As I write my first column as IAFC president, I am almost wordless with awe-awe that this small-town guy from Missouri could ever become this involved in an organization as vast and far-reaching in objectives and programs as the IAFC. It is truly an honor to be a servant of the membership as we strive to advance the goals and beliefs of the fire service leadership. And although we have 13,000 members, we actually represent the fire chiefs and chief officers of 1.2 million firefighters.
Member involvement has been the lifeblood of the IAFC since its establishment in 1873. And supporting the members’ involvement is the IAFC staff. It’s a relatively small staff for an association of this size, but it packs a lot into a day and, in many cases, the night. Further, with the recent appointments of Mark Light and deputy executive directors Mary Beth Michos and Nancy Weaver (see p. 13), we are poised to take this already highly productive association to a new level. Thus, I feel very fortunate to be president at this particular period in time.
Our Strategic Plan
My priority for the next 12 months is to keep our focus on our 2007-2008 strategic plan. Specifically, I would like to emphasize two areas in the coming term. One is the IAFC’s many partnerships, especially the Labor-Management Initiative (LMI). The LMI provides training and best practices that bring together individual departments’ labor and management leaders so they can work together to create a positive environment. In 2001, I attended an LMI workshop with my union counterpart, and it has made a dramatic difference in my department. Before the workshop, the two sides in our department were locked in an adversarial relationship. At the workshop, we examined the baggage both sides carried, dropped the baggage and started anew. The resulting atmosphere of trust and openness has enabled our department’s labor and management leaders to accomplish many initiatives together.
The LMI has been on the back burner for the past few years, but that’s about to change. Plans are currently underway to hold our first LMI conference in Kansas City, Mo., in 2008. We’re also beginning to work on a joint resolution that will outline the characteristics a department needs to foster a positive, productive environment.
Another part of the strategic plan I’ll emphasize in the coming year is membership development-an area that’s twofold. First, the leadership has been promoting the “Ask ‘Em” campaign, the premise of which is that many chiefs are not members simply because no one has ever explained what the IAFC really does for them, nor has anyone ever simply asked them to join.
The IAFC is composed of some of the top experts in the fire and emergency services. No one person is an expert at everything, but through our membership, we can find someone who’s already faced any issue that challenges a member and/or their department. We need to convey such benefits to potential members.
The second part of the membership emphasis may seem a little radical to some: Investigate the potential for a new member-classification system that’s more attuned to the needs of the company officer. The most experienced members have retired or are nearing retirement; newer members are still learning the basics and doing so without the frequent fire responses that seasoned their elders. I feel, as does your Board of Directors, that we chiefs have a responsibility for succession planning in our departments-a responsibility to provide the appropriate training, mentoring and preparation for company officers to become tomorrow’s fire chiefs.
Get Involved
I urge every member to get involved. We have a strong, healthy organization, primarily due to the dedication of our membership. The IAFC will be even more successful, more influential and more reflective of your needs when you get involved in a section, a committee or your geographic division. As in life, you only get out of membership what you put into it. If you have thoughts, suggestions or gripes, please feel free to let me know. Stay safe.
