NAMES IN THE NEWS
CHIEF M.H. “JIM” ESTEPP, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, has been named deputy chief administrative officer for public safety for Prince George’s County, Maryland. In this newly created position, he will supervise the county’s fire, police, and corrections departments.
Estepp was elected president of the IAFC this past August. One of his first steps was to form a committee to look at the impact of drugs on the fire service. He wrote to William Bennett, director of the National Drug Control Policy Board, to voice fire service concerns.
Chief Estepp completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His appointment is effective as of January 1, 1990.
■ The Board of Certified Fire Protection Specialists, which conducts peer certification in promoting the professionalism of those involved in fire protection, recently announced its 1988 emeritus and honoraryawards.
CURT WELDON, congressman from Pennsylvania and longtime member of CFPS, was awarded emeritus membership. Weldon’s extensive fire protection background enabled him to organize the largest caucus on Capitol Hill, the Congressional Fire Sendees Caucus.
TIM GlBSON, of CIGNA LOSS Control Services in Philadelphia, received an honorary membership. As director of the Property Product Management Group at CIGNA, Gibson supported staff members’ participation in the CFPS program.
■ PETE GANNON of the Plantation (FI.) Volunteer Fire Department was given the Outstanding Instructor award by the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists (IADRS). He also received the Outstanding Sendee award for exemplar)’ senice to the association and the public safety diving field.
Gannon was certified by Dive Rescue International, Inc. as a dive rescue instructor in 1981. He is the team leader of a 20member volunteer dive team in Plantation and is a volunteer member of the Broward County Sheriffs Department Dive Rescue Team. In the past year he has trained more than 200 fire and police divers and has helped establish three fire department dive teams in the South Florida area.
■ The Worcester Polytechnic Institute Center for Firesafety Studies recently presented the Herrick A. Drake Award to five leaders in the field of fire protection engineering. The award, presented for leadership and service in higher education, is named for the center’s first advisor)’ board chairman. All five recipients are retiring charter members of the board of advisors and have completed three terms.
Honorces are: JACK BONO, president, Underwriters laboratories, Inc., Northbrook, Illinois; HOWARD W. EMMONS, professor emeritus, Division of Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; JOHN A. LOVE, president, CEO, and member of board of directors, Factory Mutual Engineering Association and Factory Mutual Engineering Corporation, Norwood, Massachusetts; ORVILLE M. SLYE JR., president, Loss Control Associates, Inc., Trevose, Pennsylvania; and ROGER H. WILDT, construction marketing manager, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
■ WALT HENDRICK, consulting editor to me Engineering, has been named the first DAN/ Rolex Diver of the Year. The award recognizes individuals for their exceptional contribution to dive safety and/or Diver Alert Network (DAN).
Hendrick was honored for his 25-year contribution to scuba safety as a scuba instructor, in-water rescue trainer, lecturer, author, and producer of audiovisuals. He has saved 26 lives in water-related rescues and his teaching has resulted in 70 additional rescues. He is founder and president of Lifeguard Systems in Hurley, New York.
