ROBERT DUVAL NAMED NFPA'S NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL MANAGER
Quincy, MA, January 2, 2003-Robert Duval of Wauregan, Conn., has been named New
England regional manager for NFPA (National Fire Protection Association),
effective January 1st. Duval most recently served as NFPA's senior fire
investigator and will continue in that role, as needed.
Duval, having established professional contacts with many of the state-level
code adopting and enforcing agencies in New England, will be responsible for
promoting, adoption and use of the NFPA's National Fire Codes®, consensus codes
and standards, including NFPA 5000, Building Construction and Safety
Code(tm). He will also represent NFPA at code hearings, legislative sessions,
and allied organization meetings.
"We are delighted that Bob will work toward adopting NFPA 5000, as well as
our other codes and standards, in all New England states while continuing to
serve as our senior fire investigator," said Gary S. Keith, vice president
for regional operations. "With Bob in this new role, we achieve our
objectives in both areas."
Last year Duval served on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's designated
Building Performance Assessment Team looking into the collapse of the World
Trade Center.
Duval holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering technology
from Northeastern University and has served as a staff instructor to the
Connecticut Fire Academy. He is a member of the Society of Fire
Protection Engineers, International Association of Arson Investigators, and
International Society of Fire Service Instructors. He is also a deputy chief for
the volunteer fire department in his hometown.
For this and other NFPA Headlines, please visit http://www.nfpa.org/PressRoom/index.asp.
NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and
life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit
organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the
quality of life by providing and advocating scientifically-based consensus codes
and standards, research, training and education. Developer of the Building
Construction and Safety Code(tm),
National Electrical Code®, Life Safety Code®, and 300 other codes and
standards, NFPA is also a partner in the development of the Comprehensive
Consensus Codes(tm) (C3) set for the built environment. The NFPA's Fire
Protection Research Foundation is the world's only independent charitable fire
research institution. NFPA also produces educational curricula, including the
Risk Watch® community-based injury prevention curriculum, the Remembering
When® falls and fire prevention program for older adults, and the Learn Not to
Burn® fire safety curriculum. NFPA headquarters is in Quincy, MA, USA. Visit
NFPA's Web site at www.nfpa.org.
Fire Grant in 2004 Budget
By Garry Briese, IAFC
We have some good news for the FIRE Grant program. But, as with many things at the Federal level, there are some proposed changes that we are “concerned” about.
Today the president submitted his budget to Congress for fiscal year 2004 which begins October 1st of this year and the budget discussions have begun in earnest on Capitol Hill. Contained in the budget under the Department of Homeland Security is the budget proposal for the Office of Domestic Preparedness.
The president proposes $3,558,000,000 for ODP of which not less than $500,000,000 shall be for grants under the Assistance to Firefighters grant program (FIRE Act). A line item in the budget itself is provided. What this means is that the administration, for the first time, is actually proposing funding for the FIRE Act as a separate program.
cont. from page 3 fire grant
IAFC SUCCESS: This is a major success for the IAFC since keeping the FIRE Act a separate program is a key congressional goal for the IAFC and we have devoted significant work and time from both staff and members to keep the FIRE Grants separate. Importantly, Governor Ridge gave his personal commitment on this goal to Chief Bruegman while we were in the White House within minutes of President Bush signing the legislation to create the new Department of Homeland Security.
The amount in the budget of $500,000,000 is short of the $900,000,000 that Congress has authorized for the FIRE Act. But, more than we have this year (about $360 million) We will continue to work with both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees to raise that up toward the $900 million figure.
The administration’s proposal would also change the location of the program giving it to ODP instead of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (formerly FEMA) which has administered the grant program since its inception.
ITEM: Given the success of the FIRE Grant program in FEMA, moving the FIRE Grant program to ODP is concerning to the IAFC and we are working to obtain more details about this proposal. We understood that the FIRE Grant program would remain under the new EP&R (formerly FEMA) and particularly under the Preparedness Division. This will require more work to decide if this is an acceptable move for the fire service and for the IAFC.
SUMMARY: All-in-all, a good start for the FIRE Grant program and a big success for the IAFC and the others who have worked so hard on this.
However, there still is not a budget for 2003 and the government is operating on a continuing resolution with the 2002 budget.
We still do not have a figure for the 2003 Fire Grant program…..no budget has been approved by Congress and they are nearly 5 months late.
While the 2003 FIRE Grant program has not been officially announced (since there is no budget), fire departments can already be preparing what they will need to submit for a FIRE Grant since the application period is expected to be relatively short. Get everything ready so when USFA announces the availability of the grants, you are ready!
IAFC Adopts Strategic Plan for 2003-2004
The International Association of Fire Chiefs announced the publication of its Strategic Plan for the years 2003-2004. The plan establishes the IAFC’s overarching direction for the next two years and outlines specific strategies to meet each key objective in seven specific categories.
More than 100 fire service leaders collaborated in the development of the new Strategic Plan at a recent meeting in Colorado Springs Oct. 18-19, 2002. Contributing to the effort were representatives from every IAFC division and section plus nearly 30 state fire chiefs’ association officers and a number of prominent fire service industry partners.
“This Strategic Plan will provide the framework and direction to allow the IAFC to meet the challenges of the future as an organization,” said Randy R. Bruegman, IAFC President. “In fact, more than any other plan we have ever produced,” Chief Bruegman continued, “I believe that this document truly represents the dynamic and comprehensive vision that will set the pace for the entire fire service for years to come.”
The 2003-2004 Strategic Plan outlines goals and strategies for the following areas:
Building Relationships and Partnerships
Fire and Life Safety
Leading the Fire Service
Legislative/Political Action
Marketing, Branding and Communications
New Revenue and Association Growth
Professional/Executive Skills Development
Anyone interested in viewing the new IAFC Strategic Plan may obtain a complete copy of the document which is available in both Word and .pdf format on the IAFC Web site at http://www.iafc.org/downloads/index.shtml.
Proposed By-law Change
Article VIII Officers and State Directors (Currently Reads)
Section 2 Officers: The officers of this division shall consist of President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and Director to the International. The president may succeed himself for one (1) additional term. The first and second vice presidents may succeed themselves for one (1) additional term only in the event that the president elects to do the same. they shall serve until their successors have been qualified and installed into office.
Change to
Article VIII Officers and State Directors
Section 2 Officers: The officers of this division shall consist of President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer and Director to the International. The president, first vice president, second vice president shall serve a one year term. They shall serve until their successors have been qualified and installed into office.
The proposed by-law change will be voted on at the Annual Conference Meeting at the Sheraton Springfield Hotel on Thursday June 19, 2003 at 3pm.