Wednesday, April 30th thru Friday, May 2nd

Indian River Delegation Attends 26th Annual Congressional Fire Service Institute.

During the period of Wednesday April 30th thru Friday, May 2nd, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company permitted five (5) officers or members to attend a premier training opportunity in Washington, DC for fire service practitioners whose responsibilities include enhancing the volunteer fire service in and for the State of Delaware as well as obtaining some professional development courses.

The five member delegation will obtain and/or enhance their knowledge, skills and abilities to train and assist our organization in further operational needs. Below is an example of the courses and activities available: http://www.cfsi.org/events/annual_dinner.cfm

OPENING SESSION: CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS

At every level of government, fire service leaders need to develop and maintain close working relationships with elected officials. Relationships based on mutual respect and trust are essential to educating our elected officials about the challenges and needs of first responders. To continue making progress with our agenda, we must maintain relationships with veteran political leaders while reaching out to newly-elected leaders to help them understand how they can best serve and represent their local first responders. Moderator: Bill Webb, Congressional Fire Services Institute Panelists: Congressman David Reichert (WA-8), Chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus Steve Austin, International Association of Arson Investigators Kevin O'Connor, International Association of Fire Fighters

PREPARING FOR AND RESPONDING TO ACTIVE SHOOTER AND MASS CASUALITY INCIDENTS

Active shooter and mass casualty incidents (AS/MCI) may take place in any community and have a significant impact on fire and emergency services. It is imperative that fire departments develop sufficient resources to handle these scenarios. This panel will discuss the steps local fire departments can take to prepare for, and respond to, AS/MCI. Moderator: Steve Edwards, North American Fire Training Directors Panelists: Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., United States Fire Administrator Rick Patrick, Department of Homeland Security

TAKING ACTION AGAINST CANCER IN THE FIRE SERVICE

The mission of the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) is to provide timely assistance to all fire service members and their families in the event of a cancer diagnosis. FCSN provides fire department members and their families various specialized programs and education sessions to help them in dealing with cancer. This seminar will provide information on these programs and on the FCSN White Paper "Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service" in addition to offering eleven action steps for reducing exposure to carcinogens. Moderator: Dan Crow, Firefighter Cancer Support Network Panelists: Trey Kelso, Firefighter Cancer Support Network

THE FCC AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS

This session will provide an overview of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC)'s role in public safety communications, current issues before the commission, and potential issues of interest to the fire service in 2014. In addition, the panelists will discuss licensing issues that fire departments should be aware of. Moderator: Chief Doug Aiken, International Municipal Signal Association Panelists: Russell H. Fox Esq., Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC Ralph A. Haller, Public Safety Coordination Associates

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION:

The Importance of Fire Prevention and Education Programs in Your Community Benjamin Franklin, the Father of the American Fire Service, once said "An ounce of prevention is a worth a pound of cure." Robust and comprehensive fire prevention and education programs are a critical component of any fire department's mission. Yet fire prevention programs continue to be under-funded and under-staffed throughout the country. This roundtable discussion will cover the importance of fire prevention and education programs to local communities, the impact that budget cuts can have on these programs and the communities they benefit, and strategies for securing funding to preserve these programs. Moderator: Chief Dennis Compton, International Fire Service Training Association Panelists:: Lorraine Carli, National Fire Protection Association Pat Morrison, International Association of Fire Fighters Chief Adolf Zubia, International Association of Fire Chiefs Chief Phil Stittleburg, National Volunteer Fire Council

FEDERAL FUNDING FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

So how does the Administration develop its budget figures each year for the various grant programs that benefit public safety? This is a good question and the answers will help fire and emergency services officials to understand what they need to do to ensure the continued support of the Administration for these programs. This seminar will look into the budget process within Department of Homeland Security and the types of key factors taken into account when Congress sets funding levels for programs such as AFG and SAFER. Moderator: Jim Dalton, CFSI National Advisory Committee Vice-Chair Panelists: Cathie Patterson, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

NATIONAL COHESIVE WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The escalating cost of wildland fires in this country continues to be a significant problem. Spiraling costs associated with suppression and damages to both natural resources and community infrastructures are exacting heavy tolls on local, state, and federal budgets. With structural development continuing to penetrate deeper into the Wildland Urban Interface, action is needed to address this growing challenge. The National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy addresses the impact of wildland fire across our national landscape and on government budgets, and recommends strategies to reduce the negative impact of fire on people, property, and natural resources. Moderator: Joe Stutler, Deschutes County (OR) Senior Advisor Panelists:Victoria Christiansen, United States Forest Service Robert Cope, National Association of Counties Chief Bob Roper, IAFC Wildland Fire Policy Committee Brad Simpkins, New Hampshire State Forester

