more conclusive actionable evidence to aid the data-based strategy deployments of the post-
9/11 era, which just was not as effective in the pre-9/11 era. This dissertation shall support the
assertions of a post-9/11 vision that believes in evaluating emergency services for
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 63
interoperability and contemporizing the agencies to counter the emerging threats jurisdictions
engage. Effective change efforts are communicated regularly and frequently to all key
stakeholders (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes’ (2008) vision of organizational leadership
supports that, when innovating in the fire service to meet the emerging threats of the future, the
key stakeholders in the emergency service shall implement effective change efforts through
communication. This finding suggests the aforementioned example in this findings section,
which recommended redeploying EMS capabilities and, in turn, creating a more effective
communication network to corresponding hospitals in the city of D.C. This new initiative shows
promise to ultimately create more time to retrain first responders for these new emerging threats
in HLS.
From the results of this study on the D.C. Fire Department, the dissertation can conclude
with the position that the active members of the leadership team envision improved training
methods to enable a stronger collaboration of ESF in minor and major incidents. In this final
example, the research involved in this dissertation supports the assertions by concluding that the
first responder organizations can solve interoperability issues through the creation of more
effective professional development programs for the new generation of firefighters. There is an
emphasis now for firefighters to respond to more EMS calls than fire-related incidents. However,
the focus to the more common incidents of fire and EMS should not impede the progress to also
contemporize HLS tactical training. The city of D.C. operates with the highest level of
professionalism and has presented an exemplary template to other major cities who face
mitigation challenges. Particularly, the future is going to highly regard trainings and activities to
teach ICS and NIMS. The two systems show promise to provide local, state, and federal systems
resources and tact to improve the next generations’ HLS response to incidents. The future of
emergency service defense solely relies on the first responder agencies’ training, then
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 64
incorporating new countermeasures of ICS and NIMS, to mitigate additional larger incidents in
this new age of emerging HLS threats.
Solutions and Recommendations
In this dissertation solutions and recommendations were derived from KMO assumed
influences, which are presented and annotated in (Table 2). This dissertation conveys a complete
analysis and an in-depth look at the KMO influences that include all three sections, which are
associated with the corresponding table. When a major homeland security incident occurs in the
United States, organizations such as the fire department experience KMO changes internally and
externally. First responder organizations can benefit from organizing the KMO objectives that
need improvement, then from implementing policy to support the influential direction of the
stakeholders. The following tables represent assumed KMO influences that support roles of first
responder agencies which aspire to achieve success towards their organizational performance
goals.
Introduction and Overview of KMO Influences
In this dissertation the knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO) influences are
presented in the annotated table. This dissertation conveys a complete analysis, and a more in-
depth look at the KMO influences that includes all three sections, which are associated with the
corresponding table. When a major homeland security incident occurs in America, organizations
such as the fire department experience KMO changes internally and externally. First responder
organizations can benefit from organizing the assuming KMO objectives that need improvement,
then implementing policy to support the influential direction of the stakeholders. The following
tables represent assumed KMO influences, that support roles of first responder agencies who
aspire to achieve success towards their organizational performance goals.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 65
Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction. The data that was collected to support the knowledge influences in the
following table were supplemented from articles, and participant interviews who participated in
interviews to add credibility to the recommendations. The two annotations of assumed
knowledge influences involved with this section are identified as; feedback and modeling
(procedural), enhancing performance (procedural). All four assumed knowledge influences were
annotated as priorities, and the four influences were validated with a prioritized focus to the
procedural influences which both exhibited high-priorities. In Table1 there shall be a utilization
of the Krathwohl (2002) framework to conduct diagnostic reasoning to the knowledge
influences. The corresponding influences in the following table were ranked with designated by
priority levels of High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L) priorities respectfully.
Table 2
Knowledge Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Knowledge
Influence
Validated?
Yes, High
Probability
or No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle
and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation

Implementation
Strategies
(Procedural)
Administrative
teams need to know
how to implement
the most current
response standard
models in
emergency
situations.(P)

HP Y Feedback and
modeling
increases
self-efficacy
(Pajares,
2006). (P)

A recommendation is for the
administrative team to show
how to provide procedural
strategies that enhance learning
throughout the duration of
trainings. The administration
shall then implement current
response standards that
promise to improve
deployment performance, and
let operational members
interact with the procedure. In
regard to training,
administrative teams shall
retrain emergency service first
responders to the current
procedure-based deployment
standards of the Incident
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 66
Assumed
Knowledge
Influence
Validated?
Yes, High
Probability
or No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle
and Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Command System (ICS), and
evaluate how the organization
performed.
(P)

Implementation
Strategies
(Procedural)

Administrative team
needs to know how
to request federal
resources during
major
emergencies.(P)

HP Y Feedback that
is private,
specific, and
timely
enhances
performance
(Shute,
2008).
(P)

It is recommended that during
FY 2018, the Department will
model how to improve learning
Mass Casualty Incident (MCI)
response preparedness by
updating existing procedures to
facilitate the incorporation of
the “SALT” (Sort, Assess,
Lifesaving Interventions,
Treatment/ Transport) let
operational members receive
training that shows them how
to demonstrate effective
response through
contemporized mitigation
strategies. Evaluate members
through practice and training
of the Triage Model into the
daily operational plan. This
action shall show neighboring
jurisdictions a model example
of the 2018 deployment
upgrades. There shall also be
an evaluation of how the
organization performed with
the training initiatives
implemented by executive
stakeholders for the D.C. Fire
Department Training Academy
to now deploy upgrades to
procedural-based training
initiatives that incorporate the
new federal standards of ICS,
and MCI response.(P)

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 67
Procedural knowledge solutions, or description of needs or assets. Emergency
service agencies such as the District of Columbia Fire Department need to know how to
implement contemporary response strategies, and reevaluate first responder training initiatives to
the new emerging threats of today. Pajares (2006) recommends, that after instructing how to
apply these procedures, feedback and modeling increases self-efficacy, and inevitably supports
performance (P). For an example of incorporating new implementation strategies into mitigative
practice, Denler et al. (2009) suggests, to help learners acquire new behaviors through
demonstration and modeling (P). The (procedural) strategies must be contemporized with current
versions of knowledge, that exhibits a model-stakeholders’ strategy. In this example,
administrative teams are challenged to know how to request federal resources, and demonstrate
how to implement current response strategies. More specifically the 2018 upgraded versions of
the Incident Command System (ICS) for local-response and minor incidents, then the National
Incident Management System (NIMS) for federal-response and major incidents. Knowledgeable
references made by first responder agency stakeholders provide credibility and trustworthiness to
assertive strategies that are planned prior to implementation. For the basis of Table 1, the first
recommendation regards the first responder agencies to know how to implement a response
strategy to mitigate major emergencies (P).
According to Clarke, and Estes (2008), “One familiar example of rare but important tasks
are safety procedures such as using a fire extinguisher or exiting a building in case of a fire.”
Clark and Estes recommends, practical public safety procedures in the D.C. Fire Department can
provide a framework to conventional mitigation strategies that some may find as effective but
more complex. Table 1 then recommends, to ensure emergency service stakeholders know how
to recommend resources on more large-scale incidents, which require multi-agency response
networks (P). According to Rueda (2016), “Operant (voluntary) behavior is controlled by
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 68
environmental events, respondent (involuntary) is modified and paired with new stimuli.” Rueda
recommends, that environmental events such as the unexpected incidents that challenge
emergency service response, forces first responder agency stakeholders to create stronger
countermeasures to the mitigation of the unexpected new stimuli.
Motivation Recommendations
Introduction. In Chapter 4 data collection was conducted to examine the motivational
influences. The four assumed motivation influences involved with this section are identified as:
high self-efficacy (self-efficacy), feedback and modeling (self-efficacy), learning and motivation
(utility value), and positive values (utility value). All four assumed motivation influences were
validated and ranked with different priority-levels. The corresponding influences in the following
table were ranked with designations by priority levels of High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L)
priorities in Table 3. Of the four influences, two were categorized as self-efficacy influences
(high self-efficacy and feedback and modeling) and another two were categorized as utility
values (learning and motivation as well as positive values.) Table 3 below lists these influences,
along with the corresponding supporting theory principles, and the recommendations resulting
from this data analysis.
In the second row-column of Table 3, there are designations to prioritize self-efficacy,
and utility values influences. In this following row the two influences of self-efficacy were given
a high priority, while the two influences of utility values convey a high-priority to the
“development of positive values”, and a low priority to the “value of task.” In the third row-
column of Table 3, there shall be designations made to principles and citations of self-efficacy
and utility value. The descriptions of the four theoretical citations where described in the fourth
row-column. The theoretical theme, which encapsulates Table 3, focuses on building personal
self-efficacies of the stakeholders’ Administrative Teams, and their value is vital to first
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 69
responder agency function. Activating and building upon personal interest can increase learning
and motivation (Schraw & Lehman, 2009). Schraw & Lehman explain, activating and building
upon self-efficacies improve the utility value of emergency service administrative teams that
direct the four objectives of Fire, EMS, HLS, and special operations.
Table 3
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Motivation
Influence

Validated
Yes, High
Probability,
No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle
and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Administrative
teams need to feel
confident in their
ability to drive the
self-efficacy of
individual
firefighters.
(SE)
HP Y High self-
efficacy can
positively
influence
motivation
(Pajares,
2006).

