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Greetings from Your President
I am here in my office this morning, the phone is ringing, people are stopping by to ask questions, and I have yet another deadline. It is time to address the membership through our monthly newsletter. I can assure you this is what I would rather be doing than what I just was, agenda review for our local amendments to the fire code. By the time this article is published, we should be operating under the new edition of 69A-60, the Florida Fire Prevention Code. Copies are now available by looking on the State Fire Marshal's website and training continues around the state thanks to our fantastic relationship with the NFPA through our Executive Director Chuck Akers.
To update anyone who was not at the FFMIA business meeting, we have retained the lobbying services of Eric Prutsman for another year. The Legislative Committee is tracking several bills during the weekly conference call with the SFMO, Florida Fire Chief's Association, and Florida Professional Fire Fighter's Association. The calls began taking place back in December on every Monday morning and will continue until a few weeks after session ends. During these calls the FFMIA is looked upon for input into several bills that are related to public safety to include the weakening of national codes like the apartment fire alarm system issue and the sale of matches and lighters to minors. It is during this call where we have input to direct Eric's efforts and he often calls on us to attend committee meetings to get our voice heard in front of the various committee members as bills track through the legislative process. Often from these conference calls, a decision is made for a "Call to Action" through our A-list email list. It is important for us to maintain a strong and unified voice during these "Calls" by contacting your local elected officials and letting them know where the fire service stands on specific issues.
Now I would like to welcome our newest elected member to the Board, David Bivens from City of Lakeland Fire Department. He replaces our long standing Secretary/Treasurer (Chief) Rick Butcher, who will be sorely missed, but not too much (I will explain.) It is my intention to have the role of our Secretary/Treasurer serve like the Secretary/Treasurer from the FFCA. Since we now have COO Jon Pasqualone on board and running the daily business of the association, we do not have as much reliance on the position for daily operations. Instead, the role will focus more as oversight to the financial operations of the association to bring more transparency to our business practices. However, Secretary/Treasurer Bivens will not be alone. I intend on appointing a three member committee that will serve alongside David serving as the Chair to guide, evaluate, and vet the budget process. This is where I say I won't miss Chief Butcher too much. He will be one of my appointments along with Chief Buddy Emerson from St Lucie County Fire District and Chief Bob Lowman from Coral Gables Fire Rescue. I want to thank all three of these members for their willingness to serve our organization from the background.
Speaking of serving, we are always trying to pursue involvement from all levels of our association. Since I came onto the Board about 10 years ago, it was a focus of ours to come up with ways to have members throughout the many regions to participate on committees such as the Informal Interpretation Committee, the Legislative Committee, the Regional Director's Liaison Committee, the Educational Programming Committee for the conferences, etc. If you wish to serve and become more active within our association, I would love to put your talents to use. Just email me at jpcollin@pbcgov.org and let me know what your area of expertise is and I will try to plug you into one of our standing committees or create a new one in an effort to assure our vision remains dynamic.
Until next time,
Jeff Collins, MS, PE
President, FFMIA
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Salutations from Leslie
Greetings:
I hope everyone survived these busy past three months! One would think that it is time to slow down. Not happening! The New Year brings promises of new starts and fresh ideas and we are ready to tackle the challenge!
We are calling all Public Educators for fresh ideas for the new set of PSA's we are planning to produce this coming spring. Tell us, what would you like us to address as a safety message? What is an important message you would like to get out to your community that may save a life? How would you like to see this produced? Send me your ideas and thoughts ASAP!!!! We have already started brainstorming and have some issues we would like to see on this next group of productions:
- Residential Fire Sprinklers Systems
- Firefighters/ friends
- Lights and Sirens/ Move over law
These are just a few of the ideas we will be working on but we want to hear from you! Tell us what you think! Educators are very creative and we need your ideas and passion for saving lives to come up with the next idea for the PSA's!
As last year, we want to have these ready to hand out at the next conference so put on your thinking hats on and give me a call! We're ready to roll!
Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Leslie Adent
FAFLSE Chair
Ladent@southernmanateefd.org
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Florida Fire Investigators Association
As we ring in a new year, I always find it appropriate to remind myself and others about the importance of health and safety when conducting a fire and explosion scene investigation. Unfortunately, we sometimes get complacent and forget about conducting an initial assessment of the scene before commencing our investigation. The extra time we spend assessing the scene for hazards will go a long way towards reducing the chance of injury. In addition to your own safety, consider the safety of others on the scene. Implementing strict security will also protect unauthorized persons while enhancing the credibility of the investigation.
