Houston Fire Department - Experts & Thought Leaders

ImageTrend, Inc. is excited to announce the company has formed an official Medical Advisory Board comprised of medical directors from across the nation, who will assist in providing insight into different service models and specialties in the healthcare industry including Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Sparking new initiatives ImageTrend’s six-member Medical Advisory Board was assembled to support the company’s commitment to providing solutions to the healthcare industry that are at the forefront of in-hospital and out-of-hospital patient care and research.   The Medical Advisory Board will collaborate with the ImageTrend Clinical & Research Services Team The commitment of the Medical Advisory Board members to contribute expertise, guidance, and their vision to accelerate advancements and spark new initiatives in patient care and safety match that of ImageTrend’s. The Medical Advisory Board will collaborate with the ImageTrend Clinical & Research Services Team to further lead the industry with impactful research backed by medical professionals and their experience. Medical Advisory Board “We are committed to ensuring that we are the industry leader and value the guidance and expertise from this board,” commented Doug Butler, Jr., Director of Clinical Services. “It is vital that we have representatives from every aspect of EMS, including rural, urban, private and public sectors since every service model has their own needs and challenges.” Members of the Medical Advisory Board include Meg Marino, MD, FAAP, New Orleans EMS; Emily Nichols, MD, FACEP, New Orleans EMS; Ashish R. Panchal, MD, PhD, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Chris Souders, MD, FAEMS, Houston Fire Department; Andrew Stevens, MD, Allina Health EMS; and Michael Wilcox, MD, MN State College & Universities.

Houston, TX Local 341 (Houston Fire Department) President, Marty Lancton is back on the job, after an independent arbitrator ruled the city had violated his rights and had no cause or authority to indefinitely suspend him in January. Houston Fire's President re-instated The independent arbitrator went even further and ordered the immediate reinstatement to his special assignment, working full time as the Local 341 President and ruled he must be welcomed back with full back pay and benefits. “The truth will always come out,” said Marty Lancton, adding “The city’s action against me was nothing more than retaliation and union busting for my criticism of Mayor Sylvester Turner and his mishandling of our labor contract. I am grateful for the ruling and the opportunity to restore my standing as a city of Houston employee.” Marty Lancton, Houston Local 341 President and Firefighter Marty Lancton is the Houston Local 341 President and Firefighter by rank Marty Lancton is the Houston Local 341 President and Firefighter by rank, but is assigned to the union per a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the city of Houston. Houston Fire Chief, Samuel Pena claims Lancton never signed the MoU and that the memo was void. As Marty Lancton provided Samuel Pena with several copies of the signed document, the facts were not on the Fire Chief’s side and neither was the law. Under Texas law, Marty Lancton should have been given proper notice and the right to due process, neither of which occurred. Independent arbitrator The independent arbitrator took all of this into consideration and made his ruling in favor of Marty Lancton. Houston members have been embroiled with the City of Houston, since Mayor Sylvester Turner walked out of collective bargaining negotiations, four years ago. Mayor Turner has since rejected all invitations to bring in an independent arbitrator and chose to fight Houston, TX Local 341 in court. Every court decision has been in favor of Houston, TX Local 341. Houston voters call for city charter amendment Most recently, the City Secretary was handed more than 20,000 pre-validated signatures from registered Houston voters calling for a city charter amendment, allowing for binding arbitration, in the case of collective bargaining negotiations reaching an impasse. Houston City Mayor Sylvester Turner has yet to place the issue on the November ballot.

