What Does the IAFC Do for You?

IAFC On Scene: July 15, 2008

At the close of each leadership year in August, the IAFC submits to its members a list of major association accomplishments; this list is based on a series of quarterly reports provided by the staff to the board of directors. As the board began to prepare for the upcoming, biannual IAFC Strategic Planning process, the staff prepared a report outlining specific actions taken to successfully implement the 2007-2008 strategic plan. The resulting 26-page inventory of actions that leadership, membership and staff have taken together to successfully align issues, opportunities and partnership toward achieving our shared goals was impressive.

While space doesn’t allow us to share each of these achievements, I am proud to provide the following condensed version. It is no less impressive, especially if you take into account that those items selected for this article often span multiple strategic goals but are only listed once for the sake of space. I hope you find it informative and that it inspires you to engage in the upcoming strategic planning process as well as remain engaged in the programs, legislative issues and educational efforts you have made so successful.

…See also Goal IV Partnerships—both internal and external to the fire and emergency service—are pervasive throughout the association; it is nearly impossible to calculate our accomplishments in creating alliances to improve public safety without being duplicative of the accomplishments in each of the other goals. In the report to the board of directors, "See also Goal IV" became a constant refrain, demonstrating how successful collaboration has led to significant results for the fire and emergency service. As with the rest of this report, space does not allow the following list to be exhaustive. Program Partners Center for Disease Control and Prevention Center for Public Safety Excellence ESRI Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition Energizer Federal Emergency Management Agency Fire Corps National Office Fire Department Safety Officer’s Association FireFighterCloseCalls.com FireRescue Magazine Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition International Association of Chiefs of Police International Association of City/County Managers International Association of Emergency Managers International Association of Fire Fighters Meals on Wheels Association of America National Association of Counties National Association of State EMS Officials National Association of State Foresters National Emergency Management Association National Emergency Number Association National Fallen Firefighters Foundation National Highway Transportation Safety Administration National Mutual Aid Consortium National Sheriffs’ Association National Volunteer Fire Council Oregon Health and Science University Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security SAFECOM State Fire Chief’s Associations Texas A&M Engineering Extension School U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service U.S. Department of Homeland Security (various offices) U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration U.S. Fire Administration University of Tennessee Corporate Partners 1-800 Board Up Anheuser–Busch Avis Rental Car Bank of America Cardiac Science Dell Computers Draeger Safety Inc Elsevier/JEMS Communication Enterprise Rental Car Ericsson Ferrara Fire Apparatus Inc Fireman’s Fund First Alert First Responder Financial Services LLC FIRST Responder Systems & Technology LLC Hagemeyer North America Jones and Bartlett Publishers KME Fire Apparatus Microsoft MSA Motorola OnStar Communications Panasonic Inc. Physio-Control PlymoVent Corp. Pierce Manufacturing Inc. Smeal Fire Apparatus Co. Spartan Chassis Sprint True North Verizon Wireless Waterous Company WHP Trainingtowers

