St. Louis Has Welcome Mat Out for 108th Annual IAFC Conference
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IAFC Conference
St. Louis, known as the “Gateway to the West,” will provide a centrally located setting for the 108th conference of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). In these times of high travel costs, St. Louis is fortunately not too far from anywhere. Its popularity is demonstrated by the number of fire conferences held there in the last few years.
The IAFC conference will run from Sept. 13 to 16. Headquarters hotel is the Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers and the conference program will be given at the St. Louis Convention Center.
Getting around in the city should not be a problem. When St. Louis was first settled around 1764 by the French fur trader Pierre Laclede, he laid out the plat in neatly squared-off grids. That orderliness continues today.
One of the city’s favorite attractions is the Gateway Arch, a 630-foot stainless steel monument to westward expansion. Special capsule transporters carry passengers to an observation deck where a 30-mile view is possible. Only three other man-made attractions in the world have a larger attendance each year.
The riverfront area of the arch has numerous other things to see. A museum in an underground chamber beneath the arch focuses on the pioneering spirit of the last century that put St. Louis on the map. Several paddlewheel steamboats reflect the influence of the Mississippi River on the area. Some operate as restaurants—from gourmet to fast food, with and without entertainment—and some take visitors on narrated tours of the harbor.
The restored Laclede’s Landing area of the riverfront contains the oldest buildings in St. Louis, dating to the mid-1800s. Visitors can walk down cobblestone streets and gaslighted sidewalks among a collection of shops, bistros, restaurants and offices.
For the more daring, scenic flights are available at a nearby heliport.
For a quieter interlude, however, many visitors head for Forest Park, site of the famous St. Louis Zoo and the McDonnell Planetarium. The park has large picnic areas, boat and bicycle rentals, three golf courses and even a fly-casting dock. Allow plenty of time here.
Venturing farther, visitors to the Museum of Science and Natural History in Clayton may try out the earthquake simulator machine. At the push of a button, earthquakes of varying intensities may be experienced.
Elsewhere in the area are the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Grant’s Farm and the Six Flags Over St. Louis amusement park. Tours of the brewery and farm are free, but reservations are required at the farm. About 50 public golf courses are in the general area.
Expect the climate to be moderate, with an average temperature around 70. When in town, the weather hotline number is 936-1212. Tourist information is available at 421-2100 or 421-1023. The St. Louis emergency number is 911.
The formal conference starts Sunday, September 13 at 3,30 p.m. in the convention center, rooms 120 to 127. Registration is in the main lobby of the convention center from 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
Exhibits open at 8 a.m. and stay open until 4:30 p.m. Monday, 4 p.m. Tuesday, and close at noon Wednesday. Once again some 200 exhibitors will display fire fighting apparatus and equipment. During the exhibit hours of Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, FAMD will be drawing registrants names for prizes, including a color TV. Winners must be present, and details will be in each attendee’s packet of information.
A new feature of the program this year will be a one-day seminar on preretirement planning, which was the subject of an article in the May issue of Fire Engineering.
On the social side for everyone, there will be the annual FEMSA night of entertainment in the Riverfront Towers Hotel Ballroom at 8 p.m. Monday. A St. Louis Carnival theme party will start at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the zoo. Finally, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. the annual banquet will begin in the Riverfront Towers Ballroom. During the week, ladies will have opportunities for tours of the area and a fall fashion seminar.
The Great Lakes Box 15 party will be held at the Sheraton St. Louis Hotel, in the. Convention Plaza Ballroom, on Sunday night (Sept. 13) from 8 to 12 p.m. Entertainment will be provided.
Conference Program
Saturday, September 12
9:00 a.m.—IAFC Foundation pre-conference seminar. Room 262, Cervantes Convention Center.
9:00 a.m.—IAFC Board of Directors meeting, Spirit of St. Louis Room, Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Hotel.
12:00 noon—Luncheon, Board of Directors of IAFC, AMD, FAMD and FEMSA, Outpost Room, Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Hotel.
2:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.—Registration, Main Lobby, Cervantes Convention Center.
Sunday, September 13
9:00 a.m.— Great Lakes Division Annual Meeting, Mayfair Hotel. 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.—Registration, Main Lobby, Cervantes Convention Center.
10:00 a.m.—Constitution and Bylaws Committee meeting, Room 254, Cervantes Convention Center.
