International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) News

NFPA recruits Fire Service Technical Panel to support Electric Vehicle Safety Training Program NFPA announced that panel will support development of new program for emergency responders. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently announced the creation of a Fire Service Technical Panel recruited to assist with the organization’s development of a safety training program to help emergency responders prepare for the growing number of electric vehicles on the...

The Executive program will be held at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Senior fire executives who are selected will be awarded fellowships to attend Harvard's annual program for senior executives in state and local government. Application procedures have been announced for the 2011 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program. The program is once again sponsored through a partnership between the IAFC, Fire Protection Publications/International Fire Service Training Associa...

Fire Service-Based EMS Electronic Tool Kit: Resources for Leaders New Fire Service-Based tool kit is provided as a cooperative effort between the IAFC, the IAFF and the Metropolitan Fire Chief’s Association. A new resource for fire and emergency service leaders looking to strengthen or protect their department’s position as a fire service-based EMS provider is now available. Fire Service-Based EMS Electronic Tool Kit: Resources for Leaders is a brief, web-bas...

Gregory B. Cade would catapult NFPA to new heights and zenith of success Gregory B. Cade began his career as a firefighter in Prince George's County Fire Department. James M. Shannon, president of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), announced the appointment of Gregory B. Cade as Division Director of Government Affairs. He will oversee NFPA's Washington office. "Greg brings more than 40 years experience from a line firefighter to United States Fire Administrator...

Pierce Velocity pumper equipped with 2010 EPA was displayed at FRI 2010 in Chicago Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, displayed 10 fire and rescue vehicles at booth #4336 at the 2010 International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Fire-Rescue International Exhibits and Conference in Chicago, Ill., August 27-28. “On behalf of all Pierce employees and our dealer network, we are excited to, once again, have a major presence at Fire Rescue Internatio...

Electric vehicle safety training for first responder to deal with emergeny situation involving electric vehicle NFPA announced collaboration with Chevrolet and Onstar at IAFC’s FRI conference in Chicago as NFPA offers electric vehicle safety training for first responders. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced a joint effort with Chevrolet and OnStar as NFPA provides electric vehicle safety training for first responders to the scene of an accident. Th...

IAFC's International Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award is the highest bravery award for firefighters International Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award is the highest honor bestowed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) co-sponsored by the IAFC and the Motorola Solutions business of Motorola, Inc.At Fire-Rescue International in Chicago, Captain Charles J. Metivier, Rescue Operator Kalani Abreu and Rescue Specialists Roy Constantino and Francisco Garcia of F...

Proper communication network helps people to cope with emergency situations IAFC President and Chairman of the Board Jeff Johnson, chief of Tualatin Valley (Ore.) Fire & Rescue, has testified before Congress in support of allocating the 10 MHz of the D Block portion of the 700 MHz band of spectrum directly to public safety to establish a 20 MHz wireless broadband network. In his testimony before the Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response Subcommittee of the H...

'Fit for duty' is the theme of safety week which would be held between June 20 and 26  Safety Week's Fit for Duty theme will cover a variety of topics that are extremely important to all fire fighters and EMS personnel. This year's Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week also known as Safety Week—runs June 20-26. Sponsored by the IAFC and the IAFF, and in partnership with other national fire service organizations, the theme for this year's event is Fit for Duty...

Safety, Health and Survival Week is in partnership with more than 20 national fire service organizations Safety Week’s Fit for Duty theme will cover a variety of topics that are extremely important to all firefighters and EMS personnel.The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) have announced the theme for the 2010 Safety, Health and Survival Week (Safety Week): Fit for Duty. Safety Week, which w...

The Labor-Management Initiative Conference will be held between 20 and 21 January, 2011, Phoenix An education program is being planned for the 2011 LMI conference. The International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Association of Fire Fighters are currently planning the education program for the 2011 Labor-Management Initiative (LMI) Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., on January 20-21, 2011. Mark your calendar now and make plans to attend this unique networking an...

The programme will analyse policy options and examine the responsibilities of leadership The fellowship programme for fire service leaders is a joint effort between the USFA, IFSTA, IAFC, NFPA, and Harvard. Kelvin J. Cochran, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), announced that six senior fire officials have been selected for fellowships to attend the Harvard University's Senior Executives in State and Local Governm...

FRI provides comprehensive leadership training for both chief officers and company officers Maximise your budget and get the most for your training dollars in 2010. Make your plans now to attend Fire-Rescue International (FRI), August 24-28 in Chicago. FRI provides the most comprehensive leadership training for both chief officers and company officers at a price that fits your budget. In addition to leadership training, your registration includes free access to an e...

  FRI provides the most comprehensive leadership training for both chief officers and company officers Maximize your budget and get the most for your training dollars in 2010. Make your plans now to attend Fire-Rescue International (FRI), August 24-28 in Chicago. FRI provides the most comprehensive leadership training for both chief officers and company officers at a price that fits your budget. The sessions provide: • In-depth learning. Attend focused education...

