Promote, Unify, Represent and Educate the Fire Service of Texas |
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Executive Director's Corner |
Greetings members,
THANK YOU for submitting your information to us regarding your spring district meetings! As of the first week of February, we had received information on 12 meetings scheduled over the next few months. It is exciting to think we just might be getting back to normal activities! We’ve posted the information in the announcements on our home page. Please look it over when you have a chance so as to (1) ensure our information is complete and accurate, and (2) make plans to attend your district meeting! If there is information in the announcements that needs to be added or revised, send an email to Heather Lundy or me as soon as possible. For those districts that have not submitted their meeting information to us, please do that as well and we’ll be happy to post it.
While I know you are busy with life in general, I strongly encourage each of you to attend your district’s meetings. It is an important part of association membership that helps you to stay “plugged in” to everything going on in your area and across the state…and there is a lot going on!
We’ll do our best to ensure someone from the state executive board and/or staff attends your meetings each fall and spring. We are committed to letting you know about the projects your state association is working on, benefits available to our members, and any other info we believe would be pertinent you. We are, of course, there to answer your questions as well. Improvements to everything we do often come about because of feedback from our membership. Please keep the feedback coming, and I hope to see you out there!
Tim Rutland
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Tuition Assistance for Certified Firefighters
See the Office of the Registrar, the Admissions Office, or the Student Financial Aid Office at your institution if you are interested in this exemption program as they determine the documentation you must submit to confirm proof of eligibility. A list of Texas public colleges and universities that offer accredited fire science programs available HERE.
For general questions on the program, contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board at 888.311.8881.
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Annual membership renewal is in full swing! We thank you for your continued participation in and support of SFFMA. As you support the statewide association of fire protection personnel, we work hard to support you as well with numerous benefits, a certification program available to every member, representation at the legislature, and valuable resources through our store. With that said, please tell us if you know of a service that could be valuable to everyone. We are always on the lookout for possible benefits.
One of the most time-consuming tasks for staff in the renewal process is the printing of membership cards and certificates, and getting them - along with benefit information - mailed to departments and individuals. Please be patient and know that we are working hard to get them out to our members as quickly as possible.
If you need help with revising a renewal invoice before submitting it, or need assistance with any other issue in the renewal process, please send us an email. We monitor that mailbox daily and will respond with assistance as soon as possible.
For those who have not yet submitted their renewal for the year, please keep in mind that we are currently in the grace period for the membership year that began on January 1. It is important that we receive and process your renewal as soon as possible so that you avoid being dropped from the active member roll.
Again, thank you for your continued participation and support!
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Data Management System Update
Work has begun on the member’s App. We had some slight delays due to computer issues, but everything is now back to normal.
Staff have begun reviewing the new website and are providing feedback to the programmers. Changes will be made accordingly. More updates next month!
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North Texas FFMA District Meeting
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Polyguard Training Building
3801 N Freeway Service Rd
Ennis, TX 75119
Training: TBD
5 P.M. - Firefighter Challenge
6 P.M. - Business meeting, Memorial service, and dinner
FFOY/EMSOY and Donnie and Karen Pickard Heroism Awards due by March 4, 2022
Memorial Service names due by March 11, 2022
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Gear Giveaway! Apply Now for Turnouts and Helmets for Your Department
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MSA, DuPont Personal Protection, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are teaming up again in 2022 to provide volunteer fire departments with four sets of new, state-of-the-art Globe turnout gear through MSA and DuPont’s annual Globe Gear Giveaway program. A total of 52 jackets, 52 pants, and 52 helmets will be awarded to 13 volunteer fire departments in need in 2022 to increase firefighter safety.
To be eligible to apply, departments must:
- Be over 50% volunteer
- Serve a population of 25,000 or less
- Be located in the U.S. or Canada and legally organized under state/province law
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Be a member of the NVFC. MSA will provide complimentary memberships to the first 500 applicants
- Demonstrate a need for the gear
View full program criteria and apply by June 1 here.
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Conference News and Events
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SFFMA ANNUAL TRAINING CONFERENCE
AND MEMORIAL SERVICE
June 24 - 29, 2022
MCM Elegante
2355 I-10 South, Beaumont, TX 77705. For reservations call 409-842-3600. Be sure to ask for the 2022 SFFMA Annual Conference to receive the special group rate. For directions, hotel amenities, dining and additional information about MCM Elegante, visit their website.
ADDITIONAL ROOMS AVAILABLE at Courtyard by Marriott
2275 I-10 South, Beaumont, TX 77705. For Reservations call 409-840-5750. Be sure to ask for the 2022 SFFMA Annual Conference to receive the special group rate. For directions, hotel amenities, and additional information about Courtyard Hotel, visit their website.
The Annual Memorial Service will be held Sunday, June 26, at 10:30 A.M. Departments and districts should submit any names to be included in the Firefighter Memorial service to us via email. Please include the name of the department, name of the firefighter, date of death, and indicate if it was a Line of Duty death.
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From Pumper Race Chairman Stephen Donnelly! |
Looking forward to having the races again. Please register your teams before June 1 so that we can have enough to have the races.
Remember you can change team members after June 1 if some-
thing changes. If you have any questions, please email me.
See you in Beaumont!
Stephen Donnelly
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2022 NVFC Recruitment & Retention Experience Announced, Call for Presentations Now Open
The NVFC is pleased to announce that the next Recruitment & Retention Experience will take place September 16-17 in Mesa, AZ. The call for presentation proposals is now open. Qualified instructors interested in presenting on critical fire and emergency services volunteer staffing topics can submit their proposals by March 1. Learn more. Those interested in attending the event can pre-register to stay up to date as new event details are released. Learn more.
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New App Provides Pipeline Information for First Responders
First Responders may now access operational specifications for assets in their community.
- Emergency contact information
- Products transported and related hazards
- Response guidance
- Operator personnel contact information
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Introduction to Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response, 1st Edition USB Instructor Curriculum
The curriculum for Introduction to Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response, 1st Edition consists of customizable components to assist instructors in presenting the course. This format allows instructors to modify the files to match their own teaching preferences or local procedures.
A PowerPoint© presentation with Instructor Notes based on the manual text is provided for each chapter and serves as an instructional guide in place of a lesson outline. The PowerPoint® presentations include learning objectives, review questions, and discussion questions. View this item on the online store!
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