Chief Steven P. Westermann, CFO
IAFC President

A Leading Voice of the Fire Service

• Provided congressional testimony on the funding for the FIRE and SAFER Grant programs and the USFA, the Public Safety Broadband Trust, leveraging mutual aid and the response to nuclear terrorism.
• The IAFC uses a number of strategies to encourage our members to promote legislative initiatives at the grassroots level, including the distribution of print and electronic information on important pieces of legislation; working with IAFC divisions, sections and committees, and state chief’s organizations to engage their members on specific issues; providing legislative briefings for state chiefs’ associations; and supporting the online State and Provincial Legislative Forum.
• Actively engaged in the Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI) week, including meetings with House and Senate leaders and staff, a White House briefing and CFSI workshops.
• Actively engaged in the Other Voices event to educate federal legislators about commercial fire sprinklers.
• Sponsored a number of initiatives through the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Advisory Committee (NAC). At our urging, the NAC has endorsed initiatives to prevent the federal taxation of state and local incentives for volunteer firefighters; to improve communications operability and interoperability for the fire service, including the development of a public safety broadband network; and to strengthen the USFA.
• Recognized as one of the leading organizations behind the Advocates for Fire Service Based EMS Coalition, an organization to educate federal and local government and the fire service about the role that the fire service plays in providing EMS service to local communities.
• Held issue-specific meetings with Congress, the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to educate and promote critical issues for the fire service.
• Participated in the Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise Conference and continue to lend support to improving fire service engagement in information and intelligence sharing. Worked with USFA and the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association to enhance direct information sharing with local fire chiefs. Continue to work with the DHS to promote means of fire service access to federal information sharing efforts, such as through the National Operations Center, the Homeland Infrastructure Threat Risk Analysis Center, Emergency Management and Response–Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the next generation of the Homeland Security Information Network.
• Undertook extensive research and education regarding the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 to ensure the IAFC is in compliance with the law and to protect our position as a trusted and respected voice in Washington.
• Engaged the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Congress, the White House, and state and local agencies to fight for effective national/state/local coordination at a hazmat incident scene.
• Leading the way on the digital radio interference issue by collaborating with other stakeholders on resources, data gathering and testing. IAFC members were engaged at multiple levels. The working group began publishing findings in the spring of 2008.
• Engaged the media, Congress, the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice to lead change in the Public Safety Officer Benefit Program. The IAFC continues to monitor the progress of the program, educate members and survivors on the program and fight for funding to support program objectives.
• Remains active in supporting residential sprinkler initiatives and educating the fire service, government agencies and the public. Multiple efforts across the organization are being coordinated by the Fire and Life Safety Section. The IAFC submitted proposed language for a code-change proposal to the IRC, joined the steering committee of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition and continues to build a solution-oriented dialogue with all stakeholders, including the National Fire Protection Association, the International Code Council, National Association of Home Builders and state and regional groups. The IAFC has published articles and hosted information booths to build understanding about the role sprinklers play in firefighter safety.
• Created and subsequently updated a position paper on photoelectric-ionization smoke alarms and continue to call for further study and public education on the issue. The IAFC is a frequent contributor to fire service and public discussions on smoke-alarm performance and the smoke characterization study. The association is working with Underwriters Laboratory to produce a series of webinars on smoke-alarm issues.
• Engaged the NFPA, the ICC and two industry trade organizations to challenge fog-emitting burglar alarms.
• Wildland fire, particularly in the wildland-urban interface, remains a priority issue for the association both in theory and practical operations. IAFC leadership and staff traveled to Southern California to offer support to and learn from communities impacted by the 2007 firestorm and have encouraged affected communities to share their experiences and lessons learned through publications and conferences.
• The Human Relations Committee hosted an outreach meeting to bring together eight leading organizations to discuss the future of the fire service and gather perspectives on cultural shift.
• The IAFC has stood up an IAFC Technology Council whose vision is to advance the fire and emergency services and allied agencies to be on the leading edge of technological adaptation. It will serve as a knowledge base for technological developments that affect the fire and emergency services.
• The IAFC continues to serve on the executive committee of the Emergency Services Sector Coordinating Committee to foster infrastructure protection efforts in the emergency services community.
• The IAFC is the only fire service organization that is currently a member of the Homeland Security Consortium, a DHS grant-funded organization of public safety and state/local governance organizations.