All new one- and two- family dwellings in the US are to have residential fire sprinklers starting 2011   American homes are one step closer to being more fire-safe, following an October 28 vote at the International Code Council (ICC) hearings in Baltimore, Md. The vote reaffirmed national building codes making it mandatory for all new one- and two- family dwellings to have residential fire sprinklers starting in 2011. American homes are one step closer to b...

USFA launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and sprinklers The nationwide ‘Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign' will emphasise how important smoke alarms are to the saving of lives. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and, if possible, sprinklers. More than 3,000 people die in home fires each year, and the majority of them have...

The International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Association of Fire Fighters issue joint statement The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) today reaffirmed their support for fire service-based emergency medical service and urged public officials to support all efforts to broaden emergency medical care and ambulance transport by the fire service to better protect the public. The IAFC Boa...

Chief Jeff Johnson has been named President and Chairman of the Board of the IAFC New appointee will act as association's primary spokesperson The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has installed Chief Jeffrey D. Johnson, EFO, CFO, MIFireE, fire chief and chief executive officer of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in Oregon, as IAFC president and chairman of the board for 2009-2010. The installation took place on August 28 during the IAFC's Fire Rescue Interna...

The new U.S. Fire Administrator, Kelvin Cochran is officially sworn in by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano Experienced former Atlanta Fire Chief now officially in office U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran was sworn into office today by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate at the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) 2009 Fire Rescue International conference in Dallas, Texas. Cochran will oversee and...

The Fire Service Award for Excellence was presented to Dallas Fire-Rescue Program to increase firefighter health awareness takes prize The 2009 winner of the Fire Service Award for Excellence is the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department's Wellness-Fitness Program. Presented every year at the IAFC's annual conference, Fire Rescue International, and co-sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and U.S. Safety Fire Technologies, this award recognizes the very be...

Secretary Napolitano addressed first responders and emergency managers at Fire Rescue International DHS Secretary highlighted need for emergency preparedness Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered remarks today to 2,500 first responders and emergency managers at the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) 2009 Fire Rescue International conference in Dallas, Texas, stressing preparedness as a shared responsibility between all level...

Firefighter Nicholas DiGiacomo will receive the International Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award at FRI International award will be presented at Fire Rescue International (FRI) 2009 Firefighter Nicholas DiGiacomo of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is this year's recipient of the International Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award for Valor, co-sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Motorola, Inc. The award will be presented at the 136th Annual Fire Res...

Chief Kelvin Cochran will be sworn in as U.S. Fire Administrator during FRI Kelvin Cochran will be sworn in by DHS Secretary Napolitano The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is proud to announce that U.S. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano will swear in Chief Kelvin Cochran as U.S. Fire Administrator during the Thursday general session at Fire Rescue International (FRI) 2009. This will be an exciting event you won't want to miss! The Thursday general s...

The IAFC has strongly endorsed Kelvin Cochran's nomination for U.S. Fire Administrator IAFC strongly endorses Cochran's nomination The IAFC has endorsed the nomination of Chief Kelvin Cochran to be U.S. Fire Administrator and has called on the Senate to move quickly to confirm him once hearings begin in August as anticipated. On July 17, IAFC President Chief Larry Grorud wrote to Senators Joseph Lieberman (I/D-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME), the chairman and the ranking...

Both programs are available on theNational Hazardous Materials FusionCenter website To ensure the nation's first responders are prepared to handle incidents involving alternative fuels, the IAFC has created two new training packages:Ethanol: Response Consideration focuses on responding to ethanol incidents and was created in partnership with the USFA and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. This training package has b...

More funding for the FIRE grant program On Tuesday night, the House Rules Committee passed a closed rule for the Fiscal Year 2010 DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 2892) that would not allow Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Steve Austria (R-OH), Peter King (R-NY) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) to offer their amendment on the House floor yesterday. The House Rules Committee writes the rules for the consideration of each bill before it goes to the House Floor.  However,...

Designed to foster cooperative andcollaborative labor-managementrelationships Labor-management relationships needed to deal with difficulties of the current economic situation Strong labor-management relationships are critical in order to effectively address the financial and operational difficulties most fire departments are facing in the current economic environment. The IAFC/IAFF Labor-Management Initiative, a joint program of the IAFC and the International Associatio...

IAFC 1st Vice President Jeff Johnson has called for better national preparedness for hazmat response This week, IAFC 1st Vice President Jeff Johnson, chief of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, called for improved national preparedness for the response to hazmat incidents. He appeared May 14 before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. During his testimony, Chief Johnson recognized that there are nea...

The IAFC Foundation have created a scholarship fund in memory of Heather Westphal New scholarship fund created in memorial The IAFC Foundation voted to establish the Heather Westphal Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit women first responders at its April 2009 board meeting. This fund is created in memory of Heather Westphal, IAFC's membership marketing manger who died in a tragic accident in October 2008. The fund is supported by the IAFC. Mark Light, IAFC's executive dir...

Fire service organizations have reacted strongly to anti-sprinkler state legislative efforts Stand together to better protect firefighters and public Citing the fact that more than 90 percent of fireground firefighter deaths occur in one- and two-family homes, leading fire service organizations have warned against state-by-state legislative efforts, orchestrated by homebuilders, which are designed to prohibit communities from requiring residential fire sprinklers in new h...