FDIC Conference Director Diane Rothschild recently spoke with Chief Steve Pegram, Goshen Township (OH) Fire and EMS/ president, International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI), who will give his keynote on “Everyone Can Be a Hero” at the FDIC 2016 Opening Ceremony, about the whole FDIC “experience.”
DR: What does being asked to keynote mean to you? What is its significance?
SP: Everything! There are 30,000 people each year who travel to FDIC; only two get to keynote, which makes it an exclusive group among fire services professionals. I have sat in the main hall watching the Opening Ceremony and Keynotes for the past 20 years, wondering what I would say if I ever got the opportunity to stand on the “Big Stage.” Ironically, my message at FDIC International 2016 is different than what I ever thought I would be talking about, but life experiences have a way of changing our outlook on life and our priorities, and I think I have something important and special to share and am very humbled at the opportunity FDIC has given me.
DR: How long have you been teaching the fire service? How did you get into instructing?
SP: I began teaching informally on drill nights in my volunteer fire company. At that time, we drilled two to three nights a month, and generally planning training fell on the youngest officers who had the most free time–which was me. As time progressed, I got certified as an instructor and worked as a part-time adjunct instructor for the Mercer County (NJ) Fire Academy. I spent a lot of time lying on the floor of a concrete burn building loading and reloading pallets for live fire evolutions. My gear looked “salty,” and I was having a lot of reckless fun. It was only later in my career that I realized how ineffective a lot of that training was in really teaching the students anything. When I moved to Ohio and the career side of the fire service, I was always either assigned directly to the training division or supervised training as a chief officer. Early on in my career, some great company officers taught me, and I have always thought it was part of my responsibility to pay it forward and teach those around me, especially the newer people. That’s part of the reason I joined ISFSI and ran for the Board of Directors–to give back on a larger scale to a fire service that has done so many wonderful things for me personally and professionally.
DR: What do you look forward to at FDIC?
SP: First and foremost, it’s the people. There are a lot of people I only get to see face to face at FDIC, and they are some of the most respected firefighters, company officers, instructors, and chiefs in the country. At FDIC, they are all there, and I am always excited to go and sad to leave. I still love the exhibits like a kid in a candy shop. I actually started attending some smaller fire shows when I was a kid because my interest in the fire service was so strong and I never had any other interest growing up. I enjoy seeing how departments design unique apparatus to address specific targets or needs in their community. I started attending all week and participating in the H.O.T. classes as well as classroom sessions when I was in my early 20s and have been back every year since. Today, other than my summer beach vacation, FDIC is my favorite time of the year.
DR: What message would you like to give to a first-time attendee or to someone who has never been to FDIC?
SP: First, if you have never been to FDIC, GO! It is worth your time and money. The first couple of years I attended FDIC, I did so out of my own pocket, and it was well worth the financial investment. Many of the people whose classes I took as a firefighter are now my peers on the Board of ISFSI or in the instructor cadre at FDIC. FDIC is all about learning and networking. Never be afraid to walk up and ask questions. There is no other event during the year where just about every fire service instructor, author, or celebrity is on site at the same time. Reach out to those people whose articles you have read or someone’s class you took. The instructors want to meet you and hear from you just as much as you want to meet and talk to them. Don’t waste time during the week doing things you can do at home. Attend every opening ceremony, main program, and classroom session, and then wrap up the week on the exhibit floor. You only have to attend FDIC once to be hooked for life, and you will find you make friendships that last a lifetime, I sure have.
DR: What do you think is the most pressing issue in the fire service, why, and what can be done about it?
SP: Normally I would say staffing. I think sufficient staffing on fire and EMS units has been and continues to be a huge issue for the fire service but, more than ever, I think it’s health and wellness and the issue of firefighters who are and are not “fit for duty.” A lot of efforts have been taken to reduce line-of-duty injuries and deaths and a lot of focus has been on making apparatus, equipment, PPE, and scenes safer, but I think we still are falling very short of the real issue, which is our own personal health and wellness. So many firefighters join the service when they are young and in tip-top shape. Many get an entry level physical to ensure they are fit for duty when they join, but for most people and organizations, the commitment and investment in being fit for duty stop there. If we are serious about reducing LODDs in this country, we need to address the fit-for-duty issue. Everyone could be a little healthier, including me! Locally in our department, we have implemented annual physicals and daily physical fitness training. Some firefighters are all in, some do the bare minimum to meet the requirements, and others avoid it like a plague. As a fire chief, I think it is my responsibility to invest at least as much money in the health and wellness of my employees as I do on bandages and other supplies. As a firefighter, you need to look in the mirror and ask, Can I do my job? If I go down at an emergency today, will they be able to rescue me? If my partner goes down, will I be able to rescue him or her? It’s unfair to you and your crew to show up to the fire station unfit. The harsh reality is that many of us are out of shape and are not doing anything about it. Until we fix that problem, the LODDs will remain the same.
Opening Ceremony
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
8:00 am-10:00 am
Sagamore Ballroom
Indiana Convention Center
Keynote: “Everyone Can Be a Hero”
Chief Steve Pegram, Goshen Township (OH) Fire and EMS; president, International Society of Fire Service Instructors
Every firefighter’s duty includes, when necessary, risking their lives to save another human life. In reality, very few firefighters face a live, hands-on rescue with any regularity. When they do, those heroic moments when a life is saved are rare and celebrated annually on medal days and at events like FDIC. In 2014, Chief Steve Pegram’s family had an major emergency; they declared a “ Mayday” and thru their faith, family, friends, and the fire service, a hero was made and a life was saved. By the end of the 2016 FDIC keynote, everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to be a hero and save a life without even riding a truck or leaving their seats. The story of tragedy and triumph is sure to inspire you to action and provide everyone in attendance with the opportunity to be a hero.
Bio: Steve Pegram was appointed chief of Goshen Township (OH) Fire and EMS in 2009. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he started his fire service career in high school. He has served as a fire inspector in Princeton, New Jersey; as fire chief in Pennington, New Jersey; as deputy chief in Mason, Ohio; as training officer and shift commander for the Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department; and as deputy chief for the City of Xenia, Ohio. Pegram has an associate’s degree in fire science from Mercer College in Trenton, New Jersey and a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Wilberforce University and has Ohio Chief Fire Officer (OFE) designation and Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He has been on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) since 2008 and is currently the president. He has taught at FDIC for many years and is on the FDIC Advisory Board, and also co-hosts the “Focus on Training” Humpday Hangouts for Fire Engineering.
