Case Study: Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute

Leila Liberman
DETT 621-9040
Dr. Linda Smith
October 2014

Case Study: Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Learning and Development

The successfulness of any organization can be attributed to the learning and development
(L & D) program and support orchestrated for its employees. The ultimate goal of L & D is to be
in alignment with goals/objectives and competencies associated with employee personal
advancement associated with the mission and strategic plan of the organization. The Maryland
Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) is located in College Park, Maryland and is part of the
University of Maryland educational system. Even so, the MFRI is also, perhaps primarily, a
business despite the fact that it is not treated as such by those responsible for implementing the
programs. The case study being presented here will evaluate MFRI in relation to technology used
within the institute, analytics, competencies, jobs and role and L & D overall current maturity
stage.
Description of the Organization
Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute is a state run academic organization which is
financially supported by the University of Maryland educational system (Maryland Fire and
Rescue, 2011b). This institute is a not-for-profit governmental agency of the State of Maryland
and has been in existence for over 70 years (Maryland Fire and Rescue, 2011b). The MFRI is
responsible for planning, researching, developing and delivering high quality programs to fire
fighters and emergency medical technicians (EMT) (Maryland Fire and Rescue, 2011b). The
project coordinator for MFRI, Seth Bergin (personal communication, September 23, 2014), said
that he thought Faculty and management do not look at us as a business. Outside subject matter
experts were brought to review the program and were commonly dismissed as the faculty were

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not interested in what the experts had to say. Mr. Bergin also reported that the faculty are not
skilled in technology, which he perceived as an additional problem needing to be addressed.
The MFRI organization

(MFRIa, 2011)

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Table 1

Sections of MFRI
Section

Administrative Services

Description
Responsible for a variety of activities that
provide support to the overall mission

Advanced Life Support

Delivers ALS refresher training programs

Institute Development

Providing new and revised teaching programs

to reflect the current changes within the
emergency services

Logistical Support

Responsible for the operation and

maintenance of the training centers,
equipment, vehicles, and props

Special Programs

Provides consulting and training services to

industry and government in safety, regulatory
compliance, and emergency response

Technology and Certification

Maintains the technology resources of the

Institute, oversees the day to day operation of
the Maryland Voluntary Fire Service
Certification System

(MFRIb, 2011)

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Mission
The mission of MFRI is The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) of the
University of Maryland is the state's comprehensive training and education system for
emergency services. The Institute plans, researches, develops, and delivers quality programs to
enhance the ability of emergency service providers to protect life, the environment, and property
(MFRIc, 2011).
Geographical context
Table 2
Region
5

Geographical Context
Geographic Locations
Lower Eastern Shore

Access to High
Speed Internet
NO

Wi-Fi

NO

NO

NO

NO

YES

YES

NO

Serves Wicomico, Worcester, Dorchester and

Somerset Counties
12148 John Wilson Lane
Princess Anne, MD 21853-3648
410-749-0313
410-651-3331
1-888-691-8880
FAX 410-651-3356
Coordinator Joseph Ward
Technician Bob Clum
Administrative Assistant II Holly Love

Upper Eastern Shore

Serves Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline, Talbot and
Anne Arundel Counties
601 Safety Drive Centreville, MD 21617
410-758-2112
1-888-692-0055
FAX 410-758-3573
Coordinator James Hearn
Technician Fran Jester
Administrative Assistant II Betty Jane Gannon

North Central
Serves Carroll, Frederick, Howard and
Montgomery Counties
PO Box 196 Mt. Airy, MD 21771-0196
301-829-2020
800-287-6374
FAX 301-829-2021
Coordinator Andrew I. Levy
Technician Doug Brown
Technician Judy White
Administrative Assistant II Karen C. Snyder

North East
Serves Harford, Cecil, Baltimore Counties and
Baltimore City
9250 Fairview Point Road, Edgewood, MD 21001-6032
410-676-5409
410-676-5362

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1-888-317-2218
FAX 410-676-5413
Coordinator Richard Armstrong
Technician Gary Kadolph
Technician Richard White
Administrative Assistant II Tracy L. Bennett

Western Maryland

NO

NO

NO

NO

YES

YES

Serves Allegany, Garrett and Washington Counties

PO Box 5153 Cresaptown, MD 21502-5153
301-729-0431
1-888-691-6143
FAX 301-729-6146
Coordinator S. Todd Dyche
Technician Steve Grogg
Technician Jim Schell
Technician Samuel Wilson
Administrative Assistant II Debbie Sklodowski