It is recommended that the
administrative teams drive the
self-efficacy influences
expressed by the individual
firefighters. The positive
influences of motivation shall be
developed from the emergency
service stakeholders.

The self-efficacies from the
instructors who train first
responders, shall come mostly
from previous skill
developments, and past
experiences implemented at the
training academy.
Motivational
influences on
members in an
organization are a
self-efficacy
characteristic.
(SE)
HP Y Feedback
and
modeling
increases
self-efficacy
(Pajares,
2006).

It is recommended that the fire
instructors are retrained and
accept that the motivational
influences from their trainings to
the first responders are
paramount to the support of a
first responders’’ self-efficacy
characteristics.

The feedback and modeling
increases self-efficacy from the
curriculums and modules that
each firefighter has to complete
when training intrinsically and
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 70
extrinsically through the fire
academy. Table 2 also presents
information regarding the utility
values of the self-efficacy that
will come from the motivational
influence from the fire
instructors at the academy.

Administrative
teams need to see
the value of utility
by benchmarking
success of
divisions that have
completed training.
(UV)
V N Learning
and
motivation
are enhanced
if the learner
values the
task (Eccles,
2006).

It is recommended that there is a
reassessment of the utility
values of each of the four
objectives of Fire, EMS, HLS,
and special operations.
Improving the motivational
influences, shall aid
performance goal evaluations to
determine the level of utility
value within each new initiative.

However, the
utility value of
response is
determined by the
utilization of
resources (Clark
and Estes, 2008).
(UV)
V Y Rationales
that include
a discussion
of the
importance
and utility
value of the
work or
learning can
help
learners
develop
positive
values
(Eccles,
2006;
Pintrich,
2003).
It is recommended that in the
table, three sections of utility
values show an analysis of
motivational influences, types,
and assessments prior to
deployment into their respective
firehouse companies.

Self-efficacy motivation solutions, or description of needs or assets. First responder
agency stakeholders, have a responsibility to motivate supervisors, and implement curriculums
for the executive level management teams which train emergency service personnel. This action
shall sustain the upgrades by stakeholders to the respective practice of the emergency services,
which are currently incorporating ICS, and NIMS upgrades. Modeling to-be-learned strategies or
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 71
behaviors improves self-efficacy, learning, and performance (Denler, Wolters, & Benzon, 2009).
Denler et al. suggests, self-efficacious actions have a direct effect on learning, and performance,
which involves the assumed influences of the stakeholders to personnel. Motivational influences
from the stakeholders are vital for the first responders, that matriculate through training then
acclimate themselves to contemporized-levels of operational deployments. First responder
stakeholders also have a responsibility to train their appointed supervisors resource allocation
procedures, and deployment strategies that are current with standard mitigation practices. For the
stakeholders the first priority is to direct management, then the first responder stakeholders have
another responsibility to train their operatives with strategies, that counter the new emerging
threats. Pajares (2006) recommends, high self-efficacy can positively influence motivation (SE).
The objective of emergency response is to appoint educated-stakeholders in strategic positions,
to know how to allocate resources and understand the application of motivating and training
personnel. These trainings are not limited to only executive level management under stakeholder
supervision, but also to personnel. The emergency services ultimate objective is to support
capabilities for the allocation and deployment of resources necessary when countering natural,
and man-made incidents.
According to Pajares (2006), "Social cognitive theory, self-efficacy beliefs provide the
foundation for human motivation, well-being, and personal accomplishment: Unless people
believe that their actions can produce the outcomes they desire, they have little incentive to act or
to persevere in the face of difficulties" (p.22). Pajares adds, it is recommended that the
administrative teams drive the self-efficacy influences expressed by the individual firefighters
(SE). First responder agencies shall conduct training evaluations for feedback to ensure middle
management, and subordinate-level instructors are meeting standards of the new ICS, and NIMS
initiatives. The respective focus of the new standards are for, Mass Casualty Incident (MCI)
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 72
response preparedness by updating existing procedures to facilitate the incorporation of the
“SALT” (Sort, Assess, Lifesaving Interventions, Treatment/ Transport). The primary focus of
emergency service stakeholders is to know how to increase self-efficacy of the first responders in
the agency, and train them to these new-model upgrades on mitigating techniques for minor and
major incidents. Pajares concludes, feedback and modeling increases self-efficacy (SE).
Utility values motivation solutions, or description of needs or assets. When it comes
to emergency managers examining utility-values, one of the most important directions to
incorporate into deployment efforts through training, are the Homeland Security Presidential
Directives (HSPD), which are set in place to navigate incidents (UV). Rationales that include a
discussion of the importance and utility value of the work or learning can help learners develop
positive values (Eccles, 2006; Pintrich, 2003). Eccles and Pintrich suggest, that the intrinsic
utility-value of an emergency service operative in an operation exhibit the same positive values,
as what an extrinsic emergency service stakeholders value represents. Eccles (2006) also
recommends, learning and motivation are enhanced if the learner values the task (UV). For
example in HSPD number-five, this deals with the domestic issues on a smaller local
jurisdictional level. While HSPD number-eight, deals with a national collaboration of emergency
service agencies, which are collaborating for a major incident that no one jurisdiction can have
the capabilities of mitigating alone. In both HSPD-five and HSPD-eight, shall be accompanied
by a first responder agency stakeholder training personnel to learn the utility-value and
requesting to Emergency Management Assistance Contacts (EMAC).
There is theoretical evidence to support the Clark and Estes (2008), framework theory
which states “beliefs are (almost) everything” suggesting that when individuals have positive
beliefs about their ability to do something, they are more likely to pursue the goal and increase
performance. The surrounding jurisdictions and the surrounding states all believe that they want
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 73
to pursue a performance goal which raises the survivability rates. When the multi-agencies are
all dispatched to respond to these multi-jurisdictional operations to provide safety and support,
they deploy logistical planning with mutual aid correspondence that supplements the resources or
capabilities to more major incidents; (i.e.) the Freddie Gray riots that occured in Baltimore. In
this example of utility-value, the Baltimore riots of ( 2016) requested a multi-agency response of
resource agencies that were dispatched and contacted for mutual-aid. In this case the value of
utility was limited and a state-of-emergency was declared. This example explains how
emergency service stakeholders need to analyze if objectives were met, and evaluate after action
reports, to ensure the utility values of deployments are more effective in the future.
Agencies deployed mutual aid tactics such as; EMAC, The Maryland Emergency
Management Team, the Baltimore Fire Department, the D.C. Fire Department, and other mutual
aid agencies as far as Philadelphia and Virginia. In such case of a “state-of-emergency” the
resource allocations’ have limited capabilities to the mitigation of more larger incidents, it is the
emergency service stakeholders that must learn, and know how to request services of other
operating agencies within a national capital region. Include rationales about the importance and
utility value of the task (Pintrich, 2003). Pintrich suggests emergency service stakeholders shall
first analyze tasks, then evaluate the emergency service capabilities that represent the utility-
value of service for an incident then learn, and pre-plan the dissemination of resources. In this
operation the D.C. Fire Department collaborates with other corresponding agencies, and mutual
aid jurisdictions on a major incident-level of functional operation. The current training strategy is
for implementation of first responder training to now focus on the new emerging threats that
challenge emergency service today. These new threats, face local and mutual aid in statewide
jurisdictions, which respond to major incidents, that may threaten and challenge the resource
capabilities of our nation's capital.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 74
Organization Recommendations
Introduction. For Table 4, the assumed organizational influences from the stakeholders,
who were also known as the administrative team were examined. Table 4 begins with assumed
organizational influences in the first column, which also exhibited climate and cultural traits.
When examined, the four influences were also validated in the second column with a prioritized
focus to the climatic and cultural themes, which both exhibited high-priorities. All four assumed
organizational influences were then described in Table 4 in the third column as priorities with
three priority levels of High Priority (HP), Validated (V), and No (N) priorities. Table 4, also
included articles in the fourth column named principles and citations of climate and culture.
Included in Table 4 are the following principles and citations of column four to support
emergency service organizational operations in the D.C. Fire Department. The four focuses in
the principles and citations section are: facilitate learning (climate), facilitate construction
(climate), cultural profile (cultural), and cultural settings (cultural). In the last and fifth column
of Table 4 the themes of climate and culture were described with context specific
recommendations to support assertive conclusions, which describe the assumed influences of the
stakeholders who direct the D.C. Fire Department. All four assumed organizational influences
will be structured through the Clark and Estes (2008), framework, and categorized as either;
climate and cultural themes.
Table 4
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Organization
Influence

Validated
Yes, High
Probability,
No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation

The organization
needs to implement
HP Y Effective
change efforts
ensure that
everyone has
It is recommended that the
stakeholders of the D.C. Fire
Department are trained to
know how to matriculate
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 75
Assumed
Organization
Influence

Validated
Yes, High
Probability,
No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation
contemporized
strategies that
support awareness,
operations, and
interoperability
between federal,
state, local, fire and
police departments.

