The president of the United States, Bill Clinton, apparently has been quite angered and moved by the recent wave of fires in churches in many southern states. In a move unprecedented in recent history, these fires have been a topic of discussion at several recent presidential press conferences. The president has even traveled to the scene of one of the fires to see first hand the destruction that has stricken the South. He has ordered the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to get involved, asking Congress for $12 million for the investigation of these suspicious church fires. Thankfully, as far as we know, no firefighters have been killed or seriously injured.
It's too bad that when much of America was burning several years ago, it didn't seem like many people cared, especially the politicians. It is hoped the effort pushing federal funds on arson investigation from Washington will be only the start. With the support of the Congressional Fire Service Caucus, if the fire service can get its agenda together, maybe we can get many things accomplished.
Speaking about agendas, in this issue Captain John J. Burns details the particulars about running a meeting; whether it is an officers' meeting or a union meeting, ground rules have to be set. See page 82 for the proper way to conduct a meeting.
Contributing editor Joseph Louderback reviews the recent fires striking churches on page 54. We sent correspondent George Hall to Methuen, MA, to report on the major mill fire that occurred last winter. Wouldn't you know that while Hall and photographer John Cetrino (see the January 1996 cover) were finishing the story in adjacent Lawrence featured many times among these pages a verbal alarm was reported to the firehouse they were in. The fire, it turns out, went to three alarms and our photogs beat the companies in around the corner. See their coverage on page 44.
From Sarasota, FL, Chief Julius Halas reports on procedures his department has developed to prevent false automatic fire alarms. It is a documented lifesaver for thousands that all too often has plagued fire departments. See page 64 for a must read for every firefighter. On page 86 we present a story about one group of California firefighters who made a once-in-a-career rescue of a person who climbed atop a high-voltage transmission tower. As dangerous as the rescue was, they had to do it all over again on their next shift. We also present part 2 of our report on firefighter fatalities; see page 60.
With this issue being distributed at the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) show in Kansas City, MO, we asked Kansas City correspondent William Keith to put together a unique look at some history from this Midwest department. A special look at the memorials dedicated to the firefighters killed in the line of duty in Kansas City also is featured. We also take a special look at the memorial which has been erected to the six firefighters killed a few years ago following the tragic ammonium nitrate explosion. Recently, we were told that several people were arrested for their involvement in the explosion. Investigators would not let this case rest and we hope it will come to a successful conclusion.