Education and Communication

• Convened issue-specific interdisciplinary meetings and symposiums to discuss common and emerging issues and shared solutions, such as the Hazardous Materials Roundtable; the Near-Miss Symposium; a summit on diversity and inclusiveness; regional mutual-aid stakeholder meetings; and the Microsoft Homeland Security and Public Safety Technology Symposium.
• Issue-specific educational offerings are expanding, such as with the 2007 Phoenix Health, Wellness and Safety Symposium; the 2008 Labor Management Initiative Conference in collaboration with IAFF; and the VCOS-sponsored ISO Workshops.
• Working with the Ethanol Response Coalition to develop response protocols and training materials for ethanol fuel incidents.
• The Emergency Management Committee (EMC) continues to help states create intra- and inter-state mutual aid plans. A speakers’ bureau was established to continue presenting national models and lessons learned. The EMC conducted a review of all 50 states for current mutual aid plans and they’re assisting with state-level exercises. The EMC also created a train-the-trainer course for the National Post Critical Incident Seminar program for the Virginia Office of EMS.
• The IAFC is working with the Department of Transportation and others on the development of a hazardous materials fusion center, which will gather and analyze hazmat incident data, lessons learned and training resources for first responders.
• Began offering National Wildfire Coordination Group certification classes at the Wildland Urban Interface Conference as preconference worshops.
• The IAFC significantly contributed to the final interagency wildland fire/structural training crosswalk and is monitoring the continued development and implementation of the advanced training concepts for structural/wildland fire crosswalk support programs.
• The IAFC and its divisions and sections have begun conducting webinars and podcasts and tapping other new media venues. Exploration has begun for online training and education, as well as social networking opportunities.
• Actively working to enhance the communication strategy and utilization of all print and electronic communications vehicles, including On Scene, member alerts and the IAFC website.
• IAFC conferences continued to grow programmatically and in attendance in 2007 and the early part of 2008. Staff and members completed an analysis of Fire-Rescue International and began implementing enhancements, including the creation of new and highly successful programs such as the Company Officer Leadership Symposium, International Fire Solutions Workshop and Fire District Commissioner Workshop.
• Created a vendor-operated website where conference speakers can upload information and presentation materials for conference attendees.
• The IAFC continues to support the growth of the IAFC Foundation, which awarded 14 scholarships in 2007. Two new scholarships, the Garry Briese Scholarship and the Federal Military Scholarship, have been created. The Foundation, along with Aluminum Cans for Burned Children, benefited from Rock Bottom Brewery restaurant’s annual Fire Chief Ale fundraiser.

Grow the IAFC

• IAFC board of directors approved an affiliate membership category for company officers, and many divisions and sections are adopting complementary policies. Promotion of the new category began immediately and the response from the community has been very positive.
• Created a membership task force to review the membership components of the IAFC constitution to ensure the 135-year-old document is consistent with the needs and structure of the today’s fire service. Any recommendations to change the constitution will require the approval of the membership.
• Established www.iafc.org/getinvolved to allow members to indicate their desire to serve on committees or working groups or for other appointments and to allow for broader member engagement. Members may also provide feedback to the Membership Task Force on this site.
• IAFC has been seeking more diverse candidates for staff positions by advertising in local papers that have a diverse audience and reaching out to community-based organizations in the Northern Virginia area.
• Conducted a member survey to gather member feedback on utilizing the IAFC website, which will contribute to IAFC website enhancements, including the creation of additional microsites for specific programs and issues.
• Updated the look and themes of membership recruitment and retention materials. Two notable new ad campaigns include “The Golden Hour,” which ties to the IAFC website, and “Together We Are One,” which features a showcase of real members.
• Leadership and member services staff continue to provide forums at national, division, section and other events to talk directly with members on how the IAFC can better serve members.
• Launched a new membership brochure specifically aimed at educating fire marshals, fire inspectors, code officials and company officers on the benefits of joining the IAFC. Also created new materials featuring the benefits of departmental membership.
• Continue to see success from member-driven recruitment campaigns, such as the Hook and Ladder Club, prizes and recognition programs and the Ask Em! campaign.
• Staff has revised printed and online forms to be more user-friendly. The technical capabilities of the membership database have been upgraded to enhance member services.

Ensure achievement of the IAFC’s mission and maintain financial stability

• IAFC board of directors approved the expansion of the IAFC’s current services called IAFC-Services and a new for-profit subsidiary known as Global Public Safety Solutions, Inc. (GPSS). A board of directors has been convened, a new director has been hired, office space was constructed on the third floor of the IAFC headquarters building and multiple proposals for services have already been submitted.
• The IAFC has continued its long-standing record of clean financial audits and carefully monitors a diverse portfolio of investments.
• Portions of the headquarters’ building has been built-out and renovated to more efficiently accommodate both the growing staff and lease space, as well as to preserve the value of the property through modernization of the public areas.
• Staff has been reorganized to enhance collaboration between marketing, exhibits and corporate development in order to better support our relationships with private-sector partners.
• Continue to enhance print and web-based conference informational materials for branding and ease of use based on industry best practices and member feedback.
• Grant-funded programs continue unprecedented growth with an additional $3.5 million in revenue that funds 12 critical programs supporting mutual aid, wildland fire prevention and response, firefighter and EMS health and safety, hazardous materials response, community fire prevention and more.
• Continue to develop new resources in conjunction with Jones and Bartlett, including a 2008 update of Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills.

