Promote, Unify, Represent and Educate the Fire Service of Texas |
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A Message from our Executive Board President |
Hello Texas Firefighters,
Well, April has arrived and hopefully the cold weather will get on out. I’m ready for some warmer weather. Speaking of warmer weather, I’m sure Beaumont will be plenty warm during convention. It is now just a couple of months away. I hope each of you are making plans to attend. Your Executive Board and the office staff are busy making pans.
At the convention in Beaumont, we will be changing a couple of things. The most notable change will be the way we do our voting. This year we will be introducing electronic voting. Every delegate will be given a device to vote. You will still have to be present and registered as a delegate at the convention to vote. We are NOT introducing “off-site” voting. Instructions on how to vote will be given at the first business session and again at the last business session just prior to the vote. The results will be almost instantaneous. No more waiting an hour or more for the results. We think you will all be pleased with the new method.
Another change you will see is the incoming President will host a meeting where he shares his ideas on what he plans to accomplish his Presidential year. This meeting will be held either Monday or Tuesday. We hope this is well received. You will get a chance to ask questions and make suggestions.
All registration for convention will be done online this year. If you experience a problem registering, please contact the state office and they will assist you.
That’s it for now. Looking forward to seeing everybody at District meetings.
Richard Van Winkle
President
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Conference News and Events |
SFFMA 146th Annual Training Conference and Convention
June 24-29, 2022
Beaumont, Texas
Hotel Info
Our host hotel for this year’s conference is the MCM Elegante Hotel. The hotel underwent significant remodeling in the past few years and offers excellent facilities for our classes on Monday and Tuesday of the conference, plus a large ballroom area for our dinner/dance on Tuesday and second business meeting Wednesday morning. As of this newsletter, all available rooms have been reserved.
Our overflow hotel for the conference is the Courtyard by Marriott Beaumont, located across the street from the MCM Elegante. As of this writing, rooms at the conference rate are still available. Additional information for both hotels may be found here.
Conference Registration
All conference registration will be handled online and is available here.
New this year: With only a few exceptions, attendees will not be required to register for most classes or activities ahead of time. Those for which early registration is required are listed here.
Chiefs and Districts: Please submit your delegate list ahead of time so that delegates can be verified prior to the conference start. Download the delegate Approval form here, or view it online.
BE SURE THAT YOUR SFFMA MEMBERSHIP AND THOSE OF YOUR DEPARTMENT’S MEMBERS ARE UP TO DATE AND ACTIVE. IF YOU NEED TO RENEW MEMBERSHIP, PLEASE CONTACT THE SFFMA OFFICE OR EMAIL MEMBERSHIP SO THAT WE CAN ASSIST YOU WITH THAT PROCESS.
Conference Locations
The conference agenda/schedule is available for download here or view it online. Except for a few possible off-site events, conference activities will take place at these locations:
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Activities beginning Friday morning and continuing through the first business session on Sunday afternoon will be at Ford Park.
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The Sunday evening President’s Reception will be held at the Beaumont Events Centre located in downtown Beaumont near the museum district.
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Beginning Monday morning and continuing through the final business session on Wednesday, all activities will take place at the MCM Elegante Hotel.
Training
The schedule for course/class offerings is being finalized but will include these classes and subject areas, plus others:
- Firefighter I classes
- Firefighter II classes
- Industrial Emergency Response
- Hazmat Awareness and Operations Refresher Course
- Training Officer Development
- Fire Chief Development
- Incident Documentation
- Health/Wellness/Safety
- Others!
The schedule should be set by the end of April and will be posted with the conference information.
Testing
Both Monday and Tuesday of the conference will have time slots set aside for members who wish to test for HazMat, Firefighter 1, and Firefighter 2 certification. Information on registration for those test sessions will be posted soon. The testing can be for both initial tests and for retests as needed. Members who register to take the Hazmat Awareness and/or Hazmat Operations tests while at the conference are encouraged to attend the Awareness/Operations Refresher Course being offered on Monday and Tuesday.
Vendor Show at Ford Park Exhibit Hall
We have a great lineup of vendors for the expo on Friday evening and Saturday at Ford Park Exhibit Hall. After picking up your registration materials, be sure to make the rounds and visit with all the company reps for the lowdown on the latest products available to the fire and emergency services.
There are only a few booths remaining to be rented. If you know of a company in your community that would be a good fit for our show, please have them contact SFFMA staff for more information.
Memorial Service
Sunday, June 26, 2022: 10 a.m. Lineup, 10:30 a.m. Service to honor all those in the Fire Service who passed away in the last 12 months.
DEPARTMENTS AND DISTRICTS, PLEASE SUBMIT ALL NAMES FOR THE MEMORIAL SERVICE PROGRAM to us via email by May 25, 2022.
Information to submit:
- Firefighter’s Name
- Fire Department
- Date of Death
- If this was a Line of Duty Death, please indicate so.
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Electric Vehicle Response Information for the Emergency Services
Thanks to support from GM, the NVFC recently hosted a lively discussion on electric vehicle response considerations for firefighters and emergency responders. With more and more electric vehicles on the road and the summer travel season gearing up, this is an important topic for emergency responders to understand and prepare for. If you missed the live discussion, watch the recording here.
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Calvert VFD 150-Year Celebration
Join Calvert VFD for an all-day celebration of their 150th anniversary in downtown historic Calvert, Texas! Festivities kick-off with 5K run followed by firetrucks, first responder vehicles & replica "Squad 51" on display, "Dunk the Chiefs", bounce house, live music, food vendors and more! Click here for more information. View flyer.
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Eligible Volunteer Firefighters Can Enter to Win a FREE Helmet
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Must be a member of the National Volunteer Fire Council to participate
Volunteer firefighters who are members of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) can now enter to win a free, personalized MSA Cairns® XF1 Fire Helmet. This is the second year MSA and the NVFC have teamed up to donate this helmet to provide the most innovative and up-to-date technology to help volunteer responders improve their health and safety.
The first entry period is now open until April 30. Learn more and enter to win on our website.
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Arson Awareness Week is May 1-7 |
The theme of this year’s Arson Awareness Week, taking place May 1-7, is “Arson in Homeless Communities: Engagement – Education – Outreach.” The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has resources to help departments plan for the week here. In addition, the NVFC and USFA are hosting a free webinar on May 2 to support this year’s theme. Register here.
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Spring Driving Safety Tips from California Casualty |
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Tip #1: Drive slowly and use caution in the rain.
Roads are most slippery when it starts to rain. This is due to rainwater mixing with the oil and grease on the road. But whether the rain has just begun or it’s been coming down for a while, it still makes roads slick.
- Keep your headlights on so that you are more easily seen.
- Slow down and increase your following distance from other cars. Remember that any amount of water could cause you to skid or hydroplane.
- Make sure your tires have enough tread and your wiper blades are in good condition.
- Avoid driving through water, which can damage your vehicle. If there’s too large a puddle, consider an alternate route.
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