Jackson Hole Fire/EMS proudly announces that Battalion Chief Brian Carr has graduated from the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Carr, who joined the department in 2008 and was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2023, is now part of a select group of fire and emergency services leaders nationwide who have completed the program.

The EFO program is an intensive, three-year curriculum designed to provide senior fire officials with the advanced skills required to navigate complex public policy, strategic organizational challenges, and community resilience initiatives.

“Battalion Chief Carr’s dedication to completing this demanding program reflects his commitment to personal excellence and the safety of Jackson Hole,” said Fire Chief Mike Moyer. “The advanced leadership strategies and administrative expertise he brings back from the National Fire Academy will immensely benefit our members and the entire Jackson Hole community.”

Carr said the program broadened both his perspective and his leadership focus.

“During my time in the Executive Fire Officer program at the National Fire Academy, I interacted with other chief-level officers from around the country,” Carr said. “Perspectives shared there have increased my awareness of the breadth and importance of fire and emergency services in our communities. We tackled some persistent public safety problems.”

About the Executive Fire Officer Program

The National Fire Academy’s EFO program is a highly selective and academically demanding program spanning three years. It requires executive-level personnel to complete upper-level graduate equivalent coursework centered around four core pillars:

• Self: An immersive exploration of personal leadership philosophy, ethics, integrity, and adaptive challenges.

• Organization: Strategic analysis of internal operations, utilizing data and critical thinking to build safer, more resilient emergency service organizations.

• Community: Shifting focus outward to examine the relationship between the agency and the community it protects.

• Capstone: A hallmark of the program is the Capstone Applied Project (CAP). These comprehensive, master’s-level research papers require participants to deeply investigate real-world, strategic problems within their own local departments and apply evidence-based solutions. Chief Carr’s project was titled: Perfect is the Enemy of Good: Understanding Friction in Fire Departments.

“My research addresses the issues of administrative friction within organizations, especially fire departments,” Carr said. “Understanding and addressing what slows administrative capacity down will allow us to offset it early. This supports our personnel, our emergency operations, fire prevention and community risk reduction. The result is a more adaptable and resilient fire department.”

Significance of the EFO Designation

The EFO designation is regarded as one of the highest professional achievements for senior fire officers. It signifies that an officer is prepared to manage the administrative, financial, political and technical demands of leading a modern fire and EMS agency EFO graduates are recognized as “change agents” capable of utilizing contemporary research, data, and modern risk reduction frameworks to transform their emergency response systems. Fewer than 1% of fire service professionals nationwide have attained the designation.

“I’m excited to put this knowledge to work, collaborate with my colleagues and help further our department’s impact across Jackson and Teton County,” Carr said.