For the Record 7/20

Firehouse Expo Moves to October 2020

Firehouse Expo 2020, which originally was scheduled for July 20–25, now will take place Oct. 30–Nov. 1 at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN.

“While Firehouse Expo’s commitment to providing life-saving training and education remains stronger than ever as we collectively fight this pandemic, the health and well-being of the fire service is our top priority,” said Firehouse Editor-in-Chief and Firehouse Expo Conference Director Peter Matthews. “The timing of Nashville’s recovery plan, CDC guidelines, and close discussions with local officials and partners has prompted our difficult decision to reschedule the event.”

The annual conference and expo will maintain its focus on training and educating the fire service through hands-on training classes, conference sessions, workshops and an exhibit floor that will showcase more than 200 vendors.

The new dates necessitated changes to the conference program, hands-on training, and workshop curriculums and schedules (see ad on page 38). An updated program as well as reduced registration fees are available at firehouseexpo.com.

Rosenbauer’s purchase of the 24,000 masks is helping the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund.

Rosenbauer Donates 24,000 KN95 Facemasks

Rosenbauer America is donating 24,000 KN95 facemasks to first responders as a thank you for their dedication through the COVID-19 pandemic. The facemasks will be distributed to fire departments across the United States and Canada.

In addition to helping protect first responders, Rosenbauer’s purchase of the 24,000 masks is helping the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund, with 100 percent of the purchase price donated to the charity. The charity is dedicated to honoring military service and sacrifice by providing college scholarships to veterans and military family members, particularly to children of our nation’s fallen or disabled.

For additional information, visit rosenbaueramerica.com.

Firehouse World and Firehouse Expo to Merge, Move to Columbus, OH, in 2021

Endeavor Business Media and Firehouse Expo made a strategic decision to merge Firehouse World with Firehouse Expo in 2021. Additionally, the merged events (under the Firehouse Expo name) will move to Columbus, OH, in 2021 and 2022 with a new two-year agreement with the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Dates are Sept. 14–18 and Sept. 27–Oct. 1, respectively.

“The merger of these events will provide an exciting new platform where attendees and exhibitors can come together to train, exchange information and network in a larger, unified environment,” Bill MacRae, who is vice president and group publisher of Firehouse, explained.

Firehouse Expo will partner closely with the Columbus Division of Fire in both content and logistics. The event will continue to feature a comprehensive program, including hands-on training classes, conference sessions, workshops and exhibits.

For more information, visit firehouseexpo.com.

CSU Scholarships for NVFC Members

Columbia Southern University (CSU) is offering two scholarships to members of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) in 2020. Each scholarship will cover up to 60 credit hours toward one online degree program. Scholarship recipients may pursue an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree.

This is the 12th year that CSU has offered the NVFC scholarships. To date, 22 NVFC members have been able to achieve their educational goals through the partnership.

The deadline to apply is Aug. 31. Recipients will be announced in October.

For more information about the scholarship program, visit columbiasouthern.edu.

Norris Joins Firehouse Expo Team

Sandy Norris Director of Sales Firehouse Expo

Sandy Norris was named the new director of sales for Firehouse Expo. Norris brings 33 years of experience in media and event sales, having spent most of her career with PennWell and most recently Clarion Events.

“Sandy is an exciting addition to our team as we continue in our efforts to take Firehouse Expo to the next level,” Bill MacRae, who is group publisher and vice president of Firehouse, said.

Norris notably grew DISTRIBUTECH into North America’s largest transmission and distribution trade show, showcasing more than 500 exhibitors.

“Working with customers to maximize their ROI is what I enjoy most about my job,” Norris said. “I look forward to this new opportunity to build long-term business relationships.”

For more information about Firehouse Expo, visit firehouseexpo.com.

Wildfire Mitigation Award Nominations Now Open

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the NFPA and the USDA Forest Service are inviting nominations for the 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Awards. The national Wildfire Mitigation Awards recognize outstanding service in wildfire mitigation efforts to increase community wildfire risk reduction on the ground.

Individuals, agencies (federal, tribal, state or local) or organizations that have made outstanding contributions that had significant program effect on mitigation of wildfire risk to communities are eligible for nomination.

“Honoring those who are implementing effective mitigation strategies helps us learn from each other and step up our game each year,” said Gary Ludwig, who is IAFC president and chairman of the board.

The three categories open for nomination are:

National Wildfire Mitigation Award: This award recognizes the efforts of organizations and individuals who implemented successful and sustainable wildfire mitigation projects on the ground in their community. Because of their leadership and vision, their community embraced the philosophy of community fire adaptation and actively are engaged in sustained risk-reduction projects.

National Mitigation Hero Award: This award recognizes an individual or organization whose community-wide mitigation project reduced damage and risk to a community when a wildfire affected the community.

Wildfire Mitigation Legacy Award: This award is designed to recognize an individual’s outstanding contribution to the larger world of mitigation. It is meant to acknowledge those who have flown the mitigation banner over a long period of time, persisted in vocalizing the mitigation message, spoken truth to power, and helped create the tools and best practices that make up fire adaptation today.

Nomination must be made through the online form that’s found at stateforesters.org/mitigation and be received by Nov. 13.

For more information, visit iafc.org.

Line-of-Duty Deaths

6 U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Four firefighters died after contracting COVID-19, and two deaths were health-related. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters. For the latest on COVID-19-related LODDs, visit firehouse.com/covid-19.

FIREFIGHTER EDWARD SINGLETON, 55, of the Chicago Fire Department, died on April 14. Singleton contracted COVID-19 during the course of his official duties at the firehouse on April 5. He died nine days later.

FIREFIGHTER DAVID CLARK, 47, of the Bay Head, NJ, Fire Company, died on April 17. Clark contracted COVID-19 while on official duty on March 21. He died several weeks later.

CHIEF DONALD DIPETRILLO, 70, of the Seminole Tribe of Florida Fire Rescue in Hollywood, FL, died on April 30. On March 2, DiPetrillo attended the EMS Today Conference in Tampa, where he contracted COVID-19, traced by the Department of Health. He subsequently died from the virus eight weeks later.

CAPT. ANDREW DIMAGGIO, 57, of the New Rochelle, NY, Fire Department, died on May 3. DiMaggio contracted COVID-19 during the course of his official duties at the firehouse on April 5. He died four weeks later.

FIREFIGHTER/HAZMAT TECHNICIAN DAVID F. JAMESON, JR., 52, of the Independence, MO, Fire Department, died on May 7. Jameson responded to a report of a residential fire and upon WHAT? experienced shortness of breath. He remained in the apparatus while others addressed the fire, which was determined to be an illegal open burn. When the crew returned to the vehicle, Jameson became unresponsive. Medical care was provided, and he was transported to Centerpoint Medical Center, where he died. The cause of death hasn’t been determined.

FIREFIGHTER/CHAPLAIN JOSEPH NEALON, JR., 58, of the Newport Township, PA, Fire Department, died on May 30. Nealon experienced a medical emergency while on-duty at the firehouse and was transported to the local hospital where he died. The cause of death hasn’t been determined.