President’s Report-June 2022
I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer and have plans to enjoy some time away from work or attending either IFE-USA’s Annual Education Conference/Fire Rescue International or their state fire chief’s conference. We are excited to announce many ongoing initiatives in our monthly newsletter.
IFE-USA’s Annual Education Conference
Returning to be co-located with Fire-Rescue International this year, the Institution of Fire Engineers, USA Branch will hold its Annual Education Conference on Tuesday August 23, 2022 in San Antonio, TX. The event will be co-located with Fire Rescue International, and the branch wishes to thank the International Association of Fire Chiefs for letting us co-locate. Our new CPD and Education Chair, Brian Boutwell and VP Ian Emmons are working hard to put together a program that will provide international perspectives and research-based presentations. We look forward to the agenda and will announce the exact room location as we draw closer to the date, as well as have a link to sign up to attend.
IFE Annual International Board Meeting and International General Assembly Meeting
Held on May 16 and 17, 2022, in Both the UK and virtually, International Board Chairman and USA Board Advisor Mark Chubb attended the board meeting. USA Branch President and IGA Representative Randall Hanifen attended the IGA meeting. On the 17th the IGA presented to the Board of Directors their meeting findings. The Board of Directors are focused on sustainability and responsibility issues to include ensuring that IFE remains a sustainable organization. Check out the reports in your latest IFE Journal for the board member reports. The IGA was joined by the new Volunteer Coordinator Debbie Cammies, who is working hard to build position descriptions and help branches attract volunteers, especially in the administrative support areas. We are excited to see her changes. International Board Member Hao-giang Tay is also a committee member of the International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition - Decades of Fire Safety Action Committee He provided a report on the “Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety International Fire Safety Standards Coalition” dated October 2021. You can find more information at https://ifsscoalition.wordpress.com/new-world-wide-fire-safety-initiative-launched/
Caribbean and South America Branch Establishment
After many years of work, the Institution of Fire Engineers will have a branch in the Caribbean and South America. Their initial Annul General Meeting and Education Conference will be held on June 21 and 22, 2022. The United States President has been invited to the event and I will be honored to fly the USA flag at the event. As someone who has traveled the Caribbean for much of my adult life and have visited the fire services on my travels, I am excited to see a branch formed.
EV Batteries and other International Hazards
If you are affiliated with fire protection and the fire services, it is no surprise that the Lithium-Ion batteries are providing many challenges. Check the IFE’s main webpage for many resources and educational session related to EV fires. This is an evolving hazard that will require all fire protection and response sectors to work collaboratively to fully understand and create both mitigation and response strategies for these new hazards. The one advantage of being an IFE member is the connection to the worldwide resources for emerging issues.
Continued Connection to Vision 2020
As you may be aware, we have John Rukavina as out primary Steering Committee Representative and Past President Nathan Trauernicht is the Executive Committee Representative. Vision 2020 has added President Randall Hanifen as the Alternate to John Rukavina on the Steering Committee. This commitment shows the close connection to Vision 2020. We will work together to provide more offerings from the two groups.
A Great Interest in the CPD and Education Committee; Need other Committee Members
Chair Boutwell reports a great response to the call for members. This is refreshing and what we will need to take our branch to the next level. We have other committees, such as Membership, Constitution and Bylaws, as well as the Elections Committee that can all utilize members to help. We also have the ability to create ah-hoc committees if the members see an area that we need to explore. If you have an interest in volunteering, please send an email to President@ife-usa.org and I will be happy to connect you to the appropriate chair.
Past Dues Collection Calls
Each year, a number of members either do not receive a dues notices due to changes over the year or just get busy and forget to remit payment. Member-at-Large Chris Riley will be making calls to those members to collect dues and update our systems. Thanks to everyone who has paid to date. This is the revenue stream that keeps the branch moving forward.
Outreach Activities
Member-At Large Peki Prince is actively working on new outreach opportunities to include partnering with CPD and Continuing Education Chair Brian Boutwell to produce some short informational videos for our members. Peki is looking for members that have video editing experience so that we can produce the videos in house and save our member’s money on production. If you are willing to help with some video editing, please email President@ife-usa.org
I hope everyone has a great start to summer and look forward to seeing everyone at the Annual Education conference at Fire Rescue International on August 23rd.
Randall W. Hanifen, Ph.D., CFO, FIFireE
President
Institution of Fire Engineers-USA Branch