Five individuals from the wildland fire service were chosen to receive the seventh national Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award. The recipients were selected for demonstrating valued leadership traits during or in support of wildland fire operations.
The annual award was created to honor Paul Gleason, a wildland firefighter whose career spanned several decades before he succumbed to cancer in 2003. Gleason is best known for developing the LCES (Lookout, Communication, Escape Routes, Safety Zones) concept that became the foundation of wildland firefighter safety. Throughout his career, Gleason led and mentored firefighters, studied and taught wildland fire, and worked to improve firefighter safety. The awards highlight Gleason’s influence on and contribution to wildland fire management, while honoring those who demonstrate the spirit of leadership for which he was known.
The award is sponsored by the Wildland Fire Leadership Development Subcommittee under the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, an interagency, intergovernmental group that works to improve policy, standards, and safety in wildland and prescribed fire management. The Gleason Award is based on three categories: motivation and vision; mentoring and teamwork; and innovation or initiative. Individuals and groups from federal, state, local and tribal agencies are eligible for the award.
The 2009 award winners are:
Participants of sessions showcasing recently created Leadership in Cinema lesson plans and readers of the Leading and Learning newsletter have noticed the addition of "Wildland Fire Leadership Challenges." Previous blog posting have spotlighted a few of those challenges. By request, the leadership challenges have been adapted as stand alone items and are now available at the bottom of the Leadership in Cinema web page. These challenges can be group facilitated or self-taught.
