The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) announced Gordon Graham, board member and co-founder of Lexipol, will be the keynote speaker for the 2021 Health and Safety Conference, to be held Jan. 18-21, 2021, in St. Pete Beach, FL.
Graham is a 33-year veteran of law enforcement, an expert in risk management, a public speaker and practicing attorney. In 2002, he co-founded Lexipol to standardize policy, procedure and training in public safety. He has also been an advocate for the fire service, helping to develop the websites FireFighterCloseCalls.com and FirefighterNearMiss.com.
“For years, the term ‘safety officer’ referred only to a fireground role. The position in recent years rapidly expanded to include all the risks we face—political, operational, training, etc.,” said Graham. He continued, “Every public safety officer needs to ask themselves the same questions. ‘Where do you need to be and what do you need to be doing to be prepared for tomorrow?’”
Chairman Eric Valliere, FDSOA, shared the enthusiasm of the FDSOA board in having Graham as a keynote speaker. “Gordon is well-known and well-respected. He will bring his expertise in risk management and years of practicing law with him when he speaks at the conference,” said Valliere.
The Fire Apparatus, Safety and Maintenance Conference will be Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 18-19, 2021, with pre-conference programs held on Sunday, Jan 17. The Health and Safety Conference will be Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 20-21, with pre-conference programs held on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 18-19.
The conference will be held at the TradeWinds Island Grand Hotel in St. Pete Beach, FL. TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Awards named St. Pete Beach the #2 coast in the U.S. and #16 in the world.
For registration, pricing and hotel room information, please visit the FDSOA website. Registration will be open mid-summer 2020.
About the FDSOA
The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) was established in 1989 as a non-profit association, incorporated in Massachusetts. In 2013, the offices moved to Michigan. Its mission is to promote safety standards and practices in the fire, rescue and emergency services community. The association is led by a volunteer board of directors and has a small staff to handle the day-to-day operations. The association is dedicated to the issues that affect the critical role of the safety officer in protecting and promoting the safety and health responsibilities of fire departments, communities and first responders. FDSOA works to helps fire departments achieve proficiency and promote the recognition of training, skills and a secure future. In May 2016, FDSOA won the Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award for its work over 28 years, “as an organization fully dedicated to the health and safety of the nation’s firefighters.”