Southern Maryland
Serves Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's and
Prince George's County
10375 Audie Lane, La Plata, MD 20646-0813
301-934-2600
Metro 301-870-2095
1-888-691-4628
FAX 301-934-4333
Coordinator Dan Stevens
Technician Dominick Troiano
Administrative Assistant II Deborah Cornell

Headquarters
4500 Paint Branch Parkway
College Park, MD 20742 - Campus
301-226-9900
FAX 301-314-0686
Administrative Services
Directors Office
Logistical Support Section
Field Operations
Institute Development Section
Special Programs Section

Section

301-226-9900
301-226-9960
301-226-9985
301-226-9920
301-226-9930
301-226- 9940

(MFRId, 2011; S. J. Bergin, personal communication, September 23, 2014).

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Size of organization and types of employees

The MFRI is a large organization consisting of over 600 part-time employees and 50 fulltime employees (Poist, 2014). According to Mr. Bergin (personal communication, September 23,
2014), the majority of part-time employees are retired emergency personnel. These workers are
enjoying a second career as educators having spent many years in the field as fire fighters or
EMTs. These educators average over 50 years of age compared to the full time workers who are
considerably younger.
Goals and objectives
According to the MFRI website the goals and objectives of the institution are in
alignment with the goals of the U. S. Fire Administration, America Burning (MFRIe, 2011).
1. Provide classroom education and training for career and volunteer fire and
rescue personnel, both at the Institute and throughout this State;
2. Cooperate with other agencies that provide training for fire and rescue personnel;
3. Train instructors;
4. Prepare or adopt materials for training fire and rescue personnel;
5. Develop new fire and rescue training techniques;
6. Develop and implement specialized courses in firefighting, including industrial
firefighting;
7. Maintain statistics and records on fire and rescue education, training, and related
matters;

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8. Develop programs to inform the public about the tasks performed by fire and
rescue personnel;
9. Establish guidelines for instructional material to school systems in the State
concerning fire and rescue education;
10. Provide disaster training for fire and rescue personnel;
11. Cooperate with the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems
to provide basic training for rescue personnel and emergency medical
technicians

(The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, 1987)

More recently, internally at the headquarters level, documents with specific goals and
objectives have been developed and distributed by Steven T. Edwards, Director. The goals and
objective have been divided into six different groups associated with the six sections delineated
in Table 1. The newer documents are designed to better meet the mission of the organization.
Both of the documents, provided by S. T. Edwards (personal communication, September 2014),
can be viewed by clicking on the links below:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2btglc9ihi2o3fi/Goals%20and%20objectives2013.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1zpw7v0a6ibrn1v/Goals%20and%20objectives2014.pdf?dl=0

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Case Study Data

Tools and technology used
R. G. Hassan, manager of the Technology and Certification Section, (personal
communication September 23, 2014) states that MFRI has computer delivery of information, yet
the technology is not understood by all the faculty, mainly the part-time faculty. A. Alvarez,
Instructional Designer of the Institute Development Section, (Alvarez, 2014) reports that the
technology used in MFRI is very basic and that the online component of the courses is delivered
via the Canvas Learning Management System. S. J. Bergin (personal communication September
23, 2014) states that technology is the Achilles heel of the organization, mainly because the
part-time faculty have not grown up in the informational digital era.
Analytics
R. G. Hassan (personal communication September 25, 2014) states that MFRI has no
analytics or measurement other than having faculty attend courses. These courses are
Professional Development for Instructors (PDI). Each faculty must earn 12 hours of PDI credits
every three years to maintain their current teaching status. All course costs are covered under the
Universitys tuition remission program, for full-time faculty only. R. G. Hassan (personal
communication September 25, 2014) concludes with, Being state funded, the existence or lack
of L & D has no bearing on the financial goals of the organization.
Competencies
R. G. Hassan (personal communication September 25, 2014) advises, The organization
is heavily focused on a competency based approach when hiring employees. As we are a
teaching institution we only hire people who are well versed and experienced in their field. There
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are some required instructor courses that must be taken within a period of time after a hire, if not
previously taken, to maintain employment. R. G. Hassan (personal communication September
25, 2014) also advises, At this point, the employees competency is more important in the
organization capability. The Institute has been in existence more than over 70 years and, for the
most part, has an appropriate, though dated, infrastructure to provide a good learning
environment. There is heavy focus on instructors competency at hire to ensure we provide the
best hands-on learning to the students. As mentioned before, once hired, there is little need or
focus on further development of any skills including technological skills other than the required
continuing education hours.
Job and roles
A. Alvarez (personal communication September 25, 2014) reports, L&D role is almost
nonexistent. There will be a need to involve people at all levels at the Institute. A number of
current employees have been doing things the same way for a long time. Some may feel that
L&D is unnecessary as they are experts in their field. Some newer instructors may welcome
L&D and see it as an opportunity to improve and expand their skills.
A. Alvarez (personal communication September 25, 2014) reports specifically to the
following management roles;

