Idaho Fire Chief's Association, Inc.

Our VISION is to improve career and volunteer emergency services in the state of Idaho through leadership, collaboration, education, safety, information and representation.

Our MISSION is to provide and enhance leadership to career and volunteer emergency services in Idaho.

IFCA President: Kenny Gabriel

     

NEW - ID Fire Service Resource Response Plan Revised
(Revised: 6-2-13)
Idaho's Fire Service Resource Response Plan (IFSRRP) was reviewed at the IFCA Annual Conference in Post Falls at the Board Meeting on May 10th.  Deputy Chief Perry Oldenburg (Boise FD), who also serves as IFCA District 4 Director, has led the Task Group working on refining and developing the ISFRRP. IFCA members may click on this link to download copy of the 18 page plan. (Color printing works best due to maps in the back.) 
ISFRRP: /Assets/dept_1/PM/pdf/ifsrrp revised may 2013.pdf pdf Document



FFLP Grant Application Period to close June 28
(Revised: 6-2-13)
The 2013 Idaho Fire Fighter License Plate (FFLP) Grant program application period is open until June 28th. Attached is a link to the grant instruction letter and application form.  Applicants are advised to please read the instructions thoroughly before applying for the grant.  There are numerous restrictions and rules which apply.  Failure to follow the instructions could result in your application being disqualified if not properly completed. All applications must be received on or before June 28th.  This year it is estimated around $45,000 in grants will be awarded.  Good luck!

CLOSING DATE FOR 2013 GRANT APPLICATIONS IS JUNE 28TH!

2013 Grant Instruction letter: /Assets/dept_1/PM/pdf/2013 grant instructions ltr 3-15-13.pdf pdf Document

2013 Grant Application form: /Assets/dept_1/PM/pdf/2013 grant application form.pdf pdf Document



Bereavement Uniform Program Update
(Posted: 4-1-13)
From IFCA Corporate Member Steve Cohen at Lighthouse Uniform . . .
An update on the development of the Bereavement Uniform Program, and more important, for those in a position to make the program available to their people, several milestones were reached this week.  The Bereavement Uniform webpage, http://bereavement.lighthouseuniform.com, has finally been launched. Please take a look. Any feedback would be appreciated.  We are also waiting for word as to whether the United States Public Health Service will become part the effort.  The National Volunteer Fire Council has added the Bereavement Uniform Program to its LODD Resource list http://www.nvfc.org/hot-topics/lodd-resourcesputting the program shoulder to shoulder with the BJA, US Fire Administration and the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, a huge recognition of value.  The IFCA has done the same.  For a variety of reasons, the decision was made to keep a low profile, the Program doesn’t live on the Lighthouse website, and we are urging people to link the Program to their department website or Facebook page. Access from the department website will make it easy for families to find, it will insure a measure of anonymity for those wanting it and it will keep the Program at the top of web searches. If you are in a position to make this happen, please do so.



2013-2015 IFCA Strategic Plan Approved
(Updated: 4/9/13)
The IFCA Board has approved the 2013-2015 IFCA Strategic Plan.  This follows a session on Friday, January 18 where eight IFCA Board members, a Division President and two members including State Fire Marshal Mark Larson braved single-digit temperatures and met at the Best Western Plus Vista Inn in Boise. Vice-President of Operations Doug Brown served as the session's facilitator. 

President Gabriel and the others agreed that significant progress was made on the 2011 - 2013 Strategic Plan goals in all areas.  The biggest accomplishment is progress made on the Intrastate Mutual Aid System (IMAS) program, now referred to as the Idaho Fire Service Response Plan.  It was estimated that roughly an 85% completion rate was achieved in accomplishing the goals in the 2011 - 2013 Strategic Plan.  

The new version of the Strategic Plan was circulated for a review period with no changes suggested.  The "new" plan for 2013 - 2015 can be viewed at the link below and on the Documents link. Briefly, here is a recap of the goals in the new plan:

GOAL #1: Maintain and Promote the Idaho Intrastate Mutual Aid System Statewide
GOAL #2: Promote Health and Safety
GOAL #3: Promote and Enhance the IFCA Organization and its Influence

Work on each of the plan's components is already underway and the emphasis on the statewide mutual aid system will be a highlight at the upcoming Annual Conference in May. The IFCA thanks all those who contributed to revising the plan - a useful guide map for the IFCA's future.

2013-2015 IFCA Strategic Plan:  /Assets/dept_1/PM/pdf/2013-2015 strategic plan final 2-22-13.pdf pdf Document

               

David Gates is New IFCA President
(Revised: 6-6-13)

Chief David Gates of the Pocatello Fire Department is the new President of the IFCA.  Chief Gates will serve a two year term of office along with the rest of the officers and has served several years as President of the Training Officer's Division. Chief Gates takes the reigns from Chief Kenny Gabriel of the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department who will now serve as Immediate Past President for one year. 
President Gates will be joined by Vice-President Bart Lassman, Vice-President of Operations Doug Brown and Vice-President to WFCA Brad Trosky, who prevailed in an election against Dennis Doan for the VP to WFCA slot - it was the only position that had two candidates thus requiring a ballot vote. 
Chief Robert Tyler (Sandpoint FD) was elected as the new District 1 Director, Deputy Chief Richard Davies (Nampa FD) was re-elected as District 3 Director, Chief Randy Sutton (Westend FD) was elected as District 5 Director and Past IFCA President Chief Dean Ellis (Idaho Falls FD) was elected as District 7 Director. Going off the Board with sincere thanks and plaques of appreciation was Northern Lakes FD Chief Dean Marcus (District 1 Director) and Lemhi County Chief Mike Warner (District 7 Director).  Congratulations to the all of the new Board members.


Fantastic 2013 Annual Conference in the Books 
(Revised: 6-6-13)

The Board of Directors swearing-in ceremony at the Installation Banquet.

The 2013 IFCA Annual Conference and Business Meeting held on May 9 and 10 at the Red Lion Templin's Hotel in Post Falls was a huge success in every way.  Approximately 93 people attended the conference which took place during some of the best weather we have experienced during a conference in recent memory.  Eight teams of golfers played in the Mike Sheets Memorial Golf Tournament and District Directors and their alternates attended a first-ever pre-conference training session on the Idaho Fire Service Resource Response Plan (IFSRRP) held after the Chief's Roundtable.
Vendor Coordinator Bill Cowin reported another one-day 'sold-out' vendor show on Thursday.  Our sincere thanks to all the vendors who attended and donated raffle prizes.  During the Business Meeting two resolutions passed relating to recommended basic standards for Structural/HazMat and Wildland firefighters.  The passage of these two resolutions marks the successful conclusion of trying to get these to a membership vote for many years.  A resolution to create a committee to draft changes to the Constitution and By-Laws, to more mirror the approach to Board succession used by the WFCA and the IAFC failed primarily on its wording, but was supported in spirit based on the ongoing need for succession planning for the Board.  This will likely get re-drafted and re-submitted for next year.
Deputy Chief Andy Cater (Caldwell FD) and Deputy Chief Scott Buck (Star FD) were both recipients of the FPO of the Year award presented by FPO Division President Ken Anderson.  Retirees were also recognized and honored with EMS Chief Lynn Borders (Kootenai County EMS), Chief Dale Costa (Shoshone FD #2) and Chief Jeff Carnes (Sun Valley FD) received Life Memberships.  Chief Borders was also recognized by the WFCA for his service to them over the years with a special award presentation by Mr. Jeff Griffin of the WFCA.  
The banquet and key note speaker was Ret. Chief and Past IAFC President Michael Brown who is the Executive Director of the Washington State Fire Chiefs Assn.  Michael was educational, inspiring and humorous with both of his presentations.  Thanks also go to Chief David Gates who gave an insightful presentation on the Charlotte WUI Fire near Pocatello last summer and to Deputy Chief Perry Oldenburg who presented more training on the IFSRRP
Special thanks go to host Chief Warren Merritt and his staff from Kootenai County Fire & Rescue who helped make the conference the success that it was.  We also want to recognize and thank Ms. Kelly Gwinn-Duby, Ms. Michele Singer and the rest of their crew from the Red Lion Templin's Hotel for meeting all of our needs with ample meeting room space, great food and smiling faces. The conference was also a financial success according to VP of Ops Doug Brown who said, "Once again, the conference made a profit, which helps support the IFCA's day-to-day operations."  The 2014 Annual Conference will be held in Moscow, ID with Chief Ed Button (Moscow FD) serving as the host chief.  The tentative dates for that will be April 30 to May 3, 2014 at the Best Western University Inn in Moscow.  The IFCA Board thanks all who attended this year and planning is already underway for the 2014 conference.




