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PLATFORM
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Build and Maintain an Inclusive & Sustainable Emergency Service Model

We face numerous challenges. 

 

The number of volunteer firefighters are steadily decreasing while the need is increasing to transition to combination departments.  Other critical issues include the financial impact on communities of all career staffing. Nearly every fire department in the nation is struggling with recruitment and retention. 

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It is critical to educate the community and our nation’s political leadership on the services we provide.  We are absolutely indispensable.  But we cannot do it alone. 

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Our customers want clearly defined services that directly meet their needs. 

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Instead of trying to solve these problems individually, let us shift this to a national conversation. As leaders we have a base of knowledge that will allow us to address recruitment, retention, adequate staffing, training and response demands. This acts as a force multiplier to bring a more widescale awareness to what we do and what we need. 

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The IAFC is the ideal machine to initiate a national public relations campaign to provide information to our members.  As the second Vice President you can count on me to build the strategic bulwark necessary for this vital face-forward planning and implementation. 

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Safety & Wellness of Fire and Emergency Service Personnel

As your second Vice President I assure you that I will do everything within my power to educate our nation’s leaders about the risks we face as firefighters and how those leaders can directly support the equipment procurement and practices needed to ensure our safety. 

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We have recognized that cancer is one of the major killers of volunteer and career firefighters, and we have increased awareness on the emotional and physical toll that is sometimes realized by our commitment to serve as it relates to mental wellness.

 

It is imperative that we continue to educate and facilitate health and wellness for our firefighters so that we may implement realistic programs and solutions for our front line personnel. 

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Essential training programs are being implemented on the Lavender Ribbon and Yellow Ribbon reports so that this critical information can reach all of our personnel. It is absolutely our responsibility to educate community leaders on the risks we face each day.

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Citizen Preparedness

We have seen an incredible surge in the number of natural and man-made disasters. The impact of these disasters can quickly overwhelm the immediate capacity of our responding agencies.

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I would like to create opportunities to collaborate with the right partner agencies, such as FEMA and our SME’s in community risk reduction to develop a realistic and comprehensive toolkit for our communities so that our citizens are empowered and invested in best outcomes and faster recovery.

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Emerging Impacts on Response

The IAFC has a responsibility to be knowledgeable about emerging issues affecting our emergency response.  We are expected to inform our members and community leaders about timely challenges. 

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We possess a vast pool of subject matter experts who can identify solutions and collaborate to implement changes.  There are so many examples in which the IAFC has empowered experts to create programs or reports that directly assist and educate our members. This in turn makes for stronger communities and a better emergency response delivery model nationwide. 

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