The Director and Associate Directors-will have to formulate a plan of attack and
assign roles to the different section managers.

Section Managers-will be responsible for ensuring all subordinates are aware of

the new L&D policy, including informing subordinates of all course
opportunities.

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Institute Development Section Director-with the assistance of subject matter

experts will create or acquire the different programs and schedule all programs
with the assistance of the field programs and special programs offices.

Future planning
According to Alvarez (2014), L&D will be something completely new for the
organization and the purpose is to try new methods of design and delivery so the organization
can start applying new technologies and methods to the courses offered to Marylands first
responders. The main factor driving the change is the Directors Ten Year Plan. He is looking
into the future and what we need to do to be ready to stay relevant with the students of the future.
One of the main changes in the culture of the organization will be changing the attitude of its
members by taking the minimum number of required course hours to maintain licensure versus
attending the L&D opportunities for personal growth and development. Once the employee sees
the benefit not only to the students but to the instructors own career, people will want to attend
instead of dreading a Saturday of lectures (S. J. Bergin, personal communication September 23,
2014).
Analysis of Learning and Developing Maturity
Stages of learning and developing maturity of the organization
The current director of MFRI, S. T. Edwards (personal communication, September 11,
2014), generated The Planning Chart for MFRI 2025 which can be viewed at the following

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link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vo5bmozwx8va1s/planning%20chart%20MFRI.pdf?dl=0
According to the Planning Chart for MFRI 2025, there are six main areas to be addressed in the
future plan for MFRI: Preliminary Tasks; Internal Audit; Questionnaire; Focus Group Meetings;
Retreat; and Post Retreat Activities.
Preliminary tasks.
It is apparent that the Goals and Objectives documents need to be circulated to the key
contact person of each of the six sections outlined in Table 1. When viewing the Planning Chart
for MFRI 2025, the director is the kick starter of the plan. He will then need to keep close watch
on the six key contact people to assure their understanding of each of the objectives listed.
Internal audit.
S. J. Bergin (personal communication, September 23, 2014) speaks to the need for human
capital resources, stating that MFRI serves just under 36,000 students annually, and the
Information Technologies (IT) staff consists of only two full-time employees. These IT
specialists are there to address all hard and software issues for faculty and students. Bergin spoke
to the importance of having the full-time faculty enter the field for which they are developing
courses. By sending them to the field they will see how their educational materials and course
designs impact the teaching faculty and students directly. We lack the digital technology to
really move forward and so are stuck in the year 2000 reports S. J. Bergin (personal
communication, September 23, 2014). Having the organization, MFRI, agree to being open to
the advice from the outside experts, an audit will measure the effectiveness of each sections
functions and then provide an unbiased review (Lykins, 2012).

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Questionnaire.
S. J. Bergin (personal communication, September 23, 2014) reports that when
questionnaires have been sent in the past, there was a wide range of responses and that the
questionnaire in general was of poor design. Marzouq, Carr and Slade (2012) state that goals are
measured by a psychometrical validated self-report questionnaire and that these questionnaires
validity depends on the meaning of each item asked. Bergin states that feedback from part-time
faculty are biased as the older faculty do not see the need for change. Bergin would like future
questionnaires to ask tougher questions, formulated to get more honest answers by stressing
responses will have no negative impact on responders. These part-time faculty need to be fully
aware of the positive impact their responses will have on MFRI. Marzouq et al. (2012) also state
that questionnaire statements should be designed to be short and simple yet concise and not
containing hard to understand technical statements.
Focus group meetings.
Focus groups will be designed to give feedback on the effectiveness of each of the six
sections in meeting the goals and objectives of the 2025 plan. Identifying specific people to be
leaders must be accomplished by the key contact person of each section as well as assigning
active participants for each group. S. J. Bergin (personal communication, September 23, 2014)
believes that subject group experts should be assigned to attend these meetings. An effective way
to run meetings/focus groups would be to select leaders who are interested in the learning
process and these people do not have to be the most experienced in the organization (Ryan,
2011). Harris and Wentworth (2013), in their study, found that organizations where focus groups
or communities of learners worked toward the same outcomes, had learning outcomes that better
served the organizations business strategy. By involving a variety of participants in the focus
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groups, the organization will be successful at reaching their professional development/learning