Listed are some of the common hazards that fire and explosion investigators will likely face during a scene investigation.
- Structural Collapse - loss of structural integrity
- Chemical - unidentified chemicals, determine if chemicals exist in the scene. Ask questions. When suspected, consult with your closest Haz Mat Team.
- Improvised Explosive Devices - is there a potential? If a suspected device is found, "DO NOT TOUCH." Immediately contact your closest Explosive and Hazardous Device Disposal Team (Bomb Squad).
- Electrical - before entry into the scene, verify that service is disconnected. Never assume that the electrical service was disconnected during fire suppression. Verify this through the incident commander and Power Company.
- Airborne and Blood borne pathogens - if suspected, wear proper protection.
The last point I would like to share is wearing protective equipment on a consistent basis. You might not prevent all injuries but wearing proper protective gear will certainly reduce your exposure to injury. Safety helmet, work gloves, protective eyewear, safety boots and particulate mask will go a long way towards reducing injury. Remember, not all scenes are the same and in some cases, additional protection will be required.
And not to forget the important reference guides, please make sure and reference NFPA 921 (Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations) and NFPA 1033 (Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator) periodically or while on scene when questions may arise.
I want to wish all of you a safe and healthy new year.
Mark Sauls
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Greetings from the Business Office
My how time flies! It is hard to believe that I have been in the position of your business manager for one (1) year already. Let's take a look at some of our accomplishments...The following is the annual report I submitted to the membership and distributed at the annual conference in St. Augustine in November. For those who were not in attendance I have republished it for your benefit. I hope all had a very happy and safe holiday season and look forward to a rewarding 2012 for all. Dear Members: My activities while serving as the Immediate Past President for the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association since the November 2010 conference drastically changed roles as I resigned my position on January 1, 2011 to assume the role of our association's first Business Manager/Chief Operating Officer. It has been a very fulfilling year with some significant accomplishments and I look forward to many more. Below is a summary of my activities:
- Attended Fire Rescue East in Daytona Beach
- Continue to serve as FFMIA representative to the Florida Firefighters Employment, Standards and Training Council. Attended all 2011 meetings/conference calls.
- Transitioned duties from the Secretary Treasurer March 1, 2011
- Attended the 1st Fire Service Legislative Caucus event in Tallahassee in March
- Attended and hosted FFMIA recipients for the "Of the Year Award" recognitions in Tallahassee in May
- Attended the FFMIA Board Meeting in West Palm Beach in June
- Facilitated SFM Workshop for Fire Code Administrator in West Palm Beach in June
- Joined the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce in June w/ formal ribbon cutting in July
- Attended the FFCA Summer Conference in Marco Island in July
- Participated on interview panel for new SFMO Fire Prevention Bureau Chief in Tallahassee in August
- Member of the 2011 Legislative Committee
- Facilitated and executed contract negotiations for FFMIA's lobbyist (secured again for 2012)
- Participated in weekly conference calls with SFMO during legislative session
- Participated in the development of our 2012 Legislative Position Paper
- Participated in various telephone communications with all members of the Board, the Executive Director, the membership and fielded numerous phone calls from the public at large
- Attended the 66th Annual Florida Fire Investigators Seminar
- Participated in monthly Executive Board conference calls
- Managed the financial affairs of the association since March
- Fulfilled all additional duties assigned by the President and the Board of Directors
There are new publications in place such as a Board of Directors User Guide designed to educate those who may aspire to be a member of the Board of Directors and also serves as a reminder of the expectations of those who currently serve in that capacity. You will find that document on our web site under the "About" button. You will also find an "Action Summary" which is a snapshot of Board of Director discussions, deliberations and actions taken on every monthly conference call. These action summaries are found in the Members Only section of the web site. I am also working on a policies and procedures manual for the association with five adopted at the Board meeting in June. This is an opportunity for all members to submit an issue which may be gray and request a Board policy statement on things like dress codes for conferences, committee appointments, participation and expectations, adoption of annual legislative position paper, etc... These will also be posted on the Members Only page so that everyone has an opportunity to view expectations of the Board and for participation in association activities.
It is an honor, privilege and a pleasure to be able to continue to provide service to this organization after spending so many years in leadership positions. I hope to remain an integral part in taking this organization to a higher level and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jon W. Pasqualone
Business Manager/C.O.O.