Nominations and Elections Committee meeting, Room 253.
12:00 Noon—IAFC and IAFC Foundation Board of Directors joint meeting and luncheon, Room 255.
1 p.m.—Hazardous Materials Committee meeting, Room 270.
2 p.m.—Resolutions Committee meeting, Room 252.
3:30 p.m.—Opening ceremonies, Rooms 120-127.
4:30 p.m.—Memorial ceremonies, Rooms 120-127.
Monday, September 14
8:00 a.m.-4 p.m.—Registration, Main Lobby.
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.—Exhibits, Halls A, B and C, Cervantes Convention Center.
10:00 a.m.—First conference business session, President Jack Lee presiding, Rooms 122-123.
Report of the treasurer, Chief W. T. Stewart.
Resolutions Committee Report, Chief H. Richard Harrigan, chairman.
Report of the general manager, Donald D. Flinn.
Report of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Chief William T. Stewart, chairman.
12:00 noon—Recess for exhibits visitation and division luncheons. 1:30 p.m.—Education workshops convene. Four concurrent workshops, to be repeated, will focus on fire service programs relating to education, enforcement, planning and prevention. Specific topics and speakers to be announced.
1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.—Planning for the Years Ahead—a one-day seminar on preretirement planning conducted by Dr. Lester I. Tenney, Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
8:00 p.m.—A Night With FEMSA, reception and entertainment, Ballroom, Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Hotel.
Tuesday, September 15
8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.—Registration, Main Lobby.
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.—Exhibits, Halls A, B and C.
8:30 a.m.—Second conference business session. Chief E. Stanley Hawkins, first vice president, presiding, Rooms 122-123.
10:00 a.m.—Education Workshops convene.
12:00 noon—Recess for exhibits visitation and division luncheons. 6:30 p.m.—St. Louis Carnival, host city theme party at the St. Louis Zoo. A special feature will be the presentation of a pair of kangaroos to the zoo on behalf of the Australian Chapter, IAFC, and the Sydney Zoo, Taronga Park, Australia.
Wednesday, September 16
7:30 a.m.—Eastern Division breakfast, Room 132, Cervantes Convention Center.
8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.—Registration, Main Lobby.
8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon—Exhibits, Halls A, B and C.
8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.—Voting booths open, Second Floor Lobby, Convention Center.
9:00 a.m.—Education Workshops convene.
11:00 a.m.—Third conference business session, Chief Charles Kamprad, second vice-president presiding, Rooms 122-123.
Division presidents’ reports.
IAFC Foundation report and announcement of IAFC-IAFCF scholarship recipients, Commissioner John F. Hurley, president.
Report of the 1982 annual conference host chief.
Unfinished business.
New business.
Remarks for the good and welfare of the association.
Report of attendance.
Special presentations.
Announcement of election results.
2:00 p.m.—Outside exhibition demonstrations. Cole Street between 9th and 11th Streets.
6:00 p.m.—No host reception, Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Hotel. 7:00 p.m.—Annual banquet, Ballroom, Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Hotel, Chief Herman Brice, master of ceremonies.
Ladies Program
Sunday, September 13
1:00 p.m.—Reception for the president’s wife, Mrs. Wanda Lee, and the wives and guests of the officers, directors and past presidents of the IAFC, Chadd*s, lower mezzanine, Stouffer’s Riverfront Towers Hotel.
Monday, September 14
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.—Ladies Hospitality Room, Spirit of St. Louis Room.
10:30—Luncheon given by Anheuser-Busch and the St. Louis Fire Department. Buses will leave from the 9th Street side of the Convention Center and will go to the Busch family home, originally the farm of General Ulysses S. Grant. A trackless train will take the ladies through a game preserve where deer, bison, elk and other wildlife roam free. The Bauernhof, containing the trophy room, the riding horse stables, and colorful collections of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs, will be visited. Other highlights include a miniature zoo and small animal feeding area.
Tuesday, Sept. 15
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.—Ladies Hospitality Room, Spirit of St. Louis Room.
10:30 a.m.—Repeat of Monday’s luncheon and trip.
Wednesday, September 16
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.—Ladies Hospitality Room.
11:00 a.m.—Fall fashion seminar, Stix, Bauer and Fuller Department Store, 9th floor auditorium, 7th and Lucas Streets.