(Climate)
the resources
(equipment,
personnel,
time, etc.)
needed to do
their job,
and that if
there are
resource
shortages, then
resources are
aligned with
organizational
priorities
(Clark and
Estes, 2008).

(Climate)
members into programs that
represent some of the new
contemporized strategies.
The organization
needs to implement
upgrades by training
firefighters to
contemporized
homeland security
national standards.

(Climate)
V Y Effective
organizations
insure that
organizational
messages,
rewards,
policies
and procedures
that govern the
work of the
organization
are aligned
with or are
supportive of
organizational
goals and
values
(Clark and
Estes, 2008).

(Climate)
It is recommended that the
D.C. Fire Department
implements upgrades to the
ICS, and NIMS strategy.
Organization Policies
and Resources:

National Security
HP Y Effective
change begins
by addressing
motivation
It is recommended that the
stakeholders
organizationally change the
D.C. Fire Department
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 76
Assumed
Organization
Influence

Validated
Yes, High
Probability,
No
(V, HP, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation
incidents raise
standards to ICS and
NIMS during
climatic times.

(Culture)
influencers; it
ensures the
group
knows why it
needs to
change. It then
addresses
organizational
barriers and
then
knowledge and
skills needs
(Clark and
Estes,
2008).

through upgrades to
mitigation techniques from
the more local-ICS strategy,
to the more national-NIMS
strategy. During climatic
times this implementation
creates an organizational
culture profile, that matches
the standards of other first
responder agencies
nationwide, which have
incorporated these new
mitigation techniques.

The organizational
culture of agencies
which respond to
emergency
management
incidents, such as the
Federal Emergency
Management Agency
(FEMA) view
interoperability as the
new priority (Waugh,
2006).

(Culture)
V Y Learning tasks
that are similar
to those that
are
common to the
individual’s
familiar
cultural
settings will
promote
learning and
transfer
(Gallimore &
Goldenberg,
2001).

It is recommended that the
culture of agencies that
respond to multi-
jurisdictional agency
activities, trainings, and
incidents, now prioritize
awareness, and operations to
the new interoperability
standards. For the D.C. Fire
Department this requires the
stakeholders to know how to
train members to the new
ICS and NIMS, and prepare
supervisors to influence
vigilance to a culture of
providing homeland security
preventions to this nation's
future on a local, state, and
federal level.

Climate influences the organizational solutions, or description of needs or assets.
The climate of the D.C. Fire Department is influenced by two main-stakeholders, who
directly influence the organization’s goal of re-training first responders to the new emerging
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 77
HLS threats of today. The two main stakeholder groups being focused on are the D.C. Fire
Department division of homeland security directed by Deputy Fire Chief of Homeland Security
Derron Hawkins, and special operations division directed by Deputy Fire Chief of Special
Operations is John Donnelley. In Table 4, there was a strong correlation between the four
assumed organizational influences which influence the D.C. Fire Departments operations, and
the principle and citation section of the table. The two thematic influences, which describe the
assumed organizational influences were climate, and the second of the two influences was
culture. In the first principle, there was a description of how resources are aligned with
organizational priorities (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes recommend, that positive change
will come from a climate in an organization that strives to upgrade resources, and align the
priority of resource management to emergency service culture.
To support the Clark and Estes’ assertion to organizational climate changes, Wheelan
(2010) added, “Which is like the fire department showing up at a house with smoke wafting from
the roof and declaring, “No, that's not a fire,” only to have flames start leaping from the attic
twenty minutes later” (p. xxiv). Wheelan explained that in this case, if the fire service portrays a
climate of proactivity lives should be saved faster than a culture of reactivity. There are also
strategies created based on this first principle, which recommend that the stakeholders of the
D.C. Fire Department are trained to know how to matriculate members into programs that
represent the new contemporized strategies of ICS and NIMS.
In the second principle, effective organizations ensure that organizational messages,
rewards, policies and procedures that govern the work of the organization are aligned with or are
supportive of organizational goals and values (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes
recommend, that organizational messages, rewards, policies and procedures can benefit from
effective stakeholders that implement this type of climate change. In this second principle, the
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 78
D.C. Fire Department stakeholders have evaluated interoperability capabilities, and
recommended to upgrade the climate of two response systems of ICS and NIMS deployments.
Furthermore, climates in first responder agencies also influence organizational objectives of
matriculation and raising retention rates, there is also another task to logistically manage the
resources, staffing, and training. In conclusion this second principle, which involves the
changing of climate creates an environment for the first responder members to adapt to being
appointed to their new position, then completing the trainings essential to deployment.
Culture influences the organizational solutions, or description of needs or assets.
In the D.C. Fire Department, the culture is strongly influenced by the stakeholders implementing
contemporary strategies to the operations of EMS, Fire, HLS, and special operations. The three
objectives of the fire service, which are mentioned in mission program, are "Excellent pre-
hospital treatment and transportation, fire prevention and suppression, and lastly homeland
security awareness" (D.C. Fire Department, 2018, p.1). To the fire department culture, these
operational services are the main operational focus areas which shall be upgraded by the new
ICS and NIMS. In Table 4 the description of culture is described in the third row as, addressing
organizational barriers of knowledge or skill needs, and in the fourth row as learning tasks,
which are common to the individual’s familiar cultural settings.
In this first example which describes culture, organizational barriers and knowledge
means a focus to preparations, and preventions. In efforts to open the lines of communication to
the barriers, the National Capital Region (NCR) has collaborated on multi-jurisdictional
activities and trainings to train the response culture of more minor incidents, for an event of a
major catastrophe, which would require federal, state, and local assistance. It is recommended
that during climatic times this type of implementation creates an organizational culture, that
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 79
matches the standards of other first responder agencies nationwide, which have incorporated
these new mitigation techniques.
In the second example which describes culture, learning tasks that are common to the
individual’s familiar cultural settings. The new culture setting of first responder agencies
requires learning tasks, which envision and enact strategies to counter the larger incidents, with
HLS, and special operations. It is recommended the culture of agencies that respond to multi-
jurisdictional agency activities, trainings, and incidents, now prioritize awareness, and operations
to the new interoperability standards. In this second example, it is also recommended that the
D.C. Fire Department, requires the stakeholders to know how to train members to the new ICS
and NIMS. This recommendation shall prepare supervisors to influence a culture of vigilance to
provide homeland security preventions to this nation's future on a local, state, and federal level.
Effective change efforts use evidence-based solutions and adapt them, where necessary, to the
organization’s culture (Clark & Estes, 2008). Clark and Estes explains how effective
organizational change for the emergency service requires, evidence-based solutions to form what
first responders define as a unified command system.
Both descriptions of culture in the first and second example explore this new culture of
cohesion among the mutual aid departments, who shall support the emergency services of the
D.C. Fire Department. The first recommendation requires addressing organizational barriers of
knowledge to agencies who must now communicate more frequently within the NCR to assist in
the mitigation of any catastrophe, which may require additional resources. The second
recommendation requires learning tasks that are common to a members cultural setting. Such as
how D.C. trains on the mutual aid contingency plans with other local jurisdictions and agencies,
going hand-in-hand with the D.C. Fire Departments’ multi-jurisdictional response strategies. In
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 80
conclusion, this new culture of interoperability with multi-agencies shall ensure an effective
public safety response to natural, and man-made incidents on local, state, and federal levels.
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations
According to the D.C. Fire Department Mission Statement (2018), “The mission of the
District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Service Department is to preserve life and
promote health and safety through excellent pre-hospital treatment and transportation, fire
prevention, fire suppression and rescue activities and homeland security awareness” (p.1). The
D.C. Fire Department mission originally stated, the organizational mission has a priority to train
and respond to EMS/Fire incidents, through prehospital care then fire prevention and
suppression. Currently, the organizational mission has changed to now incorporate a mission to
train first responders for homeland security strategies such as the new ICS and NIMS, then to
also train first responders to special operations tactics. The past represents the pre-9/11 era, the
future represents the post 9/11 era of homeland security awareness, which requires deployment
of first responders with more contemporary mitigation techniques to minor and major incidents.
These trainings and activities are incorporated to support emergency service response which was
once to minor and major incidents. The challenge now, is to organizationally change an
emergency response department, which can respond to more larger incidents which include
multi-agency response networks that are now equipped with resources to respond to the
emerging threats.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
The following Table 5 describes the results and leading indicators, which affect internal
and external outcomes. Table 5 also indicates recommendations and solutions in this section,
which shall provide the Level 4 results when “analyzed” from the Kirkpatrick Model. The first
column describes the outcomes of implementation. The second column describes the metrics of
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 81
training and evaluation, the third column describes the methods of training and evaluation.
During this time of economic challenge when our industry is under fire, the good news is that
business leaders, are like jury members are looking anywhere and everywhere for solutions to
their incredible challenges (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Table 5 shows the Level 4 table
results, and the delineation of three-results derived from the Kirkpatrick Model examination of
an organizations implementation initiatives. In theory if the short-term observations on the
internal outcomes of initiative implementation result in the desired successful external outcomes,
the organizational goals and the performance goals shall be achieved. In the table, there shall
also be metrics and methods associated with the Kirkpatrick model to measure and evaluate
results.
Table 5
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes

Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
100% of the Fire
suppression division trained
to the new emerging
homeland security threats,
which are according to
FEMA and DHS by 2019.
The metrics shall cover 1900
operational members who shall
complete a total of six- module
trainings, of the six, one shall
cover ICS and be completed by
every operations member at the
D.C. training academy, or P.R.
Harris institute in Washington,
D.C.
The D.C. Training Academy, or
the P.R. Harris Facilities shall
collect data to record the
completion of courses of 1900
operational members. The
methods of tracking completion
shall be through registering
certificates of completion,
surveys, through “target safety”,
and transcripts, for fire
department members.
100% of the EMS division
trained to the new emerging
homeland security threats,
which are according to
FEMA and DHS by 2019.
The metrics shall cover 1900
operational members who shall
complete a total of six- module
trainings, of the six, one shall
cover NIMS and be completed
by every operations member at
the D.C. training academy, or
P.R. Harris institute in
Washington, D.C.
The D.C. Training Academy, or
the P.R. Harris Facilities shall
collect data to record the
completion of courses of 1900
operational members. The
methods of tracking completion
shall be through registering
certificates of completion,
surveys, through “target safety”,
and transcripts, of life saver
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 82
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
trainings to increase
survivability rates.
100% of the Fire/EMS
division trained to the mass
casualty training, and
activities shall raise the
member/public awareness
of HLS, and special
operations procedures,
which are according to
FEMA and DHS by 2019.
.
The metrics shall cover 1900
operational members who shall
complete a total of six- module
trainings, of the six, one shall
ICS 300, 400 for officers and be
completed by every operations
member at the D.C. training
academy, or P.R. Harris
institute in Washington, D.C.
The D.C. Training Academy, or
the P.R. Harris Facilities shall
collect data to record the
completion of courses of 1900
operational members. The
methods of tracking completion
shall be through registering
certificates of completion,
surveys, through “target safety”,
and transcripts, conveying
tactical proficiency among
members who respond to the
emerging threats.
Internal Outcomes
1. During FY 2018, the
department will improve
emergency service through
the fire suppression division
being trained to the new
emerging homeland
security threats by 2019.
The metrics shall cover 1900
operational members who shall
complete a total of six- module
trainings, of the six, one shall
cover ICS and be completed by
every operations member at the
D.C. training academy, or P.R.
Harris institute in Washington,
D.C.
The collection of data reflecting
completion rates to the new ICS
procedures, shall be through
surveys, and target safety
transcripts after members have
performed practical skill
exercises.
2. During FY 2018, the
department will improve
emergency service through
the goal of having the EMS
division trained to the new
emerging homeland
security threats by 2019.
The metrics shall cover 1900
operational members who shall
complete a total of six- module
trainings, of the six, one shall
cover NIMS and be completed
by every operations member at
the D.C. training academy, or
P.R. Harris institute in
Washington, D.C.
The collection of data reflecting
completion rates to the new
NIMS procedures, shall be
through surveys, and target
safety transcripts after members
have performed practical skill
exercises.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 83
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
3. During FY 2018, the
department will improve
emergency service through
the stakeholder goal of
having the HLS division
trained to the new emerging
homeland security threats
by 2019.
The metrics shall cover 1900
operational members who shall
complete all operational
members of the D.C. Fire
Department that respond to
minor and major incidents there
shall be two additional modules
to complete, which represent
mass casualty, and ICS
operations techniques to be
completed by the end of the
year.
The collection of data reflecting
completion rates to the fire
officer and rank and file training
modules which shall be through
surveys, and target safety
transcripts after members have
performed practical skill
exercises.

Level 3: Behavior
The stakeholders which were interviewed in the previous chapter provided results and
findings throughout the section. In regard to critical behavior there are methods, tools, and
techniques that are vital to success. The Level 3 section shall frame the critical behaviors on the
job, which also identify required drivers to performance goals in an organization. According to
Kirkpatrick (2016), “Success at Level III is key to Level IV results, so extra attention is given to
Level III through required drivers, which are the process and systems that reinforce management,
then encourage and reward the performance of critical behaviors on the job (p.53). Kirkpatrick
explains, how vital critical behaviors relate to the scope of practice, also how research techniques
identify the degree to which participants apply what they learned during training.
The first critical behavior that is identified in the following table shall be how, the
leadership team shall know how to allocate the resources, staffing, and training, to prepare the
fire department prior to a major incident. To the D.C. Fire Department this critical behavior is
vital to a stakeholder on the leadership team who shall be called upon in time of crisis to deliver
a strategy for first responders. The second critical behavior which is identified in the following
table focuses on the leadership team implementing contemporary response tactics to mitigate
major incidents. The second critical behavior is a requirement by upper level incident
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 84
commanders who are equipped with the capabilities to deploy multi-jurisdictional collaborations
on response to major incidents.
Table 6
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metrics Methods Timing
1. Allocates the
resources, staffing,
and training, to
prepare the fire
department prior to a
major incident.
Quantitate the amount
of external resources,
staffing, and training
necessary to prepare
the fire department for
a major incident.
Data shall be collected on
the aptitude fire officers
have to request resources
in major emergencies
through after action
reports.
The benchmarked
timetable shall be
evaluations at the
January, April, June,
and October
checkpoints.
2. Implements
contemporary
response tactics to
mitigate major
incidents.
Quantitate the amount
of internal resources,
staffing, and training
necessary to respond
with the fire
department and
recover from a major
incident.
Data shall be collected on
the assessment of the
implementation on the ICS
system, and the
survivability rates which
increase or decrease after
deployment.
The benchmarked
timetable shall be
evaluations at the
January, April, June,
and October
checkpoints.

Required drivers. Required drivers, are the process and systems that reinforce
management, then encourage and reward the performance of critical behaviors on the job.
Through the Kirkpatrick model, stakeholders need to evaluate first responder training and
identify drivers, for the emerging threats of today. Required drivers shall apply to both the
executive stakeholders or first responders, and be identified as reinforcing, encouraging, and
rewarding. In this section, there is a central-focus on the identity these drivers, which influence
computer based curriculums assigned to the department called “Target Safety,” and these
trainings are required in first responder and executive officer proficiency programs. The
following table shall convey the evaluation of training, which revealed that not every stakeholder
has the knowledge of allocating external/outside of the department resources, staffing, and
trainings for the preparation of training first responders on major incidents. There was also a
revelation that not every stakeholder possesses the leadership to implement internal/inside the
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 85
department operations of deployment such as, resources, staffing, and training. In Table. 7 the
required drivers identify critical behaviors that support a stakeholders’ methods of
reinforcements, encouragement, and rewards. In Table 7. the required drivers are also measured
through timing, and support critical behaviors necessary for organizational function.
Table 7. Required Drivers
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
January,
April, June,
October
(JAJO)
Critical
Behaviors
Supported
Reinforcements

The D.C. Fire Department has implemented a curriculum called,
“Target-Safety,”and on the job training modules.

This curriculum is assessable online and assesses a first
responder recertification in proficiency of tactic. Advanced
training, and on the job training modules.

(JAJO)

(JAJO)

1, 2

1
Encouraging

In this Target-Safety curriculum the members will receive
coaching to meet deadlines for aptitude-testing.
The mentoring curriculums shall be instructed through modules
of FIre/EMS and HLS which are accessed online for all
operational members in the fire department.

(JAJO)
(JAJO)

1, 2
2
Rewarding

The D.C. Fire Department has instituted recognition through a
new rewarding system that has upgraded the conspicuous
service programs, to pay for performance by rewarding
members for their accomplishments inside and outside of the
fire stations.

(JAJO)

1
Monitoring
The D.C. Fire Department monitors members matriculating
through training from action learning, work review, and lastly
surveys at the end and completion of courses.

(JAJO)

