I’m hopeful that by now you have heard about the Second Annual United States Fire Administrator’s (USFA) Summit on Fire Prevention and Control. In case you haven’t, it was held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland on October 10.
I was fortunate to attend the event in person and I was glad I did.
The event started with opening remarks from our U.S. Fire Administrator, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell. This was followed by a round table discussion with the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alexander Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator, Deanna Criswell, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, Elizabeth Sherwood, and Catilin Durkovich, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor for Resilience and Response.
The previously mentioned officials listened to testimony regarding wildfires, recruitment and retention, firefighter cancer, mental health and well-being, electric vehicles (EVs) and energy transition, and codes/standards.
Other major areas discussed throughout the day were fire and emerging technology, climate change, fire-based EMS innovation, firefighter health and safety, data and technology innovation, and community engagement.
The format provided an opportunity for those who participated to hear from fire service leaders, the research and scientific community, and the politically appointed officials about the issues we all face while performing our job in protecting the public.
The event was aired live and watched across the United States and several other countries.
President Joe Biden joined as well and did a live video feed from the White House and spoke about his commitment to the fire service.
At the end of the day, I went away refreshed in knowing there are many people with a wide range of backgrounds doing some great things for the first responder community, that will no doubt have positive impacts for all of us!
You can watch the entire recorded event here: U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control 2023 – National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (firehero.org)
Learn more about the U.S. Fire Administration and catch additional highlights of the event here: U.S. Fire Administration hosts 2023 Summit on Fire Prevention and Control (fema.gov)
-Chief Ed Mann, October 2023