Supervisory & Leadership Academy (MU-SUP-301)

1. 1. MU-SUP-301-L1 Supervisor Iabout 3 weeks · 16.5 h cumulative
2. 2. MU-SUP-301-L2 Supervisor IIabout 3 weeks · 31.0 h cumulative
3. 3. MU-SUP-301-L3 Senior Supervisorabout 3 weeks · 46.0 h cumulative
4. 4. MU-SUP-301-L4 Watch Commanderabout 3 weeks · 60.5 h cumulative
5. 5. MU-MGT-101 Public Safety Management Foundationsabout 3 weeks · 75.0 h cumulative
6. 6. MU-ELI-101 Executive Leadership in Public Safetyabout 3 weeks · 90.0 h cumulative
7. 7. Capstone: Leadership capstone project approved by program director

Estimated pace at about 6 study hours per week. Instructor-led cohorts set their own dates.

Upcoming cohorts

No cohorts are scheduled yet. Contact training@matcomops.org to ask about the next start date.

• Step 1 · MU-SUP-301-L1Supervisor I

  16.5 h · 5 modules

  The Supervisory and Leadership Academy prepares newly appointed and aspiring supervisors in public safety, emergency communications, emergency management, security, and related operations to move from skilled individual contributor to effective leader. Across five modules, participants examine the supervisor's role and authority, communicate and influence across ranks, coach and document performance, build fair and psychologically safe teams, and make and delegate decisions under pressure. Instruction relies on scenario analysis, structured conversation planning, and reflective practice rather than memorization. Participants practice behavior-based feedback, factual documentation, and escalation judgment, and they apply recognized frameworks such as FEMA's leadership and decision-making guidance and NIMS management principles. The course stresses that local agency policy, labor agreements, and legal counsel govern personnel actions, and it teaches participants to recognize when to involve those resources. Graduates leave with practical job aids and a personal development plan they can use immediately.

  Matcom University leadership training is professional development. Completion does not constitute a specific law enforcement, fire, or EMS supervisory certification unless separately approved by the applicable authority.

• Step 2 · MU-SUP-301-L2Supervisor II

  14.5 h · 4 modules · after MU-SUP-301-L1

  Supervisor II builds on first-line supervisory fundamentals and prepares new and developing supervisors to handle the people-management decisions that carry the greatest risk to employees, the agency, and the public. Learners work through four practical areas: fair and consistent discipline, workplace investigations, staffing and coverage, and report review. Each module pairs concepts with realistic public safety scenarios, such as an attendance pattern in a communications center, a complaint about disrespectful conduct on shift, a minimum-staffing shortfall, and an incident report that contains conclusions without facts. Learners practice writing clear documentation, planning and documenting investigative steps, building defensible schedules that account for fatigue and overtime rules, and giving constructive feedback on subordinate work. Throughout the course, learners are reminded that local policy, collective bargaining agreements, employment law, and agency counsel or human resources govern actual decisions; the course teaches supervisors to recognize when to escalate rather than to act alone. This is Level 2 of 6 in the Leadership Academy sequence.

  Matcom University leadership training is professional development. Completion does not constitute a specific law enforcement, fire, or EMS supervisory certification unless separately approved by the applicable authority.

• Step 3 · MU-SUP-301-L3Senior Supervisor

  15 h · 4 modules · after MU-SUP-301-L2

  Senior Supervisor is a Level 3 course in the Matcom Leadership Academy for supervisors who carry responsibility beyond a single shift or team. It builds the judgment needed to manage operational risk, lead during critical incidents, and uphold professional standards when decisions carry legal, ethical, and public consequences. Participants learn to build and maintain a risk register, apply just culture principles to errors and near misses, use NIMS and Incident Command System concepts to organize supervisory action, document decisions under pressure, and plan for personnel recovery and after-action improvement. The final module addresses ethics, fair process, and documentation in performance and conduct matters. Course work is scenario-based and centers on two applied deliverables: an operational risk register with a mitigation brief, and a critical incident case analysis with an improvement plan. Content is general in nature. Local agency policy, labor agreements, and applicable law govern all specific practices.

  Matcom University leadership training is professional development. Completion does not constitute a specific law enforcement, fire, or EMS supervisory certification unless separately approved by the applicable authority.

• Step 4 · MU-SUP-301-L4Watch Commander

  14.5 h · 4 modules · after MU-SUP-301-L3

  Watch Commander prepares supervisors and emerging command officers to lead a shift as the senior on-duty authority in a public safety or emergency communications setting. Learners examine the role's authority and accountability, build disciplined briefing and handoff practices, and manage staffing, fatigue, and risk across a shift. The course applies National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) principles to early incident decisions. It then shows how agency operations connect to emergency operations centers, mutual aid, and whole community planning. A final module addresses community relations: coordinating public information, responding to complaints and concerns, and building trust through engagement. Learners practice through scenario-based analysis, a shift command packet, and an escalation and communication plan. Content is general and doctrine-based. Local policy, labor agreements, legal counsel, and agency directives govern specific authorities and procedures.

  Matcom University leadership training is professional development. Completion does not constitute a specific law enforcement, fire, or EMS supervisory certification unless separately approved by the applicable authority.