2
Notes. JAJO = January, April, June, October
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 86

Organizational support. In this evaluation of the D.C. Fire Department the Kirkpatrick
Model identified that the organization must support the allocation of resources, and training
upgrades for FY 2018. According to Kirkpatrick (2016), “It is important to be purposeful and
deliberate when deciding how and to what degree you evaluate Level II to ensure there are
enough resources to get across the bridge from training to Levels III, and Level IV” (p.42).
Kirkpatrick explains, evaluations of the organization revealed the resultant factors, and expected
behaviors of the training implementations to promote success towards performance goals. More
specifically the first component is to triage training, mass casualty, and the entire fleet of
operational members being trained to the new emerging threats by 2019. The D.C. Fire
Department shall instill the required drivers from the “leadership team,” to the rank and file
members. The focus of the evaluation shall also cover their performance through the assessments
of critical behaviors’ the members exhibited. This specific task utilizes the Kirkpatrick model to
again bridge Levels IV, III, and II then formulate a supportive strategy to reach higher standards
of operations through training. The leading indicators are used to measure accomplishments
and/or undesirable outcomes by tracking the critical behaviors impact on the desired outcomes
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Kirkpatrick adds, that through evaluation the proposed
leading indicators of external and internal outcomes, metrics, and methods should indicate that
advisors are achieving their desired behaviors. The second component of the evaluation focuses
on what is expected with training, job aids, and organizational support to the internal/external
outcomes exhibited from the results, behaviors, and learnings. The evaluation shall explore a
common formative method of examining individual and group activity. The evaluation shall also
utilize a common summative method of demonstrations and performance tests.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 87
Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. Executive fire service stakeholders are expected to acquire the intended
knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment based on their participation in the
training of themselves and subordinates:
1. Apply the steps to implement that during FY 2018, Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) response
preparedness improved by updating existing procedures to incorporate the “SALT” (Sort,
Assess, Lifesaving Interventions, Treatment/ Transport) Triage Model into the daily operational
plan. (Procedural)
2. Value that during FY 2018, a more comprehensive plan for the sorting of patients at events
involving large numbers of injured persons shall be implemented. (Utility-Value)
3. Apply the steps to implement that during FY 2018, the department will improve emergency
service through training on the new procedures, which will be provided for members utilizing a
classroom environment and by performing practical skills exercises on HLS and special
operations. (Procedural)
Program. The learning goals were identified as knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence,
and commitment. The program goal is to train the first responders and the fire service
stakeholders to higher proficiency standards of knowledge (procedural), and motivation (utility-
value). Feedback that is private, specific, and timely enhances performance (Shute, 2008). Shute
explains, after implementing these trainings, surveys and after-action reports shall be completed
so that the feedback from stakeholders and members can improve future trainings created to
upgrade performance. More specifically the procedural knowledge of Mass Casualty Incident
(MCI) response preparedness, and training all rank and file members through utilizing a
classroom environment and by performing practical skills exercises on HLS and special
operations. In the D.C. Fire Department the specific trainings in place to evaluate members on
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 88
tactical proficiency are the annual multi-jurisdictional drills of surrounding departments held at
the major professional sports stadiums every year. The specific challenges which are presented to
the multi-jurisdictional response in these scenarios of these drills are mock versions of Fire/EMS,
mass-casualty, active shooter, and bioterrorism incidents. The methods utilized activities directed
and timing factors shall all be conducted under a schedule and benchmarked annually to evaluate
the progress to performance goals.
Components to learning. The Kirkpatrick model provides organizational support to
derive results, identify behaviors, train learnings, to create successful reactions of all
organizational members who shall collaborate towards reaching the ultimate performance goals.
According to Kirkpatrick (2016), “Also think about what information you need to be credible to
the people who will be judging your performance in terms of the learning of your course
participants” (p.43). Kirkpatrick explains, the learning of your course participants is to essential
performance goal when evaluating training and the responsibility stakeholders have to
implementation begins with understanding the procedural knowledge to support learnings. The
stakeholders who are involved in the training and evaluation of the organization are tasked to
perform with knowledge, skills, attitude, and confidence towards commitment. In a procedural
sense stakeholders must demonstrate the aforementioned themes of Level-2 learning based on
their participation in the trainings. These training evaluation implementations where created to
support a more contemporary approach to improving organizational function to minor major
incidents without the redundancy of just learning but rather application of instructional design.
Another important key point of organizational support to learning is the assessment of utility
values that stakeholders shall possess. After stakeholders conduct evaluations the organization
shall know how to implement more improvements to upgrading training standards to ultimately
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 89
motivate members, and improve survivability rates. The following Table 9 shall represent the
evaluation methods, activities, and timing which complete each component of learning.
Table 8 Level 2: Learning
Components of Learning for the Program
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.” Timing
January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
Procedural Knowledge “Stakeholders need to know how to
request resources in emergencies where resources are expended
and federal help is essential.”
During practical, audio, visual,
and computer based training.
(JAJO)
The D.C. Fire Department plans to measure the knowledge of
approximately 1900 operational members through training for
triage, and mass casualty by 2019.
Immediately after training, and
at quarterly intervals after
training yearly. (JAJO)
Stakeholders shall formulate supportive strategies to new
standards of ICS, and NIMS. There shall also be a measurement
of procedural skills through surveys, and post-training
questionnaires.
Each practical training module
consists of no more than six
hours. (JAJO)
Each audio, visual, and
computer based training online
lasts for no more than four
hours. (JAJO)
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.” Timing
January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
Procedural Knowledge “Stakeholders need to know how to train
then implement strategies, and these strategies shall be measured
through observations.”
During practical, audio, visual,
and computer based training.
(JAJO)
Identify what is expected with training, job aids, and
organizational support to the internal/external outcomes, then
these trainings shall be measured through peer feedback, and
supervisor feedback.
Immediately after practical,
audio, visual, and computer
based training. (JAJO)
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 90
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.” Timing
January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
Each practical training module
consists of no more than six
hours. (JAJO)
Each audio, visual, and
computer based training online
lasts for no more than four
hours. (JAJO)
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.” Timing
January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
Confidence “Stakeholders need to be confident in their
implementations, and there shall be after action reports to
measure new initiatives.”
During practical, audio, visual,
and computer based training.
(JAJO)
Identify objectives to improve training proficiency exhibited
from the results, behaviors, and learning’s, then measure the
proficiency of members through aptitude tests administered after
training.
Immediately after practical,
audio, visual, and computer
based training. (JAJO)
Each practical training module
consists of no more than six
hours. (JAJO)
Each audio, visual, and
computer based training online
lasts for no more than four
hours. (JAJO)
Commitment “I will do it on the job.” Timing
January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 91
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.” Timing
January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
Procedural Knowledge “Stakeholders need to know how to train
and implement successful strategies, and annually conspicuous
service awards, are issued to acknowledge their measurement of
commitment.”
During practical, audio, visual,
and computer based training.
(JAJO)
Formative method of examining individual commitments and
through measuring group activity individuals shall receive
recognition for their commitment.
Immediately after practical,
audio, visual, and computer
based training. (JAJO)
Through summative methods of demonstrations then
performance tests, the commitments of responders shall be
measured from transcripts at the fire academy and responders
shall receive recognitions for outstanding grades.
Each practical training module
consists of no more than six
hours. (JAJO)
Each audio, visual, and
computer based training online
lasts for no more than four
hours. (JAJO)

Level 1: Reaction
The reactions of stakeholders are vital to the success of your organization, when dealing
with subordinates who are under training evaluations for proficiency. The identification of those
reactions is made by the stakeholders to sustain visionary performance goals for organizational
success, which include engagement, relevance and customer satisfaction. According to
Kirkpatrick (2016), “The degree to which participants find the training favorable, engaging, and
relevant to their jobs” (p.37). Kirkpatrick explains, reactions stem from trainings found favorable
to your customers, through engagement, and relevance. Table 10 exhibits the methods, tools, and
techniques to quickly and efficiently get the information one needs to confirm that the quality of
the program, and stakeholder implementation engages positive reactions. The aforementioned
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 92
themes which detail specific reactions which are included in more relevant functions of methods
and timing on Table 10. The column of methods covers the measurements of engagements,
relevance, and ultimately improve customer satisfaction. The column of timing correlates the
benchmarks in the training evaluation which each specific curriculum shall follow.
Table 9
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program
Methods Timing
Engagement January, April, June, October
(JAJO)
Engage stakeholders through the use of interviews to
measure and evaluate training as the primary source
of data collection.
Quarterly assessments of up to two
modules per quarter assigned from the
D.C. Training Academy. (JAJO)
Actually writing field notes on training evaluations
would take a longer measurement than a timely
observation.
Written on the site at the time of
training during practical’s.
The Target Safety program chronologically records
and measures the completion of modules, and online
curriculums.

Within a training evaluation there are
two times of analysis a within-case
analysis of online training and a cross-
case analysis of the overall progress.
Relevance
To conduct a training evaluation is to measure an
indigenous research agenda that involves
decolonization, transformation, mobilization, and
healing.
Quarterly assessments of up to two
modules per quarter assigned from the
D.C. Training Academy. (JAJO)
To engage first responders into a contemporized
version of mitigation strategies which meet the
national standards of emergency response such as, the
new ICS and NIMS to be completed at the academy.
Written on the site at the time of
training during practical’s.
Customer Satisfaction
Just as in the name, the Target Safety program
“targets safety” and measures learning tutorials that
result in a more positive reaction from the fire
department to the public citizens of D.C.
Quarterly assessments of up to two
modules per quarter assigned from the
D.C. Training Academy. (JAJO)

