Firehouse Central 2010 will take place September 27-October 1, 2010 in Dallas, TX.
Please check back for event details.

Friday Conference 2009

October 30, 2009
8:00 AM	CANCELLED: Media Relations and The Fire Chief Peki Prince, Assistant Fire Chief, Peachtree City FD, GA, Dennis Rubin, Fire Chief, DC Fire and Rescu 2 Hour Class This two hour interactive presentation will help prepare fire chiefs and those wishing to become a fire chief the needed skills, knowledge and abilities to be effect in a variety of media related settings. Several case studies will be reviewed and discussed that will sharpen all participants? awareness of how to have a positive public image. If you want to learn about dealing with the Media in just about any setting, you will not want to miss this presentation from two professionals that have been there and handle it! (2 credits)
8:00 AM	The Chief Officer of the Future Kelvin Cochran, Fire Chief Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, GA Professional development, executive coaching and succession planning are hot topics among fire professionals. With so many chief officer retirements pending, up and coming young fire service leaders have their eyes on the prize. Many have a vision to become a chief officer. Some aspire to become chief of the department. The primary professional development focus of most aspiring young leaders is higher education and technical training. There is little to no focus on the key component which contributes to advancement and sustained success--character development. The program will identify character traits which lead to advancement and continuous success at the chief officer level.
8:00 AM	The Return of Abbottville: Is Your Community Ready for a Disaster? Don Abbott, Owner Command Emergency Response Training 4-Hour Class Category: Preplanning Major Incidents A dynamic tabletop scenario to help responders at all levels and positions, including fire, police, EMA, utilities, goernment officials and EMS, learn and practice the various roles and responsibilities needed to rescue the injured and restore order after a major disaster. Class limit: 40 people. You must sign up for this class when you register. (4 credits)
8:00 AM	What ISO Can do for You: Understanding the Tools and Resources of ISO Robert Cobb, Deputy Chief (ret.), Jersey City, NJ FD Dir. of Community Mitigation, Insurance Services Office Category: Leadership This guided program will foster insight into the tools and resources available through ISO and will enhance your knowledge of the ISO's Public Protection Classification (PPCTM) program, Fire Suppression Rating Schedule and ISO's Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGS?). Director Cobb will provide an overview of the ISO resource, Fire Chiefs Online ? a special secured website with information and features that can help improve your ISO Public Protection Classification (PPCTM) You will be instructed in the manipulation of an interactive map of your fire-protection area, access valuable reports on commercial buildings in your jurisdiction and fill out the Community Outreach Questionnaire alerting ISO to the latest improvements in your fire department. This program encourages improvements and helps fire departments plan for, budget, and justify expenditures that reduce property damage from fires. In the battle against fire losses, one of the industry's most important weapons is the Public Protection Classification (PPCTM) program from ISO. (1.25 credits)
9:30 AM	CANCELLED: High-Rise Firefighting – Part 3 Curtis Massey, Firefighter (ret.), President, Massey Disaster Planning Category: Strategy & Tactics This class consists of tying the Part 1 and 2 sessions together by executing a collective series of ?break-out style? tabletop disaster scenarios, where small groups of firefighters work together to solve their assigned incident in a mock high-rise setting. From serious fires involving search & rescue/fire attack; to terrorism involving internal chemical releases and aerial strikes on building fa?ades; to major haz-mat spills; to working gas-fed kitchen and ductwork fires in vertical chases ? these carefully orchestrated scenarios will challenge the collective knowledge and skills of class participants. Combined with a group critique of each mock incident and an optional post-class walk-through of the tallest tower on the Atlanta skyline, this 3-part course sets the bar higher than any offered to date ? the most state-of-the-art high-rise multi-incident classroom training ever.(1.25 credits)
9:30 AM	Creating Revenue in a Tough Economy Mark Herendeen, Chief, City of Morrow FD, GA Category: Funding Updating your fine structure for enforcing fire codes, charging for non-emergency ambulance transports, writing fire lane violations, and charging for false alarms are just some of the ways your department can start generating more income. In this presentation, Chief Herendeen will give attendees ideas on how to generate income for departments that want to think outside the box as well as ways to present those idea to their governmental officials.(1.25 credits)
9:30 AM	LODD: What Does It Mean??? Brian Ward, Training Officer, Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services Category: Safety Most people will answer, Line-of-Duty-Death. That is what it stands for, but what does it really mean? What does it mean to prevent an LODD? What does it mean when an LODD happens? Ask yourself, ?What am I doing to make sure that my crew and I go home every shift??(1.25 credits)
9:30 AM	Taking Public Education to Another Level Daniel Byrne, Lieutenant, Fire Marshal, Beaufort FD, SC Category: Public Education ?It takes more than plastic fire hats!? Fire continues to kill more Americans than all natural disasters combined, and is still one of the leadings causes of death and injury in the home for children. This presentation is designed to get students thinking about the fire problem in the U.S. in relation to fire prevention, and to rethink our current approach to educating and communicating with our public in order to best influence attitudes and change behaviors; as well as the need to grow a true ?prevention first? fire service culture for our future.(1.25 credits)
2:00 PM	Attacking Fires in “Vacant” Structures George Nour, President/CEO, Professional Rescue and Fire Training Firefighter, Atlanta Fire Rescue Department Category: Strategy & Tactics Safety in the fire service has become paramount during fire ground operations. The mission of the fire service however, to protect life and property, has not changed. This class deals with a lack of aggressive tactics on assumed ?vacant? structures. Topics that will be covered in this class include size up, tactics, and search methods conducted on a reported or assumed ?vacant? structure. This course will also utilize a case study on a LODD in the Atlanta Fire Department and discuss lessons learned from that incident.