Metropolitan Fire Chiefs from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, Mass. NFPA President and CEO Jim Pauley welcomed the chiefs and provided an overview of the association’s Fire and Life Safety Ecosystem, reinforcing the critical role urban fire chiefs play in ensuring safe communities. Special guests at the Forum included the President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) Chief Ken Block. Also at the Forum were National Fire Chiefs Council of the United Kingdom (NFCC) Chairman CFO Roy Wilsher, CEO and Executive Director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Chief Mark Light, United Kingdom Crown Premises Fire Safety Chief Inspector CFO Peter Holland; and Administrator of the United States Fire Administration (USFA) Chief Keith Bryant. UFF-Metro Chiefs position papers The group adopted five important documents as official UFF-Metro Chiefs position papers: Safety Investigation Reports: Addressing Line of Duty Deaths and Injuries Post Incident (AKA After Action Reports). Telling the Story: Fire Department Operational Performance Measures. Community Risk Assessment/Threat Assessment Checklist. Smart Cities. Active Shooter/Mass Casualty Terrorist Events. Forum presentations Update on Fire DynamicsFindings on Basement Fires, Fire Attack, Fire Exposure/ Decontamination and Training Fires by Dr. Daniel Madrzykowski, PE, UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute. Hostile Threat Assessment/Complex Coordinated Attacks and Fire Department Response Capability, Performance and System ResiliencePresented by Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, Assistant to the General President and Head of Research at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). NFPA 3000, Active Shooter Hostile Events Responder Program (ASHER) and Counting Responses Presented by Orange County (Fla.) Chief Otto Drozd, III. Smart Cities, School Safety and EFFECT Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby Presented on his department’s decontamination policy. NFPA staff members Robert Solomon, PEPresented on Smart Cities. Birgitte Messerschmidt, PEPresented on the External Façade Fire Evaluation and Comparison Tool (EFFECT). Meghan Housewright and Amanda Kimball, PEJointly discussed a Fire Protection Research Foundation study addressing the Economic Impact of Fire. IAFC CEO Mark Light and Robert SolomonJointly presented on Maintaining School Safety during ASHER events. Maintaining Building and Fire Safety Today it is more important than ever for chiefs to understand and embrace the latest research” Following their presentation, the chiefs endorsed an IAFC position paper titled Maintaining Building and Fire Safety During Active Assailant and other Terrorist Events. “Today’s firefighters respond to a broad range of emergencies and catastrophic events that have become commonplace in the United States and throughout the world. To adequately handle these crises, fire chiefs must think differently today, as the first responder landscape has dramatically changed over the past decade. Today it is more important than ever for chiefs to understand and embrace the latest research, and have access to quality and timely data,” said NFPA Metro Chiefs Executive Secretary Russ Sanders and coordinator of the event. “The position papers endorsed by the Forum provide the information and resources needed to effectively address the challenges facing today’s fire service.” Core group of UFF The following officers of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro) Executive Board make up the core group of the UFF: Chief Otto Drozd – Orange County Fire Rescue Department, Orlando, Fla., President Chief Mike Duyck – Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Tigard, Ore., Vice President Chief John Lane – Winnipeg Fire & Paramedic Service, Winnipeg, Man., Canada, Secretary Chief Don Lombardi – West Metro Fire Protection District, Lakewood, Colo., Treasurer Chief (Ret.) William “Shorty” Bryson – Miami and Miami-Dade (Fla.) Fire Rescue, Senior Board Member Metro Chiefs The Chiefs/Metro Board Members listed above were joined by a select group of at-large Metro Chiefs. The participating at-large chiefs were: Chief Ken Block – Edmonton Fire & Rescue services, Edmonton, Alb., Canada. Chief Kristin Chilton – Lexington Fire Department, Lexington, Ky. Chief David Downey – Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami, Fla. Chief Joanne Hayes-White – San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco, Calif. Chief Kara Kalkbrenner – Phoenix Fire Department, Phoenix, Ariz. Chief Daryl Osby – Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles, Calif. Chief Samuel Pena – Houston Fire Department, Houston, Tex. Commissioner Jose Santiago – Chicago Fire Department, Chicago, Ill. Commissioner Adam Thiel – Philadelphia, Pa. Urban Fire Forum Mission The Urban Fire Forum brings together fire chiefs who are responsible for protecting some of the largest urban centers in the world. The program objectives are to provide the chiefs an opportunity to learn from their peers and expert speakers and for NFPA to stay abreast of current trends and needs in the fire service. As part of the overall mission of the UFF, chief officers share UFF position papers and associated information with fire officers from all over the world.