Evaluation Tools
The central focus of evaluating training is to increase the aptitude of organizational
members through curricula which feature more upgrades to emergency services such as, special
operations and homeland security.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 93
Immediately following the program implementation. The first evaluation shall occur
during the training and immediately following the training such as in, Level 1 which evaluates
the frequency in the reactions of members within the organization that receive the new training.
The second evaluation shall occur during the training and immediately following the training, to
represent the Level 2 model of learning which will evaluate the frequency of attributes to the
organizational goal. The overall purpose of Level 2 is to evaluate the training, which shall
extensively include upgraded standards of mitigation techniques.
Specifically, when evaluating the organization through team interviews and focus groups
the research shall provide after-action reports and improve first responder training towards the
new emerging threats of today. More specifically, the team interviews shall consist of a chosen
set of fire service stakeholders, the focus groups are designated by division such as, Fire, EMS,
special operations and HLS. The evaluation shall take place through surveys, observations, and
after-action reports. In order to provide identifications of tools in this study a more detailed
analysis of the evaluation tools is included in the (Appendixes A & B).
Level 1 and Level 2 Evaluation Tools
Level 1 evaluation focuses on the reactions of the participants in the training. Level 2
evaluation focuses on evaluating the learning including the confidence and procedural skills to
embrace the new implementation standards and ultimately support organizational change through
learning. Level 1 and 2 Evaluation both focuses on reaction and learning. Two evaluation tools
will be used to assess the Level 1 and Level 2: observations and a short online survey which will
be delivered through the online Target Safety program to the D.C. Fire Department. The first
evaluation tool which is observation, shall be based on feedback for (Level 1), which will be
dependent on the reaction of the members of the organization who shall report to the
stakeholders. The second observation (Level 2) shall identify the learning of the stakeholders,
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 94
who will self-evaluate the change in their own knowledge as a result of the program
implementation. Both observations shall identify gaps in training to find solutions to
organizational issues.
The second evaluation tool for Level 1 and Level 2 will be surveying. Specifically,
participants will complete an online survey delivered from the Target Safety program to support
stronger measures towards the creation of curricula that show a stronger promise of support more
effective deployment. Instructors will complete a handwritten survey immediately after the
completing of the training onsite. The overall goal is to utilize an evaluation tool immediately
following the program’s implementation. A question directed to the organization after utilizing a
Level 1 evaluation shall be: After training at the academy on ICS, Fire, EMS, and HLS do you
agree with the “reactions” of your organization, and after receiving these training updates do you
find them useful? A question directed to the organization after utilizing a Level 2 evaluation
shall be: After training at the academy on ICS, Fire, EMS, and HLS do you agree with the
“learnings” after receiving these training updates and do you find them useful?
Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation
After the objectives of implementation are met, the D.C. Fire Department shall evaluate
the training which members matriculate through and provide after-action reports to improve
service. The delay that shall be administered to the training evaluation shall not correlate with the
already suggested JAJO benchmark system, but, rather, a 90-day delay to exhibit 6-month span
of after-action reports. Evaluations shall be delayed for a period after program implementation
to collect data from online surveys and onsite training evaluations by educational stakeholders,
supervisors, and staff members at the training academy. Approximately 1900 operational
members of the fire department shall complete the curricula in accordance with the Target Safety
program of FY 2019. In this selected program, there shall be small survey evaluations at the end
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 95
of every module and practical training on incidents. The survey evaluations shall be completed
after the audio-visual or hands-on practicals conducted at the training academy or online.
Level 3 and Level 4 Evaluation Tools
Level 3 evaluation focuses on changes in behavior of the training participants and Level 4
evaluation focuses on the results of the training. Both of these evaluations will take place 6
months after the program implementation. Specifically, Level 3 evaluation focuses on the critical
behaviors whereby the training participants apply what the learned back on the job through
monitoring, encouraging, rewarding, and reinforcing. And even more specifically Level 4
evaluation shall focus on the results and the data collected from this model shall be utilized in
future training curriculums. A question directed to the organization after utilizing a Level 3
evaluation shall be: After training at the academy on ICS, Fire, EMS, and HLS, do you agree
with the “critical behaviors” the course expects you to incorporate, and after receiving these
training updates do you find them useful? A question directed to the organization after utilizing a
Level 4 evaluation shall be: After training at the academy on ICS, Fire, EMS, and HLS, do you
agree with the “results” after receiving these training updates and do you find them useful?
Data Analysis and Reporting
The Kirkpatrick (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) model is a formal design which
promotes organizational change through identification of performance goal objectives and
influences organizations through knowledge, motivation, and implementation of organizational
strategy. The process of objective identification begins with data analysis and reporting to
support implementation. This implementation evaluation begins, in order, with reactions
(Level 1) and a theoretically best set of learnings (Level 2), which identify traits in
organizational members. This cause-and-effect of reactions into learning is primarily comprised
of expected behaviors (Level 3) which motivate organizational change and results (Level 4) and
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 96
show promise of a more successful-form of implementation. According to Kirkpatrick and
Kirkpatrick (2016), “So ultimately the success of a training initiative is determined by the extent
to which it improved performance and whether the outcomes achieved were worth the
investment” (p.130). Kirkpatrick suggested evaluating these training efforts, which have been
formulated through the Kirkpatrick model, has also derived more conclusive evidence that aids
in matriculation through the training process. The focus shall be on knowledge, skills,
confidence, attitude, and the commitment that each member of the organization exhibits after the
identifications have been made of behavior through training. Subordinates are now engineered in
a more formal fashion to reach organizational goals through improved skill set of knowledge and
motivation, to support a compilation of the members and stakeholders, to all embrace
organizational change.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This study began with an analysis based on Clark and Estes’ (2008) model, which
exposed strengths and weaknesses that may impede or progress the organization. According to
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), “For mission-critical programs, it is important to explore
multiple evaluation methods and tools to create a credible chain of evidence showing that
training improved job performance and contributed measurably to organizational results”
(p.151). In this analysis, after the gaps were identified, objectives were created and performance
goals were set based on benchmarks met. The training evaluations were not only limited to
Kirkpatrick, to supplement and support implementation. In this evaluation of training what was
found as a weakness is the interpretations of what a new member to the organization may find as
imperative, which may not correlate or become consistent to a stakeholder. The overall target of
the study was to create an assessment of strengths and weaknesses early which would be
addressed through training using the curricula. These preliminary identification efforts were
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 97
created to support upgrades to new training strategies and completing the performance goals
which promise to engineer an organization's’ success.
Limitations and Delimitations
In the emergency services, the three main objectives are management of resources,
staffing, and training. The limitations that organizations have are dependent on three factors:
· The FY 2019 budget
· The expected 911-call volume of 2019
· The D.C. fire training academy incorporating contemporary curriculums to challenge today’s
emerging threats
To the emergency services, there is a term called “all-hazards,” and this term defines limitations.
The ideology is that there is a preparation that the emergency services attributes to minor and
major disasters. There are limitations to response and delimitations to recovery. The
delimitations stem from the belief that, as long as there has been training in place for the
members, the expectancy is for there to be a positive internal and external outcome to current
mitigation techniques. The delimitations are determined by
· Evaluating outcomes for every implementation measure operationalized by the fire
department.
· Analyzing budget utilization towards the call volume, and utilizing unaccounted for down-
time of firefighters in fire stations for training opportunities.
The definition of what a fire department would call a limitation is only countered by
contemporizing preparation methods and preventions to unforeseen threats. The delimitations are
reliant on a stakeholder’s aptitude to utilize federal, state, and local resources then train
subordinates for implementation of stronger strategies to fill voids within gaps found after
performing a gap analysis.
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Future Research
In this evaluation of the D.C. Fire Department, the Kirkpatrick Model indicated short-
term measurements for FY 2018, which intrigue interests for future research. The leading
indicators are used to measure accomplishments and/or undesirable outcomes by tracking the
critical behaviors which impact the desired outcomes (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). In the
future, the proposed leading indicators of external and internal outcomes could evolve to
incorporate more resources for the minor cities, which model after major cities, and their larger
capabilities of providing training to first responders for emerging threats. According to
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), “It is important to keep in mind that it is your job to first see
the truth through assessment and analysis. Then you need to speak the truth about suspected root-
causes and recommended interventions to remedy the situation” (p. 124). Kirkpatrick and
Kirkpatrick added that, with training, job aids, and organizational support, the internal outcomes
would be met. Future research could focus on the effect of expanded trainings to both larger and
smaller districts to enhance national security. This examination revealed results to the expected
behaviors of learning from the training implementations to triage training, mass casualty, and the
reactions of the entire fleet of operational members being trained for new emerging threats by
2019. In the future, the more specific external outcomes of the D.C. Fire Department could also
be explored as the internal outcomes are accomplished.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the D.C. Fire Department, and the Fire Chief must exhibit the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational change necessary to contemporize the agency through the
leadership team. This leadership team is responsible for evaluating emergency services for
interoperability and re-examining first responder training for the emerging threats of today. This
study examined the stakeholder group which is responsible for organizationally changing the
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 99
D.C. Fire Department. One example of such organizational change implemented by the
stakeholders is the implementation of a third-party ambulance company named American
Medical Response (AMR). Using a third-party ambulance service helped alleviate the rising call
volume, thus creating more time for training leadership members.
Through the AMR, there is now a more solid balance of resources that the administrative
team utilizes, with knowledge of how to request for the mitigation of more minor incidents. This
new age of the fire service requires fire service stakeholders to delegate response to minor
incidents while focusing training and upgrading deployments to more major incidents. In the
end, this research aimed to recommend stronger frameworks of strategy and focus the scope of
practice towards unforeseen, man-made, and natural homeland security incidents. Ultimately, the
emergency services can leverage this research to better utilize resources they were not familiar
with in order to mitigate these incidents. In this example during Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the
department is expected to improve emergency service through implementation of AMR, first
responder training in HLS, special operations, and activities which develop the awareness and
operations to raise survivability rates. The following is a summation of the final performance
goals that were focused within this study of the D.C. Fire Department.
1. During FY 2018, the department will improve emergency service through the fire
suppression division being trained to the new emerging homeland security threats by
2019.
2. During FY 2018, the department will improve emergency service through the goal of
having the EMS division trained to the new emerging homeland security threats by 2019.
3. During FY 2018, the department will improve emergency service through the
stakeholder goal of having the HLS division trained to the new emerging homeland
security threats by 2019.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 100
In conclusion, to improve emergency service response, vigilance begins with the
stakeholders re-evaluating training and contemporizing methods of intervention for first
responders. Once the first responders of every agency are retrained with knowledge and
motivated with vigilance to accept the organizational change coming to their jurisdictions, the
survivability rates of citizens shall increase. In the end, the domestic capabilities of America will
now be equipped with the knowledge, motivation, and organizational strategy to be prepared for
international threats as well. Ultimately, first responder agencies shall incorporate the
contemporized versions of resources, staffing, and training for more tactical preventions,
responses, and recovery.
Reflection
As I reflect on what it means to be an emergency manager, I look at the four uniforms
that I once wore. In 2002 I wore a police uniform in an academy (I was their chosen class-
leader), in 2004 I wore a uniform for the Marines in Officer Candidates School (I was their
chosen candidate-company-commander top-rank), in 2005 I wore a federal officer uniform (I
was their chosen class-president), and currently in 2018 I wear a fire service uniform for the
District of Columbia (I was their chosen class-leader). The four leadership-experiences in
uniform prepared me to earn my doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership at the
University of Southern California. All four experiences taught me, as a public service member,
that I am essential to the preparations, preventions, responses, and recovery that ultimately
increase survivability rates from every corresponding agency. This dissertation was a research
study that explored the interoperability among first responder agencies. Interoperability is the act
of exchanging information and resources between neighboring jurisdictions of first responder
agencies and deploying a tactical response to a major incident. The problem of practice is to
increase homeland security awareness, operations, and interoperability among first responder
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 101
organizations. To first responder agencies, the new focus is to deploy a unified chain of
command, which is created to support amenable solutions for major incidents. The emergency
services collaborates on the common goal to increase interoperability and to raise the
survivability rate of the victims, which we encounter in all jurisdictions nationwide.
There is always an inevitability that Murphy’s Law will occur on these incidents, and at-
times first responders will be challenged with insurmountable dangers. However, the emergency
services call for a professional vigilance in each first responder to expect the unexpected, and for
emergency managers to support the resources, staffing, and training necessary to ultimately
mitigate these incidents. This dissertation brought me through a journey to understand the rank
and file from the vision of a private, and the supervisory aspects of the chain of command where
executive management directs managerial decisions through organizations that ultimately make
judgment calls over life and death. Vigilance is an instinct that can be taught to our emergency
service members and improves the education each member has to meet the challenges of the
emerging threats to public safety. Mitigating new threats begins with incorporating contemporary
deployment strategies, that increase the interoperability of first responder tactics, and ultimately
raise homeland security awareness in all jurisdictions that operate response strategies to increase
survivability rates.

