News from the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs

Chiefs Quarterly

NC Association of Fire Chiefs

1st Quarter 2009

A Message from the President

Chief Marty Dailey

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! When we enter into a new year, we often reflect back on the previous year and the accomplishments we have made and the difficulties we faced. As we all know, we are faced with tough economic times and challenges. The country has a new president and looks to be heading in a new direction. With the challenges of the economy, I look to find things that are inspirational and comforting. I came across a little story that I would like to share with you and hope it will inspire you as well.

The Mayonnaise Jar
and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that the jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.

The sand is everything else-the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are

important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

"One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

The Board is looking forward to working with you to meet your goals and challenges in this New Year. The Executive Board held its retreat last October and had a very successful meeting. Some of the items discussed

were as follows:

-- Our current membership us up this year to 1,354 members. We are looking at the possibility of offering associate and corporate memberships.

--The NCAFC website is back in operation and we thank you for being patient. We encourage you to view the website and welcome any ideas you may have in the future. Be sure to review the new ruling on safety vests. This has been an issue of concern and we encourage you to review the standard. I would also encourage you to take a look at the Declaration of Commitment and the Seat Belt Challenge.

--The 2009 Mid Winter Conference will be held at Wrightsville Beach, February 5th through the 8th at the Holiday Inn Sunspree. We are excited about the Conference and look forward to seeing everyone in attendance. The event will kick off with the golf tournament on Thursday, in addition to the training sessions beginning in the morning and going on through the afternoon. We feel that the Conference will be very informative and enjoyable for everyone attending.

--Fire Prevention School 2009: The annual Fire Prevention School will be held on April 27th through May 1st. Information will be going out to all interested in attending.

--The IMAS Emergency Response Plan is in its final draft. Chief Frank Burns and the IMAS committee have worked very hard and are to be commended. The committee will be meeting with IAFC on January 21st and 22nd for final review. The Emergency Response Plan and Field Guide are on the NCAFC website.

--Executive Development 2009: The Executive Development will return in 2009 at the Charlotte Training Academy. This is an executive development program for supervisors and chief officers. Look for information on this school and upcoming dates.

Remember "Leadership is a choice."

Martin Dailey

Fayetteville
Chief Honored

Fayetteville Fire Chief Benjamin "Benny" Nichols was recognized for his efforts to promote equal opportunity in the field of firefighting .

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation selected Chief Nichols for one of three of its annual Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards for unsung heroes. Nichols received the award and a $25,000.00 grant. The award, established in 1986, is given to people who have quietly made strides in the areas of advocacy, personal service and race relations.

Nichols became passionate about diversity after chairing several work session designed to find solution to racial problems. He advocated for the construction of a new fire station across from Fayetteville State University and he worked tirelessly to promote the fire service as a career at predominately black E. E. Smith High School. Four students from E.E. Smith graduated from the Academy of Fire Science - a key initiative supported by Chief Nichols that awards college credits to high school students.

Congratulations to Chief Nichols and the members of the Fayetteville Fire Department!

Printed with the permission of

Fire Chief Andy Webster -

Cool Springs Volunteer Fire Department

Chief Walker:

I sat down this morning to go through my mail that had come in the past two days for me at our station. As I was doing this I came across my copy of the Chiefs quarterly. I took a few minutes to read your last message and then I turned to read Director Mullen's message. When I came to the paragraph about the lack of responses to the "Declaration of Commitment" Safety Principles I was shocked as well. Not only by the low number of responses he stated, but by my own failure to respond to this. You see, as I was sitting at my desk I looked up at the calendar on the wall, looked at the month, July, and realized the 28th of this month falls on a Monday. That Monday will mark five years to the day that our department lost a brother firefighter. Lieutenant Randy Jones died that day from injuries he sustained when he was ejected from his vehicle in an accident while responding to a structure fire in our community. He was 23 years old. He was one of my best friends.

Randy joined our department as a Junior Firefighter. He was a young man who influenced a lot of our members, even at a young age, with his knowledge and dedication. Our department started our first responder program in 2000 at his urging. He was already an EMT and he helped so many of his brother and sister firefighters achieve this certification. He was the kind of member every fire chief wants to have in his department. He is missed and remembered every day.

In 2005, I was asked by the department I work for (City of Hickory Fire Department) to be part of our Stand Down for Safety training. I had given a class presentation about seat belt use in the fire service as part of my instructor methodology class and our training officer had seen it. Part of the presentation was about Randy and how his loss had affected our department. So, I took my 15 minute class presentation and expanded it to include what I believe was one of the causes of the accident and how it could have been prevented.

