This is the South Carolina Fire Academy’s premier course for executive chief officers designed to qualify the student to the NFPA 1021 Fire Officer IV level. This nine-day course is offered only on the Columbia campus and is designed for chief officers who preform, or will soon perform, significant executive administrative and leadership functions. Students must complete a pre-course assignment and will be heavily involved in group projects including appraisal of workforce demographics and member-assistance programs, evaluation of member incentive programs and education and training programs, forecasting training requirements and facilities’ needs, and learning to provide leadership in community functions. Work groups will develop member/management programs, comprehensive long-range plans, capital improvement projects, succession plans, disaster plans, interagency plans for operations at hostile events, and media relations programs. Completing a community all-hazards risk and value analysis and providing leadership for a risk management program round out the activities. At the conclusion of the course, students will present a comprehensive final project to actual government, community and business leaders who are role-playing members of a county council. There are no tests, but there is a substantial amount of reading, research, and planning outside of class. The student’s success is determined by satisfactory completion of 21 activities with associated presentations and the final project, all of which require extensive work in groups. Students who pass the course receive an accredited certificate from IFSAC and an application for a ProBoard accredited certificate for NFPA 1021 Fire Officer IV.