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 102

Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria for Interview and
Observation

1. Fire Chief Dean
2. Amy Mauro Chief of Staff
3. Assistant Fire Chief Baker
4. Assistant Fire Chief Douglass
5. Assistant Fire Chief Mills
6. Assistant Fire Chief Foust
7. Deputy Fire Chief Hawkins Homeland Security
8. Deputy Fire Chief Pearson Fire Suppression
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9. Deputy Fire Chief Donnelly Special operations
10. Deputy Fire Chief Sa'adah Training Division
11. Battalion Fire Chief David/Special Operations 15'/Hazardous Materials
12. Captain Nickens Fusion Center
13. Firefighter Matthews
14. SWAT member D.C. POLICE; Sgt. Timothy Miller
Criteria
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) were chosen based on knowledge and experience.
All SMEs appointed have achieved a master's degree in homeland security or emergency service
response training. Most members involved in this study have on average of 25 or more years of
experience in each appointed position. The chosen SMEs have served in a position as emergency
service stakeholder. The chosen SMEs have represented the vision that homeland security
training vitally needs to combat future man-made or natural incidents.
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Appendix B: Protocols Reflecting Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Standards

1. Administrative teams need to know how to implement the most current response standards in
emergency incidents, in this emergency service organization are the deployments contemporary?

2. What are some of the known training challenges (i.e., in the D.C. Fire Department) in the
implementation of homeland security training?

3. How do you address those challenges within the organization?

4. Regarding knowledge, what first responder training attributes do you believe are the most
important?

5. What are some key considerations when implementing the training for homeland security
standards?

6. In this emergency service organization, administrative teams need to know how to request
federal resources during major emergencies, through stakeholder interaction. How motivated is
the staff and are the requests being made efficiently?

7. How important is the administrative teams need to see the value of utility, by benchmarking
success of divisions that have completed training?

8. How would you describe the current stakeholders vision to train members on the new
interoperability security standards?

9. What are some of the most important considerations when training first responders on the new
homeland security standards?

10. How confident are you in the organization’s ability to train on first responders to the new
homeland security standards?

11. What contributes to that level of confidence?

12. What might make you even more confident?

13. How would you describe the climate and culture of this organization?

14. What are the future changes and developments to emergency management services that will
be implemented in this organization?

15.How important is it to implement contemporized strategies that support awareness,
operations, and interoperability?

16.How important are the organizational needs to implement upgrades by training firefighters to
contemporized homeland security national standards?

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 105
17. What would you regard as a major training initiative to the emergency service function of
this organization?

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Appendix C: Credibility and Trustworthiness

Two strategies will be used to support the conceptual framework design, data collection,
and qualitative data analysis. The seventh and eighth qualitative inquiry methods are respondent
validation and triangulation. The two strategies ensure that the qualitative data collection is
credible and that the research represents a trustworthy form of what the study observed when
recording excerpts from participants. In all cases, there shall be databased conclusions delivering
credible and trustworthy evidence. The rational choice behind this measure incorporates a
validation procedure that can be used when researching the emergency services. This form of
qualitative inquiry methodology can connect to all three-research questions involved in this
dissertation. Respondent validation supports the three research questions in the following areas:
(a) the new national response plan strategies of ICS and NIMS, (b) the self-efficacy questions
behind emergency service implementations, and (c) support for previously published evidence on
how to improve response to future threats.
Respondent validation assists emergency management tactics by involving the post-9/11
era responses and recovery from emerging threats that challenge national security today, in a
more credible and trustworthy sense. The respondent validation method is vital because, in the
emergency services, minor and major incidents create life and death situations, and statisticians
need credibility and trustworthy results prior to proposed implementation. The eighth qualitative
analysis method that will be utilized is the triangulation method. The triangulation method is a
mixed-method approach to allocate credible evidence from another source or third party. For
example, in the emergency services, the neutral consultation of triangulation could provide the
unseen answers that are vital to increasing the survival rates of the citizens that first responders
encounter at incidents. According to Maxwell (2013), "This system reduces the chance
associations and systematic biases due to a specific method and allows a better assessment of the
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 107
generalities of the explanations that one develops" (p. 128). Maxwell adds, that by incorporating
neutral consultation from a third-party who is outside of the stakeholder or the individual
member, an organizational system such as a first responder agency can reduce the chance
associations through triangulation. All three research questions in this study of the emergency
services explore the past, present, and future objectives of improving first responder services to
credibly deploy contemporary policies. All of the qualitative data collection methods of
intervention, rich data, numbers, comparison, intensive long-term involvement, searching for
discrepant evidence in negative cases, respondent validation, and triangulation were used in this
study to connect the three research questions to data, which will support the future innovations of
the emergency services.

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Appendix D: Ethics
The role of the investigator will include values that are imperative to data collection,
analysis, and reporting activities. For example, there are ethical questions within the fire service
such as those regarding race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status that affect members of the field
within which the study is taking place. One of the main issues is a major concern for information
sharing and the focus on the relationships within, and between the organizations as it relates to
data sharing. According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), “Inside information obtainable by using
this method must be weighed against the possible disadvantages of loss of perspective on the
group, being labeled a spy or traitor when research activities are revealed, and the questionable
ethics of deceiving the other participants” (p. 144). Merriam and Tisdell (2016) suggests that
information sharing is the act of sharing credible information or intelligence about activities that
are revealed. Although this dissertation evaluates the D.C. Fire Department and the
interoperability, and contemporizations of first responder training there is an ever-present issue
of regulating information sharing across agencies. The primary objective of this dissertation shall
focus on interoperability among multi-jurisdictional agencies that respond to major incidents.
The information sharing among agencies provides the knowledgeable intelligence to emergency
managers, the KMO from emergency service stakeholders is catalyzed with this collaborative-
knowledge. In order to optimize capabilities of interoperability first responder agencies shall
intend to study the human-aspect problem associated with working across agencies. Raising the
awareness to information sharing shall invoke the socio-economic capabilities for emergency
service organizations to operate resource, staffing, and training functions with an inter-agency
sociable focus to issues of accountability, which may influence such issues as information
sharing.
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 109
This aspect of research aids first responder organizations with credible information and
exposes the internal questionable ethics of an organization prior to an incident occurring. Ethical
awareness increased after incidents in the pre-9/11 era, versus the post-9/11 era during which
threat levels were raised, especially in HLS. The ethical issues that existed in the data collection
expose how public safety, locally and statewide, had an issue with the federal level of
information sharing of pre-knowledge of eminent dangers that surrounded the corresponding
jurisdictions. Merriam and Tisdell add, "Although policies guidelines and codes of ethics have
been developed by the federal government, institutions, and professional associations, actual
ethical practice comes down to the individual researcher's own values and ethics" (p. 261). The
ethical research questions that exist surround information sharing that could support the training
and activities prior to responding to major incidents could prevent imminent threats that cause
death or injuries.
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Appendix E: ICS