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AFSA Helps Burn Kids with Shoes
The Florida Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association has played a major role in the Children's Burn Camp for the last 5 years. The Chapter always wanted to make sure that they supplied the burn kids with items they can use throughout the year. They have donated items such as blankets, back packs, duffle bags, sleeping bags and most recently tennis shoes. Remember some of these kids have nothing; it is bad enough they have to deal with their circumstances but to add the lack of items to wear or keep warm in is unimaginable. The kids were so taken back by the tennis shoes that they became very emotional and some even needed to call home to tell their parents. Article Submitted By: Chuck Akers AFSA Executive Director |
63rd Annual Fire Prevention Conference
Were you there October 31 through November 3, in St. Augustine at the Renaissance Resort at Golf Village? If you were, then you know why attendees gave a standing applause for this year's conference as the one in perhaps more than 25 years.
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What's the Benefit of the Fire Service?
First, I don't just mean the fire department, I mean the entire fire protection community. This includes fire sprinkler and fire alarm companies, fire protection engineers and so on. In this arena today we are all fighting for our jobs and service. These are tough times for everyone. Governments no longer see us as an asset but more and more as a liability or expense. People don't see us as unique anymore because they don't see anything tangible. All people see is, occasionally, an expensive bright shiny fire apparatus racing to an incident. A majority of the time, the tax payer sees the apparatus sitting at the fire station not producing a benefit they can relate to. I know that comment will strike ire with fire crews because we all know that to be completely untrue; however that is what the general public sees and what government entities hear from taxpayers.
I have decided to take a different approach as the department PIO, fire investigator, and fire inspector. In the past, I had given the media release to the news agencies after an incident, loosely stating what had happened. I don't mean loosely as in not precise, but more in keeping comments to the media general in nature. Remember, telling ten people the same story will generate ten interpretations of that story. This is where I think I have shortchanged the fire service as a PIO. My current approach is to place a tangible value on what we, as the fire service, do.
On March 25th 2011, our fire department responded to a water flow alarm at a prominent boat manufacturing facility. The incident occurred at 3:00 in the morning in a 30,000 sq. ft. sprinkled building. The building was used for final construction and detailing of boats. Upon arrival fire crews found heavy smoke coming from the eves of the 32 foot high building. Command was established and immediately upgraded to a second alarm. A total of 23 units of fire apparatus responded to the incident. The incident was quickly under control when fire crews determined that the required fire sprinkler system had extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire was due to poor housekeeping by the employees. The fire damaged a boat valued at $250,000 before being extinguished. The story I gave to the news crew on scene was the fire caused two sprinkler heads to activate and that the system discharged approx. 70 gallons of water per minute. What the news media broadcast as "breaking news" was the fire sprinkler system caused massive damage.
Here is the approach we should be using; the fire was quickly bought under control by two sprinkler heads until fire crews arrived and accessed if further activities were warranted. The 30,000 sq.ft. facility was saved due to a properly installed and functioning fire sprinkler system. The water flow alarm alerted the fire department to respond. The fire department was able to shut down the sprinkler system once a determination found the fire was extinguished. Had the structure not been sprinkled, the fire would have been extremely difficult to control once fire crews would have arrived and there would have been much more water used to extinguish the fire.
The fire protection community saved all 6 structures at the facility with a total property value of $3,000,000. A loss of the structure would have greatly reduced the approximately $36,000 total tax revenue collected. Further, the fire protection community saved the other 11 boats in that structure. Even more, we kept the 220+ employees employed. No injuries were reported due to the quick action by the fire service. That's a tangible value the public can relate to.
By accurately documenting and publicizing the tangible value of our service to the public and governments, there can be a monetary value provided to citizens and customers which is what they are asking for.
Lt. Gary Berkheimer
West Central Regional Director
Pinellas Park Fire Department
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New Networking Opportunity
Do you have a profile on Facebook? If so, please be sure to "Like" us on our page. To access our page, visit us on the web at www.ffmia.org and click on Facebook.
In an effort to keep up with today's methods of information exchange, we are now posting course announcements and important updates on our Facebook page. But, that is not all we want to do with our page and we would like to share the great things our membership is doing for our organization, such as side by side burns, continuing education trainings, or service recognitions. So, if you have pictures, videos, and announcements you would like to share, please be sure to submit them and we will be glad to post it to our Facebook page. To do so, simply attach your media, a brief description of the event, including the date and location, your contact information and email it to: socialmedia@ffmia.org.
Please be sure to check out our recent post and photo albums from our annual conference!
