For the Record 5/21

Firehouse Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Ron Moore and Tom W. Shand were selected as the Firehouse Hall of Fame 2021 inductees. They will be honored at Firehouse Expo, which will be held in Columbus, OH, Sept. 14-18.

Moore began authoring the University of Extrication column in May 1995, making it the longest running, consecutive column in the history of Firehouse Magazine. He has been in the fire service for 54 years, retiring as a division chief with the City of McKinney, TX, Fire Department, and now works part time for Prosper, TX, Fire Rescue. He authored the “Vehicle Rescue 1-2-3” training manual and has led HOT classes at Firehouse Expo for almost two decades.

Shand has more than 50 years in the fire service, serving with departments in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. He began co-authoring the Apparatus Architect series in August 2000 to help fire departments to design and purchase vehicles that are effective, functional and safe. Shand has written more than 400 articles and authored several books that cover all aspects of apparatus design and procurement.

For more information, visit firehouse.com/21220030.

The Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark in St. Louis, MO, site of the 2021 Station Design Conference.

Station Design Conference Moves to St. Louis

The Firehouse 2021 Station Design Conference will be held in St. Louis, on Aug. 24–26, 2021, at the Hilton at the Ballpark. Pre-conference programs will be held on Aug. 23. The 2021 program includes 48 presentations by 52 presenters on topics from the initial steps to building or renovating a facility through health and safety occupancy. Several new topics were added to the program based on major events of the past year: the pandemic and health of personnel; and security enhancements based on civil unrest in communities. The 2021 edition of the Station Design Conference also will offer a track for law enforcement and in regard to shared facilities.

To register and for full details regarding the presentations, visit fhstationdesign.com.

Brown Named CEO/Executive Director of IAFC

Fire Chief (Ret.) J. Robert “Rob” Brown, Jr., is the new chief executive officer and executive director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). He is responsible for the overall leadership, management and continuity of IAFC corporate operations and also will serve as president and CEO of the IAFC’s subsidiary company, Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI), working with ESCI Chairman Chief Chris Christopoulos.

Brown joined IAFC in 2015 and was selected to lead the organization’s international outreach programs. In August of 2019, he was appointed by the IAFC board as interim CEO/executive director to lead the organization through significant leadership, fiscal and organizational transformation challenges.

For more information, visit iafc.org.

IAFF Announces Transition Team

IAFF General President Edward A. Kelly announced his full slate of transition team members to serve in key roles who are tasked with conducting a thorough analysis of programs and services that are offered by the association. The team members also will make recommendations on how to improve programs to meet the ever-evolving needs of IAFF’s 324,000 members in the United States and Canada.

The transition team, which is chaired by 4th District Vice President Andrew Pantelis and Vice Chair and Chief of Staff Matthew Vinci, is split into three sections (Evaluation of Services, Vision to Mission and Nonprofits/Subsidiaries). Each section addresses specific programs to be evaluated by a work group of subject matter experts.

At the completion of the transition phase, which IAFF anticipates being July 9, 2021, the work groups will have “collectively created a pathway to ensure that the IAFF is stronger than it has ever been before,” according to Pantelis.

For more information, visit iaff.org.

FDSOA Traffic Incident Management Technician Certification

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) received a grant from the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant program to support the Certified Traffic Incident Management Technician professional credential. The credential is the first accredited national certification for personnel meeting NFPA 1091: Standard for Traffic Incident Management Personnel Professional Qualifications.

All roadway-incident response personnel who are tasked with traffic control at an emergency scene on the roadway can earn this certification. It demonstrates that they obtained the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required to properly discharge duties, such as positioning blocking vehicles, setting up a traffic incident management area, deploying and removing temporary traffic control devices and conducting manual traffic control. The grant reduces the certification cost from $95 to $15 for the first 100 applicants.

For more information, visit fdsoa.org/TIM.

Free NFPA Structural Firefighting Online Training

Firefighters who want to learn safer and more effective ways to handle fire incidents that involve modern-day materials and contents now have the opportunity to attend free online training from the NFPA. The new instructional course, which is centered around NFPA 1700: Guide for Structural Fire Fighting, is based on extensive scientific research and testing on contemporary structures from the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute.