NIMS/ICS Structural Component Definition
Section Organizational level where the major
ICS activities (i.e., command,
planning, operations, logistics, and
finance/administration) are managed.
The section is located between
branches and the incident
commander. A section is managed by
a chief (e.g., operations chief,
logistics chief).
Branch Organizational level located between
sections and divisions and having
either functional or geographic
responsibility for major parts of
incident operations. Branches may be
activated to resolve supervisory span
of control issues, or they may be used
to subdivide the organization
according to disciplines (e.g., fire,
police, medical aid), major operations
(e.g., air), or governmental units (e.g.,
local, state, federal). A branch
director manages a branch.
Division An organizational level responsible
for operations within a defined area
of a certain geographic type.
Divisions are established to define
the incident and help maintain
reasonable spans of control for
supervisors. For example, the area of
a wild land fire may be divided into
two, three, or more divisional areas.
The floors of a burning high-rise
building may be designated as
divisions. Divisions are on the same
organizational level as groups (see
the next row). A division is managed
by a division supervisor.
Group An organizational level responsible
for a specified functional assignment.
Examples of groups include fire
suppression, search and rescue, and
evacuation. Groups can operate
across divisional areas and are
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 111
NIMS/ICS Structural Component Definition
considered on the same
organizational level as divisions (see
previous row). A group supervisor
manages a group.
Strike team A collection of resources of the same
size and type (e.g., five engine
companies, five police patrol units)
managed by a Strike Team Leader.
Task force A combination of single resources
assembled for a particular operational
need and managed by a task force
leader.
Single resource An individual, a piece of equipment
and its personnel complement, or a
team of individuals who report to an
identifiable supervisor.
Unit An organizational element having
functional responsibility for a specific
incident planning, logistics, or
finance activity.
Facility An officially designated area at which
a major organizational activity takes
place. The three main ICS facilities
are

Incident Command Post: The location
at which the primary command
functions take place. The incident
commander oversees all incident
operations from the incident
command post.
Base: The location at which primary
service and support functions are
coordinated and administered. The
base may be collocated with the
incident command post.
Staging Area: Location where
resources can be held while they
await tactical assignments.
Note. ICS = Incident Command System; National Incident Command System.

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Appendix F: Evaluation Tools
The evaluations of training shall also reinforce management through rewards and
encouragement from executive fire service leaders. Level 4 supports the projected results and
leading indicators based on short observations on the internal and external outcomes of
initiatives. By utilizing various evaluation tools, an organization can provide the proper training
to their members and improve their proficiency to demonstrate skill sets. The methods of
delivery involve the application of classroom, online, and practical learning tools when
responding to incidents, and the overall goal is to create a more efficient deployment strategy to
minor and major incidents. In regard to training contemporization, the primary objective of D.C.
Fire Department stakeholders is to complete the timing of benchmarks within training curricula
to the organization. Immediately following the program implementation there shall be an
evaluation to the curriculum of training administered at the training academy. The summary of
the measures to the methods provided to each individual member is that they will be in
classroom training, online training, and a target safety program which includes roughly six to
eight modules per year. The timing shall be a quarterly assessment of January, April, July, and
October (JAJO). In this evaluation, the instruments utilized will begin with a qualitative analysis
of data collected from stakeholders through interview questions, and the collection of data shall
be qualitative. However, there shall be surveys administered to the members with the same
training evaluation interview questions to provide a supplemental support of both qualitative and
quantitative data to support implementation conclusions.
In this evaluation of the D.C. Fire Department, there shall be an examination of 14
participants who represent the collaboration of emergency service stakeholders being researched
in this study. Among the 14 stakeholders, 12 constituents hold executive stakeholder positions in
D.C. Fire Department, one D.C. firefighter and one SWAT team member of the D.C. Police. As
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 113
the 14 participants matriculated through the study, 10 were sustained and remained in the data
collection contributions to this study. In this examination, to be administered, there shall be
Level 1 reactions which exhibit the use of interviewing stakeholders on training evaluations as
the primary source of data collection. In this examination, there shall also be Level 2 reactions,
and Levels 3 and 4 which explore learning and results of an integrated implementation
evaluation which includes how, “Stakeholders need to know the training and implementation of
strategies.” The knowledge, motivation, and organizational questions shall all be derived from
Appendix B, and there shall also be an additional observation made of a one-hour meeting at the
D.C. Fire Department Headquarters on a focal group of executive fire chiefs. This one-hour
observation was included in the evaluation and provided information from the training and
evaluation divisions in the fire department. This information most specifically shall come from
the assistant fire chief of support services, and the assistant fire chief of technical support. The
knowledge, motivation, and organizational leadership themes are only balanced through timely
regiments, which identify critical behaviors and ultimately support more successful reactions of
rank and file members to organizational performance goals.

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 114
Appendix G: Delayed for a Period After the Program Implementation
The operations division members who are trained and evaluated to contemporary
mitigation tactics of ICS shall always complete these evaluation surveys approximately 90-days
after at the end of every training module or training practical conducted at the fire academy. The
following survey was based on a Likert Scale which questioned the results, critical behaviors of
peers, learnings, and reactions of the operational members of the organization who matriculated
through the curriculum. This was a basic scale and survey shall be administered online following
online site immediately following training through a and yet again the survey that was
administered 90- days after training to collect data on the members’ aptitude and personal
evaluations to the new implementations.
Immediately Following Training Levels 1-2
Level 1
The class environment helped me learn.?
– Strongly disagree
– Disagree
– Neutral/Neither agree nor disagree
– Agree
– Strongly agree
Level 1
Was there anything about your experience that interfered with your learning? If so, what?
Level 2
What are the major concepts that you learned during this session?
Level 2
What is the importance of applying what you learned on the job?
EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 115
Level 2
What are the major concepts you learned during this session?
Delayed Training Evaluation Survey Instrument Levels 1-4
Level 1
The information provided in this course is applicable to my job?
Level 2
What are the major concepts that you learned during this session?
Level 3
How have you used what you found in training on the job?
Level 4
What impact is this program having on the organization as a whole?
Level 1
What information should be added to this course to make it more relevant to your work?
Level 2
What were the related questions to the HLS training?
Level 3
What else do you need to successfully perform the skills you learned in this program while on
the job?
Level 4
What impact is this program having on the organization as a whole?

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY 116
Appendix H: Integrated Evaluation & Recommendations
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Framework

The new world Kirkpatrick model supports the integrated implementation and evaluation
plan of this research study (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The Kirkpatrick model also creates
the framework and addresses the four levels of training and evaluation. There is a
recommendation of four levels of training and evaluation to be implemented in this examination
from a reverse chronological order in the new world Kirkpatrick model. The order of planning
are as follows: level 4 (Results), level 3 (Behavior), level 2 (Learning), and level 1 (Reaction).
Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick recommend, that the Level 4 measures examines the findings and
results derived from essential actions to support conclusive evidences. In the next Level 3 the
behavior is examined, and how organizational change is adopted into organizational action. In
Level 2 the learning is observed exhibiting extraneous training activities with other organizations
which is vital to organizational success. Lastly, in Level 1 the reactions are explored, when
implementing the new standards of prevention methods there is also a proactive influence from
previous initiatives to improve reaction to issues. The Kirkpatrick model shows promise to
upgrade service through organizational change. These upgrades shall start by first, identifying
gaps in by evaluating objectives, then second directing an effective implementation.

EVALUATING EMERGENCY SERVICE INTEROPERABILITY
117
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Abstract (if available)

Abstract In homeland security (HLS), the response methods of first responder organizations such as police, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), HLS, and special operations have evolved since the pre-9/11 era. In the United States, the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York cities on September 11, 2001, (often referred to as 9/11) resulted in the death of more than 3,000 people. The Bush administration responded to the attacks of 9/11 from the perspective of conventional thinking of the past, largely viewing problems as state-based and principally amenable to military solutions. It was this tragically misguided view that led us into a war in Iraq (Obama, 2007, p. 1). At the time, first responders were accustomed to responding to state-based incidents and were not prepared for major incidents on such a massive scale (Carafano, 2003

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Asset Metadata

Creator Sedegah, Martin (author)

Core Title Evaluating emergency service interoperability & first responder training for emerging homeland security threats

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 10/09/2018

Defense Date 06/21/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag homeland security (HLS),Incident Command System (ICS),National Incident Management System (NIMS),OAI-PMH Harvest

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hirabayashi, Kimberly (committee chair)

Creator Email dr.martinsedegah@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-76464

Unique identifier UC11671444

Identifier etd-SedegahMar-6803.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-76464 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-SedegahMar-6803.pdf

Dmrecord 76464

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Sedegah, Martin

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA