Columns

If You Don't Feel Well, Don't Make it Your Farewell

Author: Fire Chief Gary Ludwig, IAFC President and Chairman of the Board
Published: 2/11/2020
I am pleased today to kick off my IAFC Presidential initiative, 'If You Don't Feel Well, Don't Make It Your Farewell', to raise awareness throughout the fire and emergency service about the fatal risks of firefighters ignoring signs of a cardiac event. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 41% of firefighter deaths in 2018 were attributed to sudden cardiac death. read more

IWCE Leader of the Year: A Call to Vote

Author: Chief Jeffrey Johnson (Ret.), CEO, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Published: 2/05/2020
It is a great honor to share my nomination for the 2020 International Wireless Community (IWCE) "Leader of the Year" award. The award recognizes an executive and thought leader whose outstanding leadership has resulted in the implementation and success of critical communications in their business and beyond. Popular vote over the course of two months ultimately decides the winner. It is a privilege to be nominated alongside many talented executives, including a great supporter and friend of the Western Fire Chiefs, TJ Kennedy, founder of The Public Safety Network. Amongst the nominees is an individual Mr. Kennedy and I believe deserves recognition, and ultimately the award ... read more

Cardiac Incident? Share Your Story and Save Others

Author: The International Association of Fire Chiefs
Published: 12/05/2019
In February 2020, Chief Gary Ludwig, IAFC president and chairman of the board, will launch his presidential initiative, If You Don't Feel Well, Don't Make it Your Farewell, which endeavors to reduce the number of firefighter cardiac deaths in the fire and emergency service. read more

California Cities Charging Hundreds Of Dollars For Medical Emergency 911 Calls

Author: Kristine Lazar, KCAL-TV CBS 9 Los Angeles
Published: 11/25/2019
A growing number of California cities are now charging an extra fee when people call 911 for a medical emergency, forcing some to shell out hundreds of dollars in addition to their ambulance bill. read more

New FireRescue GPO Partnership: Sourcewell

Author: Jeff Tucker, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Published: 11/01/2019
We are excited to announce that Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) has formed a new cooperative procurement partnership with Sourcewell, the largest government cooperative procurement organization in North America. read more

The Firehouse Bully Opportunity

Author: Billy Goldfeder, FirefighterCloseCalls.com
Published: 5/08/2019
So a term that would have never been heard or known just a few years ago is "Firehouse Bully"... Maybe a "School Yard Bully?" Sure. But a Firehouse Bully? Seriously. Come on...Much like dealing with firefighter behavioral health and cancer, it's relatively new. read more

CalChiefs Fire Operations Technology Summit

Author: Jeffrey D. Johnson, CEO, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Published: 1/30/2019
In 2017, the California Fire Chiefs Association (CalChiefs) Operations Section (Ops Section) completed a “needs assessment” with its membership. High on the list of immediate concern was the need to have a better understanding of emerging technology affecting the fire service. Respondents indicated that they were hesitant to adopt new technology that may not be inter-operable with their neighbors and were concerned that the technology selected wouldn’t be supported in the future. read more

Verizon Fails Public Safety Once Again

Author: Richard A. Mirgon, Next Paradigm Consulting
Published: 8/23/2018
Remember the Verizon commercial during the Super Bowl (http://allthingsfirstnet.com/the-verizon-super-bowl-ad-is-problematic-here’s-why) telling the world how much they support public safety? Many times, in the last year we at www.allthingsfirstnet.com have provided examples of how Verizon has failed public safety. Like we said in our tweet Tuesday night, “you just can’t make this up”. Verizon keeps saying to public safety “we got your back”. Well they don’t and just because a Senior Vice President says so doesn’t make that true. read more

FirstNet Contract Available on FireRescue GPO

Author: Doug Schrage, WFCA President
Published: 2/13/2018
Now that all 50 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories have opted in to FirstNet as a communication provider for emergency responders, they are already looking to access FirstNet related services through AT&T. The FireRescue GPO cooperative contract allows early access to FirstNet services and is a quick and efficient way to reap the benefits of states that opted in. Being able to access these services through a publicly awarded contract with FirstNet saves time and money for everyone involved. read more

Historic Achievement: Clean Sweep of FirstNet Opt-In

Author: Thomas Jenkins, IAFC President and Chairman of the Board
Published: 1/08/2018
In case you missed our recent social media and blog posts, historic news broke over the holidays: all 50 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories have officially opted into FirstNet to build a wireless broadband network exclusively for the nation's first responders. Two other territories, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands, have until March 12 to make their decision. This is a milestone achievement. The IAFC has been a fierce supporter of FirstNet since its inception in 2012. read more