2:00 PM	CANCELLED: Common Sense White Powder Matthew S. Holston, Lead Hazmat Instructor, Professional Rescue and Fire Training Captain, Alpharetta, GA Dept. of Public Safety This will be a lecture format with the topic being Response to ?white powder? incidents. This topic is real world, common sense response and remediation of reported or suspected terrorist activities either in the form of letters or suspicious packages. This lecture will discuss common sense do?s and don?ts, common response and tactical mistakes, legal issues, quickly ruling out non viable threats all within the guidelines set forth by the FBI following the 5 scenarios that the FBI state will be encountered when dealing with ?white powder? calls. The lecture will also cover what it takes to conduct a proper and effective ?white powder? incident response despite how easy it may appear and will show that most departments lack the ability, equipment and personnel to remediate the incident to FBI standards and should be calling for aid from better equipped departments. A response protocol will be offered to the attendees for their consideration and as guidance to better prepare themselves for a white powder response.
2:00 PM	RIC: Rescuing Trapped Firefighters, Advanced Search Rope Tactics Robert Cobb, Deputy Chief (ret.), Jersey City, NJ FD Director of Community Mitigation, Insurance Services Office Category: Specialized Rescue A recent NFPA Fire Analysis & Research Report: Fire Service Fatalities in Structure Fires, indicated that, ?While the number of structure fires has dropped, the rate of firefighter deaths at structure fires has not? (1978-2000). The major cause of injuries and death were "lost inside structures" and "ran out of air." This class covers the important tasks needed for a successful search and rescue mission. Preparation is the key to rapid intervention when the ?Mayday? happens to you. RIC advanced search rope tactics are covered along with a new method, the Rapid Deployment Scan. Also covered are how to manage the search mission. If your in charge how do you manage two, three or four rapid intervention crews all entering a smoke filled burning building? Mayday-Mayday will you be prepared!(1.25 credits)
2:00 PM	The Use of Fire Modeling in a Line of Duty Death Investigation Paul Morley, Battalion Chief, Atlanta Fire Rescue, GA, David M. Wall, MPA, EFO, Director Georgia Fire Academy Alex Mungia, FPE, Schirmer Engineering Category: Lessons Learned Synopsis: On Thursday, November 23, 2006, Thanksgiving evening, Atlanta Firefighter Steven Solomon was fatally burned while conducting firefighting operations in an abandoned dwelling at 257 Elm Street Northwest. On November 24, while Firefighter Solomon was in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital Burn Center, Chief Dennis Rubin requested the assistance of an independent review committee to fully examine the causes of this incident and determine the actions that should be taken to prevent any similar occurrences in the future. Firefighter Solomon died on November 29, 2006 as a result of his injuries. On Saturday, November 26, 2006, Chief Rubin convened a special meeting at Atlanta Fire Rescue Station 4 to begin a detailed review and analysis of the incident that fatally injured Firefighter Solomon. Georgia Fire Academy Director David M. Wall was asked to chair a special panel to review the facts regarding the incident and prepare a written report. The fact-finding process used by the panel required many hours of research and discussion. This report includes information and recommendations, and the conclusions represent a consensus by the panel participants. Battalion Chief Paul Morley was on the panel. One of the methods the panel used to assist in determining what occurred was the use of testing of the gear, hoods and use of a sophisticated fire modeling program. The Schirmer Engineering firm donated their time and expertise to the Atlanta FD and provided the computer model showing the fire behavior in the building. The fire model became a valuable part of the investigation. By studying what occurred in a LODD it is hoped that we can prevent a similar such event. (1.25 credits)