IMPACT OF THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ON THE DELIVERY OF FIRE SERVICE-BASED EMS

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The law is one of the largest overhauls of the nation's healthcare industry in a generation and will have a far-reaching impact on how fire service-based EMS systems operate. Over the next few years, many of these provisions will become effective. Leading experts on fire-service based EMS will discuss potential impacts of the law on your departments. Moderator: Chief Dennis Compton, International Fire Service Training Association Panelists:Lori Moore-Merrell, International Association of Fire Fighters Ken Willette, National Fire Protection Association Chief Bruce Moeller, International Association of Fire Chiefs Chief Ken Knipper, National Volunteer Fire Council

CFSI/BUILDSTRONG COALITION FORUM: STRONG BUILDING CODES - OUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

Model building codes govern all aspects of construction and help to protect homes and office buildings from hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, fire, ice storms, and other natural catastrophes. With billions of dollars paid by the federal government and the private sector for disaster relief and rebuilding communities, legislation to encourage the widespread adoption of model building codes would enhance the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) goal of making sure our cities and towns are better equipped to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters. This forum will feature a discussion of efforts by CFSI and the BuildStrong Coalition to incentivize states to adopt and enforce state-wide building codes. Additionally, key Congressional leaders will discuss the need enhance existing mitigation programs with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Keynote Speakers: Congressman Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) & Senator Mark Begich (AK) Congressional Panel: Jimi Grande, BuildStrong Coalition (Moderator), Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Congressman Dennis Ross (FL-15), Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), Congressman Ed Perlmutter (CO-7) Industry Roundtable:Julie Rochman, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (Moderator); Dr. William Jenaway, Congressional Fire Services Institute; Bill Windsor, BuildStrong Coalition Executive Committee; Dominic Sims, International Code Council; Leslie Chapman-Henderson, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes; David Heyman, Department of Homeland Security; Michael Lingerfelt, American Institute of Architects

CFSI/NFFF TOWNHALL MEETING: “EVERYONE GOES HOME”

2014 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Firefighter Life Safety Summit in Tampa, FL. Through this meeting, fire service leaders developed 16 Life Safety Initiatives to reduce the number of firefighter deaths and ensure that "Everyone Goes Home." The town hall meeting will discuss the findings from the Tampa 2 Summit scheduled for March 11-12. 2014. In addition, the session will include a discussion of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Vulnerability Assessment Program and an overview of the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program. Moderator: Vickie Pritchett, Common Voices Panelists: Ron Siarnicki, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Hope Janke, Department of Justice

Delaware's COngressional Delegation Discusses Emergency Response Concerns with Delaware Firefighters Prior to the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) Annual Dinner in Washington Thursday, leaders of the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association (DVFA) met with our United States Elected Representatives on issues related to emergency-response services.

The primary objective of CFSI was taken from their website and illustrated below:

http://www.cfsi.org/mission.cfm

"....to educate Members of Congress about fire and life safety issues." Whether you are a firefighter, emergency services responder, manufacturer or fire service leader, the United States Congress is more aware of your concerns because of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI).

Established in 1989 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute, CFSI is designed to educate members of Congress about the needs and challenges of our nation's fire and emergency services so that the federal government provides the types of training and funding needed by our first responders.

Members of Congress often turn to CFSI for its knowledge that penetrates the inner workings of Capitol Hill and the various facets of the fire and emergency services - from culture of the fire service and various associations that represents different disciplines to the technology and training being developed by industry. Because of our nonpartisan nature, CFSI is a proven source for accurate and objective information on fire service issues. That is why CFSI has achieved unparalleled success in consensus building...not only on Capitol Hill, but among fire service organizations as well.

For CFSI, success is built around education.

Each year, we provide a series of educational activities, mostly through hands-on training programs, to sensitize Congress about the challenges facing the fire service.

Attached is a link to the Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association for reference purposes:

http://www.dvfassn.com/

http://www.jems.com/article/industry-news/three-fire-departments-honored-medicaler

http://www.cfsi.org/events/annual_dinner.cfm