In 2003, I was a Deputy Chief in our department. I had the position and the power to make a difference, and I didn't. I didn't show the leadership I should have. I should have stressed to Randy the importance of wearing his seatbelt. I should have told him he needed to watch his speed. I should have told him if he didn't slow down and wear his seatbelt that there would be consequences for it, like suspension or demotion. But I didn't. Your slogan is so right; safety does start at the top.

In January of this year, I was appointed the Fire Chief of this department. At my first meeting with the membership, I told them there would be one rule that I would not tolerate being bent or broken. That is wearing your seatbelts. I told them that if I saw them not wearing a seatbelt they would be given something to carry to remind them to do so. That something is one of Randy's department ID tags that I picked up that day at the accident scene. The ones I had hoped to give back to him. I carry them with me - one in my vehicle, the other in my gear. I told them if I saw them a second time I would ask for their equipment back, thank them for their service and tell them good bye. Yes, we struggle with staffing too, but we are going to operate safely or not at all.

I want to thank you Chief Walker for your service to our Association and for your dedication to the safety of our members. Safety does start at the top. If in the future a firefighter of fire chief questions why they need to sign on and be a part of the "Declaration of Commitment to Safety", have them contact me. My cell phone number is 704-902-6310, it is always on.

A Message from the Executive Director

Kenneth G. Mullen

Every time there is a 911 call for assistance, an emergency vehicle responds. We do what we do out of compassion and a desire to help our fellow man. Our training programs should be designed to provide our firefighters with knowledge and abilities to control an incident, but the training they receive also should provide them with the knowledge and ability to protect themselves from the dangers of the profession. We train them and share our experiences in an effort to prepare them for the dangers they will face. We provide them with the best equipment that technology can produce and we strive to provide the leadership and support that enables them to make the good decisions under extremely difficult conditions.

With all the experience, technology, equipment and machines we can be provide, the single most critical piece of the firefighting equation is the firefighter. When individual compassion, trained aggression and the violent reaction created by a force of nature that Solomon refers to as never being satisfied and never saying enough are combined, despite our best efforts firefighters may be injured by fire. Beyond the initial treatment on the scene and at the local hospital, who treats us if we suffer from a burn injury?

The Board of Directors of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs recently held a Board meeting at the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill, met with the Burn Center Advisory Board, and toured the Burn Center. We came away with a great appreciation for the work that is being done at the UNC Burn Center and I found a passion for service that is equal to that I have experienced over 34 years in the fire service.

Dr. Bruce Cairns and the staff at the Burn Center are truly dedicated to helping citizens and firefighters recover from traumatic burn injuries. While many hospitals are trying to distance themselves from providing this type of care due to the cost, the longevity of care required for burn survivors, and the fact that it isn't high profile like many of the other medical interventions, the Advisory Board and Dr. Cairns and his staff are working tirelessly to learn more about burn injuries and how to treat them. Burn injuries cannot be cured, but the treatment can be improved. Plans are underway to increase bed space at the Center and the Staff and Advisory Board continue to recruit qualified research physicians to the hospital.

The Burn Center Staff and Advisory Board are very appreciative of the North Carolina Fire Service and recognized our contributions to the State during their April meeting by voting to expand their Board. Joining the Executive Director of the North Carolina Firemen's Association on the UNC Burn Center Advisory Board are the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Insurance and the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs.

As we discovered during our tour, evidence of the fire services long history with the Burn Center is evident throughout the maze of passageways leading to the burn survivors. There are plaques with names of fire departments and fire service leaders who supported the Burn Center with generous gifts in the past. The small chapel, which has served as a place of comfort for many families of burn survivors, bares the name of the North Carolina Fireman's' Association. The most recent addition in the Burn Center that recognizes the fire service is a small board that displays patches of fire departments throughout our State (small now, but something we can expand immediately). I am told these patches are of great interest to the children and they offer visiting family members a brief distraction as they learn to deal with the reality of what has become the new normal for their family.

We often look to the future more often than we look at our history, but today I would ask you to do both. Let's not forget what the fire service has done to support the Burn Center and let's look forward to what we can do to help them expand in the future. In any action, there is a period of calm that can turn into complacency. Let's remain committed to seeing that the Burn Center is always available in the event those we serve or those we serve with need their care.

The question we can begin to ponder is how we can partner with the Burn Center to insure our firefighters, that if they do suffer a burn injury, they will be treated at a hospital in our State; and insure that their family members can remain in state to provide the love and care so critical to the recovery process. The Burn Center is one of those places we hope we never have to visit as a patient, but we should be comforted knowing that one of the best in the United States is in our own State. We will be providing you with more information about the Burn Center in the future.

We have a great deal in common with our friends at the UNC Burn Center. They remain out of the lime light. They are always there ready to serve at a moments notice. They are well trained and their tactics are aggressive. They genuinely care about their customer. Sound familiar?

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