It seems every time I write a cautionary note about dry summer weather, it rains. But as wet as it is in some areas, the rain in Missouri continues to be spotty with some portions of the state receiving little precipitation over the last few months. Additionally, wet summer weather brings high humidity and the dangers associated with working in those conditions. As we progress into the fall, please remain vigilant in monitoring those fire service responders working in our changing weather.
At the Division, this is the time of the year we work on next year’s budget and legislative session. We will continue to seek funding for no-cost training opportunities for our firefighters and emergency personnel. If anyone has questions or concerns about legislative proposals, our budget, or any other Division related business, they are welcome to contact me to discuss those issues. We appreciate the support Missouri’s fire service has shown the Division and will strive to be good stewards of that trust and support.
Our training vendors are hard at work scheduling training opportunities throughout the state. I encourage all fire agencies to take advantage of this no-cost training. If you are looking for a specific training opportunity or are not sure what may be offered in your region, please check out the Training and Certification Program’s Facebook page. The Facebook page is a great way to interact with our certification staff, get answers to your training/certification questions, find the next regional test date(s) and just stay in the loop about training around the state.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the updated Firefighter I and II curriculum is now available. The curriculum has been revised to the 2013 NFPA standard. Our staff spent countless hours poring over the curriculum in order to provide our firefighters with the best possible product. I am proud of the work they do for fire service.
We also have a Facebook page for our Public Education/Fire Prevention program. I was pleased to see an NFPA blog mentioning the interaction of our new Sparky the Fire Dog educational prop with visitors to the Missouri State Fair. My thanks to the State Fair Fire Department for allowing our staff to participate in their public education outreach during the fair.
As always, I and the Division are here to serve Missouri’s fire service. We are your Division, so feel free to stop by the office or give us a call with any questions you may have.
Greg Carrell
Assistant State Fire Marshal
FFAM
