Eight senior fire officials have been awarded fellowships to attend Harvard University's annual Senior Executives in State & Local Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The 19-day program, which includes other state and local government leaders from across the country, focuses on exploring the interrelationships between citizens and government, analyzing policy options, and examining the ethical and professional responsibilities of leadership.

Tuition costs are being provided by the IAFC, the International Fire Service Training Association, the NFPA, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Each organization funds two fellows.

The competitive selection process was administered by FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Academy.

The 2003 fellowship awardees are:

• Assistant Chief Roxanne V. Bercik, Los Angeles City Fire Department;
• Chief Robert W. Farstad, Schenectady (N.Y.) Fire Department;
• Chief Al Gillespie, Augusta (Ga.) Fire/Rescue;
• Chief Jack McArthur, Snohomish County (Wash.) Fire District No. 1;
• Deputy Chief Greg H. Neely, Broken Arrow (Okla.) Fire Department;
• Chief Robert Ojeda, San Antonio Fire Department;
• Chief Bob Roper, Ventura County (Calif.) Fire Department; and
• Chief Adolf Zubia, Las Cruces (N.M.) Fire & Emergency Services.