For more information, feel free to contact (850) 393-9855 or (850) 981-7042. Look forward to networking with you online very soon!
Thank you,
Tambre L. Lee
2nd VP
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Coral Gables Fire Chief Receives International Fire Marshal Professional Designation
 Fire Chief Walter Reed of Coral Gables Fire Department has successfully completed the process and was awarded the professional designation of Fire Marshal (FM). The Center For Public Safety Excellence - Commission on Credentialing (CPC) met on November 15, 2011 to officially confer the designation upon Chief Reed. Chief Reed is one of only 5 professionally designated Fire Marshals worldwide.
The CPC awards the International Fire Marshal only after an individual meets all of the organization's stringent criteria. The Fire Marshal Designation Program uses a comprehensive peer review model to evaluate candidates seeking the credential. The process includes an assessment of the applicant's education, experience, professional development, technical competencies, contributions to the profession and community involvement. Additionally, all professional credentialing applicants are required to identify a future development plan. The Commission on Professional Credentialing which consists of individuals from academia, federal and local government, and the fire and emergency medical profession, is an entity of the Center For Public Excellence, Inc. (CPSE) and administers the FM Designation program.
In addition to the FM designation, Cheif Reed has also been a CPC-CFO designee for the past six and a half years, and EFO for the past fifteen years. Chief Reed is a 24 1/2-year member of the Coral Gables Fire Department. He has been a resident of Miami Dade County for the past 40 years and resides in Southwest Dade. He and his wife have five daughters and two grandchildren,
Article submitted by:
Division Chief Hope Gibbs
Coral Gables Fire Department
(305) 460-5571
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Jerry Graziose Receives First Broward County Fire Marshal of the Year Award
Jerry Graziose, BCPS Safety & Chief Fire Official, is recipient of the first Broward County Fire Marshal of the Year Award by the Fire Inspectors Association of Broward County. The announcement of the award came at the recently held annual Fire Inspectors Association of Broward County holiday luncheon and awards program attended by over 200 fire inspectors, fire marshals and fire chiefs from Broward County. "This is a true honor for both me personally and for the School District as a whole," said Graziose. "It demonstrates and recognizes how outstanding the fire safety and fire safety inspection programs are in our schools."
Graziose has conducted fire safety inspections of public schools in Broward County since 1974, first with the Bailey Road Fire Department in North Lauderdale and Margate Fire Department in 1977, and joined BCPS in 1984. "With over 34 years of active service to this District and its communities, and his dedication to insure the life safety of all therein, Jerry well deserves recognition as Fire Safety Inspector of the year 2011," said Victoria Stanford, Safety Specialist, in her nomination of Graziose for the award.
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Demonstration Shows Benefits of Home Sprinkler System
By JULIANA A. TORRES
Article published on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011 in Tampa Bay Newspapers, republished in Safety Matters with permission
KENNETH CITY - Within minutes, the flame lit in a wastebasket
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Photo by JULIANA A. TORRES Pinellas Park Fire Explorers hose down flames growing to potentially fatal temperatures just minutes after firefighters set the
fire in a Nov. 19 demonstration showing
the merits of a home sprinkler system.
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behind the couch and ballooned into a giant ball of fire that consumed the mock living room in the middle of the 45th Avenue. The hot flames billowed heavy black smoke, melted a thick sheet of protective plastic along the top of the enclosure and caused an old television inside to implode with a sudden crack of shattering of glass. This time, the fire was only a demonstration to show the community how quickly a fire can grow - and how quickly installed fire sprinklers can douse the flames. But almost a year ago, a similar fire had engulfed the Mischkes' Kenneth City house, just yards away from where the demonstration burned the morning of Nov. 19. On New Year's Day, a blast from a shattering window at the back of the house had been the only warning for Jack, Teresa and their daughter Lindsey to escape. "This demonstration was really important for me," Teresa Mischke told the crowd that had come to watch the fire as well as help the family celebrate their soon-to-be-reconstructed home. "This isn't about the destruction of the house. It's about saving the people and getting the people out. And that to me is the most important thing." The fire lit in the second mock living room, built almost identical to the first except for the addition of a single sprinkler head, didn't have a chance to grow into a serious flame. Thirty seconds after firefighters set fire to the wastebasket of discarded paper, the heat from the short flames activated the sprinkler system, and the room was doused in a shower of water. "You can see that room is going to be wet. But you're going to be able to move back into your home," said Chuck Aker, executive director for the Florida Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association, as he gave facts about house fires and sprinkler systems while the crowd watched the burn. Gallons