Fire Chief

Using the future direction of the military at that time, we tried to predict the future direction of the fire service. Of course, these predictions were made in pre-9/11 days, and subsequently the mission of both services has been greatly expanded.

Next month, the American fire service will remember the nine Charleston, S.C., firefighters who were killed in the Sofa Super Store fire on June 18, 2007. The local media will carry reports and tributes. The fire service media, however, will be asking questions.

After about four months, it became clear to both of us that my public-sector upbringing and their private-sector, family owned ways of doing business weren’t a good fit. And in that environment there’s really only one person who can go.

This past week, FIRE CHIEF hosted its third Station Style conference in Phoenix. And I’m pleased to say that it was a success.

It had been a long, hard winter, but finally Chicago has spring fever. Temperatures have reached the 70s five days in a row. It’s the perfect weather to sit outside with a good book.

On the evening of April 1, after two very productive days of intense brainstorming and in-depth discussions, the curtain finally came down on the first act of the Vision 20/20’s National Strategic Agenda for Fire Loss Prevention.

April is a strange month. It starts off lightly with April Fools’ Day, becomes stressful midway through the month with tax day, and ends with anticipation while waiting to see if all those showers will give way.

Apparatus manufacturer Rosenbauer recently held a 10th anniversary celebration. One of the company’s U.S. partners is Kevin Kirvida, who is president of General Safety Equipment in Wyoming, Minn. He was on a mission — he wanted everyone know about three fellow Minnesotans. He told their story to those of us who shared his table at a small dinner in Sioux Falls, S.D. The following evening at the company’s formal celebration, he repeated the story for all the dealers, media and others in attendance.

The haunting sound of the lone bagpipe lingers in my ears. There isn’t a dry eye as I watch the final hugs at the cemetery. I am miles away at the studio of WKRC-TV in Cincinnati trying to add a firefighter’s perspective to the procession.

How many free baseball caps, buttons or thermal cups do you really need? Trade show freebies are nice, but one company came up with a different approach to attract show attendees to their booth.