Overarching Institute Goals and Strategies

The strategic goal of VISION 2010 and of the Institute is to help every Illinois firefighter do their work through training, education, information and research in fulfillment of the Illinois Fire Service Institute Act. The Institute will continue to take a leadership role in Illinois homeland security and seek to develop new partnerships to enhance the security and safety of Illinois citizens.

Enhance Campus Activities - IFSI continues to develop new hands-on training simulators, information and on-line systems, and technology for classrooom and curriculum development.

Research - 9/11/2001 and implementation of the 2002 Homeland Security Act, are creating extraordinary opportunities for and interest in applied research on homeland security-related issues, particularly in support of first responders.

College Degree - Many IFSI courses are approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) for college credit.

Regional Partnerships - With the formal designation of 19 Homeland Security regions, IFSI increased its efforts to develop regional training relationships in each of the regions for both fire service and homeland security training.

Distance Connectivity - Substantial investment in web-based activities and the IFSI Library have made it possible to reach firefighters where they live and work.

Volunteer and Career Firefighter - Illinois' 42,000 firefighters and more than 1,200 fire departments will remain IFSI's primary focus.

Industry - This program area remains limited in scope. Demands to meet the exponential growth of homeland security have limited resources for industry. Focus will be on serving clients with high-quality programs.

Homeland Security - The new national focus on homeland security post-9/11/01, implementationnew federal guidelines, and State homeland security planning are now and will continue to place new demands on IFSI for training programs, facilities, leadership, and interagency partnerships.