The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recently hosted over 160 state and major metropolitan area fire marshals and other fire prevention professionals for the 6th National PARADE (Prevention, Advocacy, Resources, and Data Exchange) Conference. PARADE was established in 2003 to help America’s fire marshals implement effective fire prevention programs and share information across their states and municipalities.
The 2011 conference provided presentations, workshops, and displays from experts in their field who addressed a wide range of prevention topics including residential sprinklers, evaluation tools to demonstrate program effectiveness, and fire safety and alternative energy systems. The event culminated with a banquet and the presentation of the R. Wayne Powell Excellence in Fire Prevention award. The award takes its name from a former USFA and 30-year federal employee, R. Wayne Powell. It was Mr. Powell’s vision and expertise in the fire prevention arena that led to the creation of PARADE. The award is presented every other year at the PARADE Conference.
This year there were two recipients of the award: Jim Crawford, recently retired fire marshal for Vancouver, Washington and Mike Love, recently retired fire marshal for Montgomery County, Maryland.
Jim Crawford
After more than 35 years of fire service experience, Jim Crawford retired as Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal of the Vancouver (WA) Fire Department. Most of his career was spent in the field of fire prevention. He has worked as a consultant to the USFA and as an instructor for the National Fire Academy. Jim has been an active member of the International Associations of Fire Chiefs since 1990 and has served as a Board member of Washington State’s Fire Marshal Association. In 2009, he was selected as the Fire Marshal of the Year by his state association of fire marshals. He was the leader in the development of the NFPA 1037 Technical Committee—Professional Qualification Standard for Fire Marshals and currently serves as the Chair of the technical committee. Jim was past president of the International Fire Marshals Association and past member of the Standards Council for the National Fire Protection Association. He has published articles on fire prevention and life safety topics and writes a regular column for Fire Rescue magazine. He authored a chapter for the International City/County Management Association book on Managing Fire and Rescue Services. He has also authored a book for Prentice Hall titled, Fire Prevention Organization and Management. Jim was an original PARADE member having been involved in the formation of the program. He is currently the catalyst for the Vision 20/20 initiative and serves as the Project Manager.
Mike Love
During his time with Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue, Chief Love worked as a Firefighter, Operational Company Officer, Instructor, Field Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, Chief of Emergency Medical Services, Special Operations Chief, and Supervisor of Dispatch. Most recently he commanded a division that included the Fire Marshal’s Office, Public Information, Community Outreach, Recruiting, and Planning and Research and held the title of Fire Marshal. In 2008 he was the winner of the Excellence in Fire and Life Safety Award from the International Code Council. In 2010, he received the Meritorious Service Award for his notable and significant service to the public safety field from the International Fire Marshals Association. Mike was an original PARADE member and is responsible for the development and expansion of the E-PARADE electronic forum which provides for the exchange of ideas, questions, and general information about fire prevention and protection, public education, and life safety issues. Currently, Mike is an independent planner, researcher, and writer and in April 2011, he was appointed President of the Fire and Burn Safety Coalition of Maryland.