• Step 5 · MU-MGT-101Public Safety Management Foundations

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  Public Safety Management Foundations introduces new and aspiring supervisors in law enforcement, fire, emergency communications, emergency management, EMS, and security settings to the core work of leading people and managing operations. The course follows the transition from skilled practitioner to accountable supervisor, beginning with role clarity, self-awareness, and personal development. It then moves to setting expectations, giving feedback, building team trust, and addressing conflict. Learners apply National Incident Management System management principles such as chain of command, span of control, and accountability to everyday organizational problems, and practice building a simple work plan with measurable goals, resources, and risks. The final module addresses clear briefings, ethical decision-making, and leading change. Two applied assignments produce a personal development plan and an operational work plan with a decision briefing. Content is general; local agency policy, labor agreements, and applicable law govern actual personnel and operational decisions.

• Step 6 · MU-ELI-101Executive Leadership in Public Safety

  15 h · 4 modules

  Executive Leadership in Public Safety prepares senior and emerging executives in law enforcement, fire, emergency communications, emergency medical services, emergency management, and security organizations to lead people, decisions, and change at the strategic level. Participants begin with self-awareness and organizational culture, then examine ethics, accountability, and public trust. The course applies adaptive leadership concepts to ambiguous problems that technical expertise alone cannot solve, and introduces high-reliability principles for decision-making under pressure. Learners study the executive role within the National Incident Management System, including policy-level authority, multiagency coordination, and crisis communication with elected officials, employees, and the public. The final module addresses leading change, measuring performance, and converting after-action findings into sustained improvement. Through case analysis, structured worksheets, and two applied assignments, participants produce practical leadership tools they can adapt to local law, policy, and governance structures.

Optional electives

• MU-911-SUP-4019-1-1 Supervisor Program

  14.5 h · 4 modules · after MU-PSD-201

  The 9-1-1 Supervisor Program prepares experienced telecommunicators and newly appointed leads to move from individual call-taking excellence to team-level leadership in the emergency communications center. Participants examine the shift in role, authority, and accountability; practice floor management during routine and surge conditions; apply quality assurance data to coaching and documentation; and build habits that protect staff wellness and keep operations running during outages. Course content aligns with publicly available doctrine such as NIMS and consensus standards from NENA, APCO, and NFPA, while repeatedly directing learners to their own agency policies, labor agreements, human resources guidance, and legal counsel where those govern. Learners complete two applied assignments that produce a shift operations plan and a coaching and documentation portfolio they can adapt for their own centers. No medical content is taught; the focus is leadership, operations, and people management.

  Matcom University provides education, training, professional development, and examination preparation. Completion does not by itself constitute APCO, NENA, state, or governmental certification or licensure.

• MU-ECC-207Quality Assurance for Communications Centers

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  Quality assurance is how a communications center learns whether it is delivering the service the public expects and how it gets better. This course guides supervisors and QA staff through building a quality assurance and improvement program from the ground up. Participants learn to choose which calls to review, design scoring forms with observable criteria, and run calibration sessions so reviewers score consistently. The course then moves to feedback and coaching conversations that change behavior, trend analysis and reporting that give leaders usable information, and methods for turning QA findings into targeted training. Throughout, the course emphasizes a just culture, in which errors are examined as system and human-performance issues, and discipline is reserved for choices that warrant it. Learners complete two practical deliverables: a program blueprint and a trend report with a coaching and training plan. Local policy, labor agreements, and records laws govern implementation.

• MU-MGT-201Public Information Officer Fundamentals

  14.5 h · 4 modules

  Public Information Officer Fundamentals introduces the knowledge and judgment needed to communicate on behalf of a public safety or emergency management organization during routine operations and incidents. Learners examine the PIO's place within the Incident Command System and the Joint Information System, then build practical communication products: news releases, holding statements, interview talking points, social media posts, and briefing notes. The course applies crisis and emergency risk communication principles to real-world constraints such as incomplete information, rumors, time pressure, and diverse audiences, including people with disabilities and limited English proficiency. Learners study how joint information centers coordinate messages among agencies, how to secure command approval, and how public records and privacy obligations shape what can be released. Assignments emphasize accuracy, plain language, and documented coordination. Local law, agency policy, and legal counsel govern release decisions, and the course teaches learners to recognize when to escalate a question.

• MU-MGT-202Public Safety Budgeting, Grants and Staffing

  15 h · 4 modules

  Public safety leaders are expected to defend resources with the same discipline they bring to operations. This course teaches managers and executives how to build and justify operating and capital budgets, calculate the true cost of services, find and win grants, and keep awards compliant. Participants learn to conduct workload-based staffing studies, set defensible minimum staffing levels, control overtime within wage-and-hour rules and labor agreements, and compare scheduling models on coverage, cost, and fatigue. The final module focuses on presenting budget requests to city councils, county commissions, and other elected bodies, including how to structure a briefing, answer hard questions, and respond when funding is cut. Practice with worksheets and realistic data sets produces two deliverables: a staffing and overtime analysis and a complete budget request package. Local statutes, labor agreements, and agency policy govern all practices discussed.

Capstone: Leadership capstone project approved by program director

To graduate you must pass every required course (orientation, lessons, knowledge checks, assignments, practical sign-offs, practice exam, and a final exam at 80% or higher), meet the elective rule, and complete the capstone.