and gallons of water had gushed from the floor of the first mock room after Pinellas Park Fire Explorers began hosing down the flames, fighting the heat and height of the fire with the sheer pressure of water. "I know you see the destruction from both of them," Teresa Mischke said, pointing to the room saved by the water sprinkler. "This over here, this water damage, who cares? It's material things. It's the people, your animals, your pets. That's what you want to get out of there. And that's what this protection does for our home." The Michkes' two cats were casualties in the fire that destroyed their house on Jan. 1. Pinellas Park Fire Inspector Lt. Gary Berkheimer had been called to the scene to figure out what had started the fire (rope lighting snaked around the tiki bar on the back patio was later blamed). He left feeling like he should to do more to help the family. The Mischkes now have a home fire sprinkler system installed into the new ceilings of their home. The state fire sprinkler association donated the material. Cox Fire Prevention in Tampa donated the labor to install it. Berkheimer said he wanted the Mischke house to be a model for the merits of having a home sprinkler systems to the community. If their neighbors' story wasn't enough to convince residents of the benefits of the sprinklers, Berkheimer hoped the side-by-side burn would help nail in the point. "You can see fire on TV and go, 'Wow, that's really awful.' But when you see it in front of you, it really hits home. And then you can start thinking about, 'What's in my house? How do I avoid a problem like that?'" Berkheimer said. Akers explained that while, on average, firefighters respond to a fire in about four to five minutes, that could be more than enough time for a fire to grow out of control. "Unfortunately, a home fire grows very quickly and spreads very quickly just (because of) what our home furniture is made of nowadays, all those petroleum products," he said. "It makes fires more intense, and it becomes deadly in just three minutes." Pinellas Park firefighters from the Kenneth City fire station, not a mile away from the Mischke house, responded to the fire within two minutes and 45 seconds of the first 911 call, made when the fire was only a small catch of flames by the tiki bar. But by the time the firefighters arrived, the flames had ascended into the attic, making it nearly impossible for the responding crews to extinguish them in time to save the house from major damage. Teresa and Lindsey barely escaped as smoke and fire filled the house. The house had to be almost completely gutted and rebuilt. The family hopes to move back in soon, though the timetable for that keeps getting moved back, Teresa Mischke said. "I've been really stressed out," she said. "It's really hard on the family. I don't know when we're going to move in." Still, Berkheimer arranged to have the street in front of their house closed off to traffic to host the side-by-side burn and a "block party" to celebrate the nearly-completed house. "This is a new beginning for the Mischke family," said Linda Cox of Cox Fire Protection. "Cox Fire has been so grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this ... to have a very effective forum for talking about what we based on our lives on." Cox gave the family symbolic gifts of bread, salt and wine, quoting the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" to welcome them back to their home. Berkheimer presented the Mischkes with a new mailbox. His wife, Diane Berkheimer, gave Lindsey a glass sculpture with the impression of a seahorse to decorate her new room. "My daughter wouldn't have made it if we weren't here," Teresa Mischke commented later, remembering her 21-year-old had been sleeping when the fire broke out. So while the family still has an uphill road to put their lives back together, they are grateful the devastation the fire caused wasn't as bad as it could be. And now, they will have a sprinkler system to help prevent another fire from growing out of control. For more information, visit the American Fire Sprinkler Association Florida chapter website at www.afsaflorida.org. Article published on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011 Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved.
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Lee County Fire Marshal's Association plans Santa Visit at the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida
Juanita and I were invited to attend this great worthwhile event to help in entertaining the children by face painting. Unfortunately some of these children will be stuck in the hospital over the holidays. Jackie Levesque from Bonita Springs Fire Department led the charge and had a great bunch of volunteers to assist her. You will see the volunteers pictured in the lobby of the hospital. Juanita and I look forward to attending next year. GREAT JOB!!
Leadership comes with Opportunities
You know just because you become President of an association does not mean you get to sit around and give orders. It could mean that sometimes you have to get dressed up, but dressed up as what? This picture will show you what can happen when you miss a meeting or step out of the room to take a call. Phil Green,  President of the Lee County Fire Marshal's Association did just that and at their most recent Santa visit to the Children's Hospital he found out what can happen. Phil made a great Elf and assisted Santa delivering presents to the kids that could not leave their rooms.
Once again LCFMA stepped up to serve their citizens and did it with professionalism even if you look like an Elf.
Articles Submitted By:
Chuck Akers
FFMIA Executive Director
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