Fire Chief Mindy Andrasevits will get to learn among other top fire and EMS officials from around the nation after being selected for a prestigious program.
The Executive Fire Officer Program through the National Fire Academy is funded through FEMA. The two-year fellowship-type program allows students to earn leadership knowledge to help keep communities safe and resilient.
Over the two-year period, Andrasevits will periodically travel to Maryland to learn more about leadership and work on a capstone project directly related to the Eudora community.
Andrasevits came to Eudora in 2021 to take over as the city’s first female fire chief after spending time as a fire investigator in St. Joseph, Missouri.
She isn’t sure yet what her project will be, but it could be about department growth, risk reduction or a community needs assessment. It could also address staffing needs and possibilities at the station, she said.
“I’m excited about the research and the work I’ll do on that,” Andrasevits said. “I want it to be something that will be useful for this department, and maybe something that will help other departments that are similar.”
This is one of the most prestigious and notable honors a fire chief can receive, she said. Andrasevits has done many other classes through the National Fire Academy, but wasn’t expecting to get into this program.
The letters “EFO” or executive fire officer will follow her name after she completes the program, a symbol recognizable to others in the service of the program’s prestige. It’s like a master’s program for fire chiefs, she said. About 500 people applied for this round, and she estimated there will be about a dozen in her cohort.
Everything she learns there will be brought directly back to Eudora.
“I really hope to come away with something really cool to implement in the community that will help us move forward, keep the community safe, however that ends up,” she said.
One of the most exciting parts is the networking opportunities it will provide, she said. She’ll have many chiefs to ask questions to, especially those with similar station set-ups. At the finish of the program, she’ll walk away with many new friends with similar challenges.
“That’s what National Fire Academy is known for, are the lifelong connections that you make in all of these classes because it’s intense. Whether you’re there for a six-day class or a 10-day class, it’s super intensive,” she said.
The application process was extensive, she said. She had to submit information about the station’s organization and a long essay. Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel wrote a letter of support for Andrasevits to include in the application.
Daniel said the city will benefit from her time in the program and the city is proud of her for being accepted.
Andrasevits already takes a community approach to the fire service so the program will help further that goal, he said.
“An executive fire officer program to help further develop and fine tune those skills that you’ve already really got a good mindset just made a lot of sense,” Daniel said.
The more leaders in departments with that kind of skillset the better, he said.
“Having a fire chief with those kinds of credentials in a community like Eudora – we’ve been talking a lot about the potential for growth, not just the growth of the fire department and the growth of the city overall,” Daniel said.
Assistant Fire Chief Chris Hull said Andrasevits deserves the recognition and it’s a culmination of years of work to this point in her career.
The program serves as recognition for the work the department does in Eudora and shows the honor to not only the station but the city, Hull said.
“She’s always working on projects to serve the community better and her ability to build relationships, and work through complicated projects has been really evident in what she’s done, and in just the few years she’s been in Eudora,” Hull said.
He hopes the program also increases the public’s awareness of how much work goes into running the department, especially with so many volunteer firefighters, he said.
“Mindy is by far one of the most genuine and caring people that I’ve ever had the pleasure to work for, and I think that she’s on a trajectory that’s going to do really well for her and for this department,” Hull said.
The program will start this summer with a two-week trip to the National Fire Academy headquarters in Maryland.
She’s also working on creating a Kansas women of fire symposium or conference similar to one she’s attended in Missouri, with the help of Kansas State Fire Marshal Mark Engholm.
Andrasevits said even when she finishes this program, that doesn’t mean she’s done learning. She will continue to look for new ways to innovate and learn about her role forever, she said.
“It just means that you’ve kind of reached the top in the field as far as training and education,” Andrasevits said. “It doesn’t mean that I’ll stop because I love this sort of thing, so maybe I’ll apply for a second one.”
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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