Representatives from the Fire and EMS Fund were in attendance October 9 – 11 at the annual FEMSA (Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association) / FAMA (Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association) Conference in Toronto, ON.
Celebrating over 50 years of serving the fire service industry and working to improve industry standards, the Annual Conference is designed to promote networking, thought leadership, and organizational improvement techniques to attendees.
Held over three days in early October, key events on the schedule included keynotes on ideas such as Authenticity in Leadership and breakout sessions centering around leadership and innovation.
The Fire and EMS team attended many of these sessions and came away with some valuable insights on the state of the industry. One of the perennial topics of discussion is firefighter safety. In many cases, traditions are slowing the progress of the industry towards higher safety standards such as cancer prevention. Traditions such as the gear used by firefighters have made for an uphill battle when it comes to moving the needle towards updated standards. One solution discussed at length is the mandating of equipment, but a process needs to be outlined to set a clear path in the right direction. Through the networking and “think tank” format of the Annual Conference, our hope is that more progress can be made towards better safety standards for our firefighters.
Another topic we sat in on was a discussion over PTSD and occupational cancer. These are real risks that we, as an industry, are not discussing enough. While more attention is being paid to these risks of the trade, we still have a long way to go in making real steps to help those who are affected.
Details such as fire station design were also discussed at the Annual Conference, as this can have a lasting impact on the efficiency, safety, and responsiveness of a fire station. Finding ways to efficiently design and lay out a fire station is something that we should be standardizing in order to increase our standards as an industry.
FEMSA is dedicated to helping businesses grow through the use of networking and education. By creating an environment in which suppliers, customers, buyers, fire service associations, and end users can communicate and collaborate for the betterment of the industry, FEMSA hopes to promote business growth and personal development within the workplace.
Members of FEMSA also benefit from regular updates on regulatory changes or procedure management. With events such as the Annual Conference, members are able to come away with a greater understanding of both the current state of the industry as well as more contacts to add to their professional networks.
The Fire and EMS Fund always prioritizes attending the FEMSA/FAMA Annual Conference and values both the networking and educational opportunities that abound during just a few short days.
Firefighters and EMS Fund had the pleasure of once again attending the Fire-Rescue International conference, held this year in Atlanta, GA. Fire-Rescue International, or FRI, is the annual conference hosted by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, an organization founded over 140 years ago, which boasts over 12,000 members of the international firefighting community. Read more here.
