2/8/2002 International Report

TO: MVAFC Board of Directors

FROM: Bob Pottberg, International Director

SUBJECT: Directors Report

DATE: 2/8/02

The Board meeting was preceded by the Leadership Summit on January 25 and 26. The purpose of the summit was to brief the leaders of the fire service on current issues the face today's fire service.

The summit was opened by our President, Chief John Buckman, and he covered the significant accomplishments of the IAFC. These will be on the web site and I would encourage everyone to review them and be aware of what our organization is doing for us.

Chief Julian Taliafero, our Treasurer, gave a overview of the current financial status of the organization. The report was very positive and I will discuss more details in the Board of Directors meeting area.

An update was given on the status of the National Emergency Management Association by Eric Tolbert, President. It is clear that we will all be more successful if we work together.

Mr. Chris Hoene, Research Manager for the National League of Cities, gave a report on the Municipal Budget Forcast. The state of the economy and the impact it is has had on municipal government was reviewed through statistic. This information can be found on the NLC web site.

Martin Eichelberger, President of the National Safe Kids Campaign, reported on their program and the importance the fire service has played in their success. Even with the success they have had there is still room for improvement by working together.

The National Fire Information Council gave an update on the 5.0 reporting system. It has been made more user friendly and clear for ease on completion.

Chief Ernie Mitchel, 2nd Vice President discussed the future challenges facing the fire service and Chief Smokey Dyer facilitated a feed back session which was used to encourage those present to provide additional information on what we might expect in the future. Details of the feed back will be made available.

After a break for dinner an evening session was conducted which covered the attract on the Woirld Trade Center and the Pentagon. These were very en lighting presentations and exemplified the need for planning and for and organized approach to the threat of terrorism.

The second day started of with the Senior Director of the Response and Recovery Office of Homeland Security, Michael Byrne. The additional $3.5 billion to increase homeland security should have an impact on all response agencies. We must continue to promote our position that the fire service is the first line of response and we must make every effort to insure we receive funding to assist us in increasing our effectiveness.

Our won Alan Caldwell, Director of Government Relations reported on the legislative progress and a forecast of what we might expect in the future. It is obvious we are making progress but we must continue our grassroots support of the Fire act grant program as these funds flow directly to the fire departments. The new money will go through the states and then to the local agencies. We have all dealt with this before and know the problems associated with the process. We must keep the pressure on our legislators to insure the states move this money.

Brian Cowan, Directorof USAF Grants Program Office, discussed the upcoming grant cycle. The grants will open March 1st and close April 1st. It will be by electronic filing however they will accept written submittals from those who cannot file electronically. This year only one grant may be submitted by a department. Although the areas have been reduced to four, many items are included in each area and could be tied to one grant. For more information please visit the USAF web site.

Gail Walters, the Director of the IAFC Communications Department, gave a presentation on the Power of Public Image. It is evident that we can improve in this area and steps will be taken.

USAF Administrator, David Paulison, discussed the USAF and FEMA and the course that is being set for improvement. We are quite fortunate to have a fire service representative in this office and it will bode well for the fire service. He also related the position of FEMA, the USAF and the Office of Homeland Security and how working together will improve our ability to cope with and prepare for new acts of terrorism. It appears there is a genuine concern in making all the emergency service parts work together to insure an increased level of preparedness.

Our Executive Director, Gary Briese, discussed what the future might hold for the IAFC. The importance of all organizations working together and what positive results could occur were expressed.

The Summit was wrapped up by Chief Smokey Dyer in a Town Hall style meeting giving everyone an opportunity for input on how the IAFC can improve and what the perception of the future of emergency service is. Again, details of that discussion will be made available.

Board of Directors Meeting

The Board meeting started with a report from Chief Smokey Dyer, Chairman of the Constitution and By-laws Task Force. It is apparent this task force worked hard to come up with a consensus recommendation that could be put fourth at our annual conference. I feel they were successful in clearing up some problem areas and the new constitution and by-laws will be much clearer and leave less room for interpretation. The changes will be on the web site soon so please review them for action at the annual FRI conference in Kansas City.

Officer activity reports were given and progress is being made in other Divisions with positions statements and strategic planning.By sharing this information we will be able to gain consensus in many areas and this result in a stronger organization.

The following is a brief summary of important issues addressed by the Board:

Two new standards in development by the NFPA relating to ICS and the 1001 Professional Qualifications Standard were discussed and the Board Opposed both.

A presentation was given by the Coalition Aginst Bigger Trucks and the Board took a "no position" position on this issue.

The new Policy Review Process was reviewed and approved with some minor changes. This process outlines how positions may be submitted to the IAFC from the individual through state and local organizations.

Policy Statements were reviewed and how they fit the new program. Most were approved and two were tabled.

Work continues on the Nextel 800 MHZ interference. The ensuing problems are much broader than just this interference. We must continue to work on securing additional frequencies for emergency traffic and at the same time try to get solutions for the interference problems. This is going to take some time by should have a positive result.

For those interested in implementing the new NFPA 1710 standard the IAFC will developing an implementation guide to assist in this endeavor.

As I mentioned earlier, the Treasurer's report was very positive. Even with the economy as it is our losses have been kept as low as possible. Mr. Jeff Carlton, Senior Vice President from Smith Barney gave an IAFC investment report. The diversification of our portfolio and conservative approach have proven to be successful. The Board authorized $100 K be invested in small caps to try and recoup some of the losses. The 2002 budget was approved and a new Expense Reimbursement Policy that had been approved on a conference call was discussed.

Chief Gary Scott gave an update on progress with FLSA and volunteers. Although progress is slow he believes it will result in a positive outcome and assist many volunteer organizations in the future.

Chief Larry Grorud reported on the TERC and his meeting with them and the future of this committee. This committee needs to become self sufficient and has been additional time to reorganize. Additional money was approved to continue this year.

Two areas that we all need to watch are the project tracking report and the Committees and Sections Update. By reviewing these you will see just how much your organization is accomplishing. This is with a lot of work by many members of the organization and they should be commended for their efforts. Please review these and be aware of what is going on!

Membership is the highest it has ever been! We are above 12,500 members and continue our efforts to increase.

The IAFC continues to attempt to get NIST to study emergency response and develop scientific data relating to such.

The Board approved additional funding for a feasibility study in relation to an EMS Billing Program.

The Leadership/Partnership program continues to be a great success. More departments are becoming involved and seeing the positive results.

The Strategic Plan continues to be a valuable tool for the IAFC. It is continually reviewed and updated as to what the status is in each area. The new Constitution and Bylaws will make this a mandatory operation resulting in the continued success of our organization.

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