From a long list of applicants, the Center for Public Service Excellence (CPSE) Board of Directors has appointed Colorado Springs, CO Local 5 member Grant Tinker as the newest member of the CPSE Commission on Professional Credentialing.
Tinker joins IAFF Chief of Staff Matt Vinci on the Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC). The commission has 11 members who represent a cross-section of the fire and emergency services. It reviews fire fighter applications for a designation of fire officer, fire marshal, chief training officer, chief EMS officer or chief fire officer.
“I feel very honored to be appointed to the commission,” says Tinker. “I am looking forward to working with other commissioners to support professionalism and excellence in fire and emergency service.”
Tinker’s first exposure to CPSE came in 2013 when his department, the Colorado Springs Fire Department, became an accredited department and he learned CPSE offers accreditation to departments and credentialing/designation statuses to individuals.
He applied for the fire officer designation, which assesses junior or company officers in various areas of professional development. In 2015, he became the first in his department to receive the designation. Since then, several others in his local have received their designations for chief fire officer, fire marshal and fire officer.
Tinker went on to be redesignated as a fire officer twice and became a peer reviewer for other fire officers applying for the designation. “It has been an honor to help dozens of applicants organize their portfolios and successfully navigate the credentialing process,” he says.
The Local 5 member encourages other IAFF members to go through the credentialing process as it provides a way to access where you are in your career, identify areas that need improving and establish goals.
Credentialing can also assist those who are applying for department promotions as credentialing certifies that an individual has met certain education, training, community involvement and technical competency benchmarks.
