Greetings from the Business Office

It is hard to believe, but the calendar has turned once again and we are beginning preparations for the 64th Annual Conference in Cocoa Beach. One of those preparations includes a new provision for electing members to the Board of Directors. I would encourage all members to review the by-laws posted on our web page and become familiar with the timelines if you have any desire to run for a position. As a reminder we will be electing Regional Directors this year.

There have been significant changes and the timeline now stretches out 180 days from the conference. As of this writing we are approaching the first milestone which is noted below as it appears on my calendar.

Election Schedule Begins: (Check each month for benchmarks)

Section 11. Appointment of Nominating Committee - No later than one-hundred and eighty (180) calendar days prior to the annual meeting, the President shall solicit one (1) name from each Regional Director and the selected member from each of the regions shall serve on the Nominating Committee. Representatives shall not be Board Members.

Section 12. Announcement of Nomination Process - No later than one-hundred and eighty (180) calendar days prior to the annual meeting, the Association shall notify members of the nomination and election process dates by: posting on the Association's internet site and; 1. Direct mail to members; or 2. Email to members; or 3. By fax service to members.

Another recommendation I would make for anyone considering service as a member of the Board is to read the document titled Board of Directors Handbook found in the drop down menu titled "About" on the web site.

One of the essential elements of a member run organization is the membership itself. All of us are recruiters in some capacity. Look around your area of professional contacts and reach out to anyone who can benefit from membership in the FFMIA. There are many opportunities for everyone from inspectors, to contractors to local business owners and manufacturers. Take a few minutes to look through your contacts in Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter, or for some of us fossils that old paper rolodex on your desk. For you kids out there that was something we used years ago as a desktop quick reference phone book. Okay...a desktop is a large slab of wood on legs, usually with a few drawers for hiding things where we used to sit and do our jobs. But I digress.

The strength of our membership will have a direct reflection on our ability to strengthen your professional growth track. Get involved and help us take this great organization to the next level.


Sincerely yours in a fire safe State of Florida,

Jon W. Pasqualone, Business Manager/C.O.O. 

You probably have not given it much thought but, indulge me for a moment if you will. If you were to ask this same question of the membership of this organization, I really doubt you would get the same answer from any two individuals. The quick and easy answer would include something about the great networking opportunities provided in the conferences as well as the training opportunities that are provided around the state.

I have heard it said many times that membership in this organization would be a bargain at twice the price to just have access to the chat group as a resource. Where else can you get great advice or answers from just about any code related question at any time? I'm more than comfortable that I am not the only one to have been challenged by a comment or answer to a post on the chat group to look at a subject from a little bit different perspective after considering a position taken by a colleague on any number of code issues. Having said that, where else can you have free access to "subject matter experts" on any topic in the life safety world? Consider also that we have representation from both authorities having jurisdiction as well as professional engineers and other design professionals in our organization that offer their input on any number of issues in the chat group.

From a training standpoint, we have the best training available with experts in the fire protection industries as well as enforcement that are available for classes around the state for free to members of the organization. Have you taken a minute to consider the qualifications of many of the leaders in this great organization? Take a few minutes to check out the listings of committee members in many of the codes that you work with everyday. I will not get into specific names lest I leave someone out but, many of our members are in leadership positions on national code committees. If you attend our conferences and training opportunities, you too can spend a few minutes 'picking the brains' of these professionals and getting to know them a little better. We have several members that have received recognition from allied organizations for their support and work to further the common mission of life safety with our industry partners.

If for no other reasons than opportunities for professional growth and development, this organization is the best thing going, certainly for the price and convenience.

But, enough of the work related reasons for participating in this association. What do you think of the group personally? Maybe you are one of those rare individuals that have all of the personal friends you need but, have you ever wondered if you really had an issue or needed personal support away from the job, if there would be someone to turn to that would have your back? I can tell you from recent experiences that there are friends within this organization that are closer than a brother. Some of you may be aware of our recent experience with craniosynostosis with our grandson. As any that have experienced a potential life threatening or altering event in the life of a loved one, the stress can sometimes be overcoming. While having been blessed with a great spiritual support group as well as a wonderful extended family, it has also been very comforting to know my FFMIA family has also been here with me every step of the way.

Those that know me will probably agree that I am often a very private person when it comes to expressing any personal need of my own, usually electing to keep my needs to myself instead of being open and letting people know what's really going on in my life. Some healthcare professionals would say that this is not a good practice since it can lead to increased (and unnecessary) stress in one's life. Stress can contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes, and make you more likely to catch less serious illnesses like colds. It can also contribute to alcoholism, obesity, drug addiction, cigarette use, depression, and other harmful behaviors.

Having said this, let me also tell you that after opening up to several of my FFMIA family, once they were made aware of a problem in my life, the result was not only reassuring and refreshing, but I really learned a lot about exactly what my FFMIA looks like. The best comparison that I can give to the care and concern expressed by this great group would only be personal family and church family. Multiple people praying for my family and I, offers of assistance while traveling, offers to take care of "anything, anything at all, you just call" while we were away, not only of my personal needs but those of extended family that my FFMIA friends have never met, just because they cared and wanted to help. Even to the extent of an offer of free lodging when a fellow member discovered we would be in an area where they owned housing.

Never before had a need arose where I would look at this organization in such a way but even if I had, I cannot say that I would have seen this organization as true family like they came through in this manner. I probably would have recognized the professional organization that we most often see, but never the personal, caring group that they are.

To me, my Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association looks like family. Yes, we disagree sometimes and even might be a little tough on each other sometimes but, when the chips are down and the going gets tough, my FFMIA is family. Get to know your family.

Article provided by:

Bob Ratliff