The summer seems to be speeding by. As usual, there is so much to do and so little time within which to accomplish the tasks that make up our mission. In just a couple of weeks, the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Fireman's Association (CVVFA) will be holding its annual convention in Hancock, Maryland on August 5, 6, and 7, 2004. We here at Respondersafety.com realize that you all have extremely busy schedules. However we would urge you to make time to come to this conference. There is an important training opportunity. You will also have the opportunity to meet some really neat people.
The Hancock Fire Company, our hosts for the convention have selected the Berkeley Springs Inn on US 522 South as the official headquarters hotel of the 103rd Annual Convention. The property has served as the headquarters for past CVVFA Conventions.
Home Office Manager Steve Heefner suggests that reservations be made as early as possible. You can contact the Berkeley Springs Inn at 866-945-9400. The rate is $77 and includes a full breakfast. If your organization is tax exempt (must supply number) and your organization's bill is on a single account, there will be no tax.
We would urge you to visit the website of the CVVFA in order to learn about our annual meeting. You can learn about this event by visiting www.cvvfa.org for the convention highlights.
The keynote speaker for the convention will be Mr. Mark McFall, a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program. Mark is an extremely active member of the CVVFA Emergency Responder Safety Institute.
Mark will be discussing a recent NIOSH Fire Police Death Investigation. We invite you to visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/face200316.html for a copy of the investigation. A number of lessons were learned from this 2003 New Jersey tragedy.
The Emergency Response Safety Institute will also be conducting a training session for veteran instructors. Our group is at the point in our operation when we need to create a corps of instructors to deliver our highway safety training program. To that end, we will be holding a training session on Friday. Those instructors who complete the course will be certified to teach our training materials. They will also receive lesson plans and videos/tapes by successfully completing the Friday program. We will certify instructors who complete the train-the-trainer course to use the Emergency Responder Safety Institute name and instructional materials.
As I said at the beginning of this column, things are getting busy. Steve Austin and I will be leading a delegation of highway safety advocates to the International Association of Fire Chiefs Association's Fire Rescue International Conference in New Orleans. We would urge you to stop by and say hello.
Recent events have shown that the problem of emergency responders being struck on the highways of our nation remains a critical issue. I would invite you to join with us to help stem the tide of deaths and injuries.