Twenty fire chiefs from around the world participated in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Forum in Quincy, Massachusetts, on October 20-23. Also in attendance were Glenn Gaines, Acting United States Fire Administrator of the United States Fire Administration (formerly Chief of Fairfax County Fire Department) and Mary Beth Michos, Deputy Executive Director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (formerly Chief of the Prince William County Fire Department).
The Forum, which opened with a keynote address from NFPA President and CEO James M. Shannon, focused on a wide range of topics including sessions on the latest international research and technology, the rebuilding of FDNY following 9/11, current challenges facing the London Fire Brigade, the Alabama tornados, residential sprinklers, diversity, and much more. In addition, the chiefs endorsed a white paper titled “Fire Service Deployment: Assessing Community Vulnerability and the NFPA Urban Fire Safety project concept.” The Forum is sponsored each year by NFPA.
“Today’s fire chiefs lead sophisticated organizations that provide fire, rescue, EMS, hazardous materials and environmental services, as well as a wide array of public education, code enforcement and community health programs,” said NFPA Metro Chiefs Executive Secretary Russ Sanders who coordinates the event. “The Urban Fire Forum brings together the chiefs who are responsible for protecting some of the largest urban centers in the world. The objective of the program is straightforward: to provide the chiefs an opportunity to learn from their peers and for NFPA to stay abreast of current trends in the fire service as well as their needs.”
This year’s participants were:
- Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Chief Ken Block, Edmonton, Alberta
- Chief Ivor J. Brooks, Birmingham, Ala.
- Chief G. Keith Bryant, Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Chief William W. Bryson, Miami-Dade, Fla.
- Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, New York, N.Y.
- Chief Kelvin J. Cochran, Atlanta, Ga.
- Chief Brian Cummings, Los Angeles City, Calif.
- Chief Stephen Dean, Mobile, Ala.
- Commissioner Ron Dobson, London, United Kingdom
- Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe, Washington, D.C.
- Chief Larry Few, Fulton County, Ga.
- Chief Luther L. Fincher, Jr., (Retired), Charlotte, N.C.
- Chief Greg Frederick, Louisville, Ky.
- CFO Peter Holland, Lancashire, United Kingdom
- Chief Ronald L. Mastin, Fairfax, County, Va.
- Chief John McKearney, Vancouver, British Columbia
- Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr, Austin, Tex.
- Chief Ned Pettus, Jr., Columbus, Ohio
- Chief Mark A. Rohlfing, Milwaukee, Wis.
The core group of the Urban Fire Forum is the Metro Chiefs Executive Board. In addition, 12 additional chiefs are invited each year on a rotating basis.