Lead Firefighter and Life-Safety Initiatives

• Firefighter and life-safety issues are a central part of the IAFC core mission, so you’ll see much of the IAFC’s safety work reflected in already mentioned accomplishments:
• Expanded upon the success of the annual International Fire Fighter Safety Stand Down to coordinate a three-pronged Fire/EMS Safety Support System, which supports both ongoing, local education and national awareness. The three components of the program are Safety, Health and Survival Week (former Stand Down), Take 5 monthly training activities available online and Stand Downs (incident-based or high data-specific events).
• Collaborated with 35 organizations, expanded participation and developed additional resources for the 2008 Fire and EMS Safety Health and Survival Week. This year’s theme was Committed to Long-Term Results. A record number of departments participated at the local level in 2008.
• The IAFC and IAFF continue their long-term relationship with the joint labor-management Wellness-Fitness Task Force. Both organizations and the task force are currently working to revise and update the Wellness-Fitness Initiative, the Candidate Physical Ability Test and the Peer Fitness Trainer programs.
• The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System continues to grow. Data and findings collected by the system continues to be disseminated widely via educational sessions at conferences, conference exhibits, Report of the Week, regular publication of articles, an annual report containing analysis of the data and a newly enhanced website.
• Promote active involvement in the National Fire Fighter Seatbelt Pledge.
• The Safety, Health and Survival Section created the “You Say You Love Them? Prove It!” campaign, which focuses on personal responsibility.
• The Fire and Life Safety Section is incorporating firefighter safety in the campaign to educate the fire service, industry and public on the benefits of commercial and residential sprinklers.

IAFC members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public-safety legislation. As a leading voice in the fire service and a strong supporter of collaboration and progressive change, the IAFC and its members are frequently sought out to contribute their knowledge and expertise at the national level. National Appointments, Interdisciplinary Working Groups & Campaigns AAA Slow Down, Move Over campaign Alliance to Stop Commercial Fireworks Anheuser-Busch Prevent, Don’t Provide campaign Center for Public Safety Excellence board of directors Emergency Services Sector Coordinating Council FEMA Credentialing Working Group, Firefighting Credentialing Work Group, Incident Command Work Group, Region III Advisory Group, Search and Rescue Working Group Highway Safety Partners Venture Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Homeland Security Consortium, Homeland Security Emergency Services Advisory Committee, Homeland Security Information Network Advisory Committee ICC Joint Fire Service Review Committee Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group National Association of Counties National Hurricane Conference Planning Group National Infrastructure Advisory Council National Mutual Aid Consortium National Traffic Incident Management Coalition/National Unified Goal National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Wildland Urban Interface working team NFPA board of directors and NFPA Committees (various) NIOSH Task Force to address firefighter fatalities Quadrennial Fire and Fuel Review Report Recognition of Prior Learning pilot program (WUI) SAFECOM executive committee USFA Smoking and Home Fires campaign Vision 20/20 Summit White House Fellows Advisory Council Wildland Fire Leadership Council National Policy Contributions Community Wildfire Protection Plan guidance Fire service issues report distributed to all presidential candidates National credentialing system National Incident Management System (revisions) National Infrastructure Protection Plan National Response Framework Occupational Safety and Health Administration Emergency Response and Preparedness guidelines

LEAD  EDUCATE  SERVE

4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Fairfax, VA 22033 | Tel: 703-273-0911 | Fax: 703-273-9363

Home | Copyright Notice | Privacy Policy | Photo Credits | IAFC Logo Usage Policy

Copyright © 1999-2010 The International Association of Fire Chiefs.  All rights reserved.