COLORADO WUI STRUCTURE PROTECTION VIDEO
(6-14-13)
To the southeast of Idaho the state of Colorado has seen a series of large and particularly destructive WUI wildfires this June.  The video below (see link) was shot by Steve Schopper with the Colorado Springs FD and follows an engine crew as they successfully protected a structure from the advancing Black Forest Fire. (That fire has burned some 15,000 acres, destroyed over 400 homes, killed two people and is only 30% contained as of June 15th.)  The video was shot on Tuesday (June 11th).
The video illustrates what is meant by “Defensible Space” and how adequate defensible space allows firefighters to do just that, effectively defend a structure from an advancing fire.

Video link: http://vimeo.com/68342641


Job Postings:

Fire Marshal/Fire Protection Lead - Idaho Nat'l. Labs - Idaho Falls (ID)

Lands Regional Operations Chief
(2 positions) - Idaho Dept. of Lands

Firefighter/Paramedic Eligibility Testing - Northern Lakes Fire District (ID)
Application deadline is 6/21/2013.
Go to: www.northernlakesfire.com for info on testing process and application packet.


Details on most of these jobs may be found at this link:
www.dailydispatch.com/Classified/Jobs.aspx , or by
directly contacting the agency that is offering the job.



DRAFT EMS LICENSING RULES
(Posted: 4-21-13)
Below is a link to the draft copy of  proposed Idaho EMS agency licensing rules. We’ve made a few changes since our last draft and I’d invite you to review the rules and continue to provide us with any comments you may have. We appreciate very much the time you’ve committed to helping us develop these rules. As we discussed during our meetings, we will be taking these rules to twelve (12) townhall meetings throughout the state during April and May to solicit feedback from EMS providers and the public. We would extend a special invitation to you to attend those meetings nearest you. It would do those in attendance a lot of good to know that one of their own has contributed to the development of these rules. Information on the townhall meetings can be found on the homepage of
www.IdahoEMS.org under “What’s New.” Thank you again.

Link to copy of rules: 
/Assets/dept_1/PM/pdf/draft agency licensing rules 4-18-13.pdf pdf Document
Chris Stoker,  Emergency Medical Services Section Manager
Bureau of EMS & Preparedness  (877)554-3367 -or- (208) 334-4000


A MUST SEE!
"Everyone Goes Home" Video
The United States Fire Administration has released an outstanding video called "Everyone Goes Home." This is a film produced by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in cooperation with the Chicago Fire Department. See or download it at this link: http://community.fireengineering.com/video/video/show?id=1219672%3AVideo%3A513861 This video should be required viewing by all firefighters.




Support WFCA's Fire-Rescue GPO
Saving money should be at the top of every chief's list of things-to-do. The power of group purchasing and pre-qualified contracts saves departments time and money when purchasing a wide range of fire equipment and items of everyday use. We encourage all of our members to take advantage of the WFCA's Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) program. A percentage of your purchase benefits the IFCA so please consider using this program for your department purchases.


FREE subscription to the Idaho Daily Dispatch 
Receive email news briefs on state and national fire/EMS news, job openings, used fire equipment, courses and more delivered to your desktop every weekday. This is an excellent way to stay "in the know" and to improve your situaltional awareness. To subscribe just use this link: www.dailydispatch.com, or to place an ad go to: http://www.dailydispatch.com/


NOTE: Credit for the accident photo in the IFCA home page banner goes to Sylvia's Photography of Middleton (ID). Thanks David & Sylvia!


Other IFCA News . . .  
(For daily news reports from Idaho and around the Nation please subscribe to the Idaho Daily Dispatch - see link above and also in the top right of this home page under Quick Links).
                                      

                     

6/15/2013

Haz Mat Pipeline Awareness Webcast June 19 and 20

PHMSA Pipeline Safety Workshop to Be WebcastThe June 19-20 workshop in Dallas is intended to identify ways to strengthen public awareness of pipeline safety issues.DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Materia

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6/6/2013

House Passes DHS Funding Bill

HOUSE PASSES FISCAL YEAR 2014 HOMELAND SECURITY SPENDING BILLSource: Congressional Fire Service Institute - Washington, DCOn Thursday, June 6th, the House approved H.R.2217, the Fiscal Year 2014 Depar

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5/24/2013

Western U.S. Forest Fires Could Double in 40 Years

May 22, 2013 3:27 pmWestern U.S. Forest Fires Could Double in 40 Years  Photo: NOAAClimate change is making the world warmer and, in many places, dryer, setting the stage for increased forest fir

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Membership classes include Active, Corporate, Divisional or Master.

Divisions include: EMS, Fire Prevention and Training.

Coming soon: Volunteer Division

   

2013 Membership Application and Renewal form:

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