outcomes and work to meet the same business strategy for improvement and success.
Retreat.
S. J. Bergin (personal communication, September 23, 2014) reports that in the past all
subject matter experts reports have been dismissed and the organization has been jumping
through matters. The retreat is where essential matters need to be discussed so that items of
importance are not overlooked and their reports must be a guide for the betterment of the
organization. During the retreat, it is essential that the organization links the business strategy
throughout the organization by involving people at every level, from the CEO on down (HR
Today, 2013).
Post-retreat activities.
When viewing the post-retreat activities, strategic issues will be the focus. The director
will be the lead here with the six key contacts from the six sections. Priorities must be set, and
with a time line that is realistic. It is important to remember that aligning the learning goals and
objectives with MFRIs business strategy will connect what one is going to learn with how it is
going to contribute to the organizations overall success (Lykins, 2012). The director of MFRI,
who is ultimately responsible for designing the learning goals and training sessions for the
organization, must have a comprehensive understanding of the business and its strategy (Lykins,
2012).
ATD Competency Model applied to MFRI
When assessing MFRI on the ATD Competency Model, there is much work that is
needed for them to become integrated and more productive in the 21st century. The Training and
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Development areas of expertise needing more work and development are Instructional Design,
Training Delivery, and Learning Technologies. Their ratings can be found in the tables below.
Instructional designers within the MFRI work closely together; however, they need to have the
part-time faculty bettering themselves by advancing their self-knowledge in technology and
becoming more proficient in delivering various learning methodologies. Since the MFRI
teaching/technology staff does not see the Institute as a business, the primary Foundational
Competency which needs to be addressed to gain more success is Business Skills. If the current
management and key contact people of each section do not begin to see MFRI as a business and
address the 2025 plan openly, the Institute will suffer and lag behind and not meet the goals set
by the current director. By the MFRI relating their current practices to the ATD Competency
Model they will see which areas need the greatest improvement. The four areas listed above
should be targeted immediately, making them a stronger and more marketable program to first
responders, thus improving their business model.

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Training and development areas of expertise

Table 3 Instructional Design
Design and develop informal and formal learning solutions using a variety of methods (ATD,
2014).
No
competency

Entry level

Intermediate
level

Expert level

Conduct a
needs
assessment

Identify
appropriate
learning
approach

Apply
learning
theory

Collaborate
with others

Design a
curriculum,
program, or
learning
solution

Design
instructional
material

Analyze and
select
technologies

Integrate
technology
options

Develop
instructional
materials

Evaluate
learning
design

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Table 4 Training Delivery

Deliver informal and formal learning solutions in a manner that is both engaging and effective
(ATD, 2014).
No competency

Entry level

Intermediate level

Expert level

Manage the learning

environment

Prepare for training delivery

Convey objects

Align learning solutions

with course objectives and
learner needs

Establish credibility as an
instructor

Create a positive learning

climate

Deliver various learning

methodologies

Facilitate learning

Encourage participation and

build learner motivation

Deliver constructive
feedback

Ensure learning outcomes

Evaluate solutions

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Table 5 Learning Technologies

Apply a variety of learning technologies to address certain learning needs (ATD, 2014).
No competency

