June '10 Nevada Government—City of North Las Vegas Column

Deputy Fire Chief Wins National Achievement Award

June 8, 2010 – North Las Vegas, NV – North Las Vegas Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Brame has been honored for his ground-breaking work on Public Safety Leadership and Ethics. The Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Lasting Achievement Award was created to commemorate the National Fire Academy’s long history and involvement in higher education, recognizing individuals or groups who have made contributions that forever changed the direction of fire and EMS management education.

Brame in 2005 founded the International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics Institute (IPSLEI) for producing a national cadre of fire and emergency services leaders. Through IPSLEI’s innovative humanities-based leadership courses that employ self-discovery and critical thinking methods of learning, a new generation of leaders is developing. The IPSLEI curriculum provides four classes on Personal Leadership, Leading Others, Organization Leadership and Organizational Ethics. It is one of the most challenging leadership training opportunities for public safety professionals. These leaders for all ranks are applying principled and ethical decision-making in their fire departments to the benefit of their members and the communities they serve.

Brame has completed more than 34 years in the fire service, having served most of his career with the Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County, California. He has multiple years as a Chief Fire Officer serving in field operations. He has held staff positions as Chief of Emergency Medical Services, Chief of Strategic Planning and Legislation, and Chief Training and Safety Officer. He formerly served in the Operations Section of the California Interagency Incident Command Team #8.

Brame holds an associate’s degree in mobile intensive care sciences from Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, California, a bachelor’s degree in vocational education from California State University at Long Beach, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University, Orange, California. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program. He is a master instructor for the California Fire Academy System, and an adjunct faculty member for the National Fire Academy. Brame also served more than 7 years as a member of the faculty of Chapman University, Orange, California, teaching in the Department of Sociology - Leadership and Organizational Studies Program.

A new Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) Lasting Achievement Award display will be prominently placed in the halls of the National Fire Academy, J Building. It will include recipient names, citations, years of service, and the year the award was presented.

For more information, please contact Captain Cedric Williams at 633-1111.

Fraud Alert

June 8, 2010 – North Las Vegas, NV – Unscrupulous groups and individuals are preying on Nevada residents who are desperate for solutions to their housing challenges.

These groups identify themselves as “foreclosure consultants” or “modification specialists” and market themselves as a “foreclosure rescue agency” or “loan modification company.” They count on homeowners being vulnerable and desperate. These companies claim they can assist homeowners facing foreclosure with options that allow them to keep their property, refinance or modify an existing mortgage, reduce the principal, or help to “buy more time.”

In reality, these “options” are intended to convince the homeowner to take the wrong steps so these groups or individuals can take the homeowner’s money and possibly their home.

The Nevada Foreclosure Prevention Task Force – comprised of state and local government, including the City of North Las Vegas, HUD, Fannie Mae, financial institutions, faith based community, nonprofit housing organizations, and others – has initiated a Fraud Awareness Campaign designed to provide legitimate resources to Nevadans.

Any homeowner with questions or seeking modification services is urged to call a local HUD approved housing counseling agency (800) 569-4287 or to call 229-HOME (702-229-4663) for guidance.