Today’s home fires burn faster, reach flashover more quickly, collapse sooner and result in reduced escape times largely because of synthetic contents, including furniture, plastics, rugs and composite materials. The new course is designed to help the fire service evolve the way that it responds to incidents and provides evidence-based recommendations and methodologies, so first responders operate with updated strategies.

For more information, visit nfpa.org.

Fitzpatrick to Co-Chair Fire Services Caucus

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania will serve as a co-chair for the Congressional Fire Services Caucus. He fills the seat that was left by the retirement of Rep. Peter King of New York.

Formed in 1987, the Congressional Fire Services Caucus was established to educate members of Congress about the role of the fire and emergency services in protecting our communities.

“I have always been and will continue to be a fervent supporter of our hero men and women who risk their lives each day for our communities across the country,” Fitzpatrick said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to act as their voice in Congress and look forward to continuing the bipartisan efforts of this caucus.”

For more information, visit cfsi.org.

FRCE Adds New Board Members

The First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE) appointed John Butler, Jeff Fackler and Dave Halfpenny as new board members.

Butler has been the fire chief for the Fairfax County, VA, Fire and Rescue Department since September 2018 and is an active paramedic. Fackler leads business development for DuPont Personal Protection and serves on the board of directors of the Partnership for Electrical Safety and the Global Emergency Services Action. Halfpenny brings 30 years of experience in the financial, insurance and reinsurance industries; the past 11 years, he oversaw AXIS U.S. Specialty Accident and Health.

For more information, visit firstrespondercenter.org.

Line-of-Duty Deaths

8 U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Three firefighters died from health-related incidents, three died in motor vehicle-related incidents, one died during fireground operations and one died after contracting COVID-19. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters. For the latest on COVID-19-related LODDs, visit firehouse.com/covid-19.

FIREFIGHTER/EMT BRIAN S. MIXSON, 32, of Jasper County Fire-Rescue in Ridgeland, SC, died on March 17. On March 5, Mixson experienced a severe headache. Two days later, he had problems with his vision and was rushed to the local hospital. He then was transported and admitted to a neuro intensive care unit in Savannah, GA, where he later died. It was discovered that the headache that he experienced while on-duty was the inception of a stroke.

CHIEF CHESTER RILEY, 57, of the Nucla Naturita Fire Protection District in Nucla, CO, died on March 20. Riley responded to the scene of an automobile accident. While at the incident, he suffered a fatal heart attack.

FIREFIGHTER JARED LLOYD, 35, of the Spring Valley, NY, Fire Department, died on March 24. Lloyd responded to a fire at an assisted-living facility. He rushed into the burning building to save residents, but the fire’s intensity grew, and he became trapped. Lloyd sent out a mayday and fellow firefighters tried to pull him out, but heavy flames and smoke prevented them from reaching him. For hours after the fire was under control, firefighters scoured the rubble for Lloyd. His body was found nearly 24 hours after he became trapped.

WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER SELINDE ROOSENBURG, 20, of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry in Columbus, OH, died on March 25. Roosenburg was participating in a controlled burn at Richland Furnace State Forest when she was involved in a UTV rollover accident. She died from the injuries that she sustained.

CAPT. CHARLES “CHUCK” WESLEY MILLER, JR., 62, of the Albright, WV, Volunteer Fire Department, died on April 4. Miller was responding to a brush fire in his personal automobile when his vehicle went off the road and into a ditch on North Preston Highway. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

FIRE CHIEF ROBERT COSTELLO, 62, of the Buckeye, AZ, Fire-Medical-Rescue Department, died on April 8. While on duty, Costello attended fire department and city council meetings with individuals who had known cases of COVID-19. He subsequently contracted the virus and died from a heart attack that stemmed from the disease.

FIRE POLICE OFFICER LAURA MADARA, 56, of the Selbyville, DE, Volunteer Fire Company, died on April 9. Madara was working at the scene of a vehicle accident. While she stood behind a Selbyville fire police truck, the driver accidentally struck her while backing up. Madara immediately was rushed to the hospital, where she died from her injuries. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

FIREFIGHTER EFREN MEDINA, 20, of the St. Marys, GA, Fire Department, died on April 17. While working his first 24-hour shift as a firefighter, Medina died in his sleep at the firehouse. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.