Entry level

Intermediate
level

Expert level

Use technology
effectively
across the
different areas
of expertise

Identify when
and how to use
technology as a
training and
development
solution

Foundational competencies
Table 6 Business Skills
No competency

Entry level

Intermediate
level

Expert level

Analyze needs
and propose
solutions

Apply business
skills

Drive results

Plan and
implement
assignments

Think
strategically

Innovate

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After a close review of the data presented for this case study, it is apparent that MFRI is
in its infancy of L & D, placing them in Stage 1 of the L & D chart provided by Smith, 2013. At
this stage, one can easily ascertain that the faculty/staff of MFRI are, in fact, engaged in L & D,
but it is very sporadic (Smith, 2013). One reason this is considered sporadic training is because
each person who is required to earn 12 hours of continuing education credit every three years, is
not guided on which courses will advance them individually, but also benefit to the organization.
In Stage 1 of L & D Maturity, the business structure is divided into departments (Smith, 2013).
The director of MFRI has organized the institute into six sections fitting them perfectly into
Stage 1. The Institute, using the key contact people in each section, will be gathering data to
determine what is needed for improvement which also supports their presence in Stage 1 of L &
D (Smith, 2013). The MFRI uses a learning management system; however, not to its full
potential also placing them at Stage 1 of L & D. Given the examples above, it is firmly
concluded that MFRI is considered Stage 1 of L & D and needs to take significant steps to
improve their L & D programs.
Conclusion
The MFRI case study examined the fact that the faculty do not see the organization as a
business, were dismissive to subject matter experts and have faculty who are lacking knowledge
and are not open to addressing technology. Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute is in the infancy
of addressing technology with its non-digital era faculty. It is moving forward in time by opening
the organization to a new plan of improvement and reassessing their goals and objectives which
have been established for 2013 and 2014 to meet their 2025 Plan. MFRI sees the need for change
and is addressing it in all six sections of the organization, involving all levels of management.
The Planning Chart for 2025, developed by S. T. Edwards (personal communication,
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September 11, 2014), is an excellent guide to ensure the University of Maryland MFRI are at the
front line in training all first responders in Maryland with up to date technology and
opportunities.

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References
Alvarez, A. (2014, September 25). RE: Case Study Data [Online conference post].
Submitted to: University of Maryland University College, Online Learning and
Development in the Workplace, Fall, 2014.
Association for Talent Development. (2014). The ATD competency model. Retrieved from
(http://www.astd.org/Certification/Competency-Model).
Harris, S., & Wentworth, D. (November 2013). Driving performance through learning: Adapting
your learning model to more effectively engage, build and expand talent. Retrieved from
http://mkto.saba.com/rs/saba1/images/BHG%20SABA%20Driving_Peformance%20Thro
ugh%20Learning%20Mars%202014.pdf
HR Today. (2013). Aligning learning initiatives with organizational business strategy. [Podcast.]
Retrieved from http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/corporate-learningalignment/podcasts/aligning-learning-initiatives-with-organizational/
Lykins, L. (2012, September). Are your learning activities aligned with the business?? Chief
Learning Officer: pp.18-21. Retrieved from http://www.cedmaeurope.org/newsletter%20articles/Clomedia/Are%20Your%20Learning%20Activities%2
0Aligned%20with%20the%20Business%20%28Sep%2012%29.pdf
MFRI (2011a). Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute organizational chart. Retrieved September
25 and 26, 2014, from http://www.mfri.org/about/org_chart_mfri.html
MFRI (2011b). About MFRI. Retrieved September 25 and 26, 2014, from
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http://www.mfri.org/about/about_mfri.html
MFRI (2011c). MFRI mission statement. Retrieved September 25, 2014, from
http://www.mfri.org/about/mfri_mission.html
MFRI (2011d). Regions. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from
http://www.mfri.org/Regions/regionalinfo.html
MFRI (2011e). Legal authority. October 5, 2014, from
http://www.mfri.org/about/legalauthority_mfri.html.
Marzouq, S., Carr, A., & Slade, L. (2012). A 'personal opposites' approach to understanding
achievement goal questionnaires. Psychology Of Education Review, 36(2), 17-25.
Poist, L. (2014, September 19 and October 1). RE: Description of Organization [Online
conference post]. Submitted to: University of Maryland University College, Online
Learning and Development in the Workplace, Fall, 2014.
The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control. (1987). American Burning. Retrieved
from https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/fa-264.pdf
Ryan, V. (2011, March). Recession resilience. Chief Learning Officer, 10(3): 50-53.
Smith, L. (2013). Case study: Stages of learning and development capability/maturity [Online
conference post]. Submitted to: University of Maryland University College, Online
Learning and Development in the Workplace, Fall, 2014.

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