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If its in the news, its at FRI. Don’t miss DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano speaking at Thursday’s General Session; get creative ideas for dealing with the expected resurgence of the H1N1 influenza this fall; hear about the Washington, DC Metro subway crash; join in a lively discussion of the National League of Cities report on firefighter cancer presumption laws, and learn how the Ricci v. DeStafano decision will impact your department.

Wondering how you can make your Fire-Rescue International (FRI) experience even more memorable? FireRescue spoke with several multiple-time attendees to learn their secrets for maximizing this valuable educational and networking opportunity.

My name is Chris Gannon and I am honored to have been invited by the Institute of Fire Engineers and the IAFC  to speak at FRI 2009 in August.
Why? Some of you may have read the August 2008 article in Fire Chief magazine that described me as ‘Fires Mercenary’ or seen other media references to [...]

The White House has released the names of individuals President Obama has intended to nominate to key administrative positions. Among them is Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran as the head of the U.S. Fire Administration. Chief Cochran is currently scheduled to be the FRI General Session speaker on Friday, August 28, when he will speak about why it’s essential for every organizational unit and leader to become fully involved in maintaining momentum, unity and camaraderie through the challenges of the economic downturn affecting our organizations.

An alarming number of firefighters across the country are being criminally charged, injured and killed while performing duties intended to protect the public. Fire service leaders also have an obligation to firefighters to provide a safe working environment and to the public to limit liability that may be imposed on their department.

Every trade magazine I pick up these days addresses the economy’s negative effect on local government, small or large, and area fire departments. It doesn’t matter where you are or what discipline you work in—everyone’s talking about it.

Joe Sommers, Director of HR Services for ZERORISK, has some great interviewing tips to help you in finding new candidates that fit with your team. The success when interviewing for ‘fit’ is “knowing where you’re going.” By that I’m referring to – what does ‘fit’ mean to you and your department? Is it the ability to understand others, to respect each other as unique individuals, and to be accountable to the team?

In the fire service we rely on fellow firefighter’s to help us get through the dangers of the job. In life, we look to friends and family to help us through life’s struggles. Why then, do we resist working with our colleagues to manage a successful fire agency?

Generational differences are nothing new in the fire service, but unique challenges exist today. First, the pace of change has accelerated in just about every aspect of the job: strategy and tactics, leadership methods, legal mandates, equipment and technology, community demographics, scope of service, and the need to do more—often much more—with less.