Now that we have made it through the busy holiday season it’s time to think about the spring weather and getting together with our extended “fire family and friends.” What better way is there to reconnect with fellow fire service related people than attending the Annual FFAM Convention?
Convention 2017 planning is in full swing and we are starting to finalize plans in hopes of making this the best convention yet. Mark your calendars now for April 21-23 and plan on joining us on the beautiful grounds of the Missouri State Fair. You will have the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. We are working on an opening ceremony with a little extra flare so if you have a color guard or even just a department flag contact Shelby Phifer and let her know if you would like to participate and be represented at the convention.
We are also planning on providing more training opportunities so you can spend some time improving your knowledge base while at the same time having a good time in Sedalia. We will host the Certified Board of Directors course and the dual part Strategies of Leadership: Recruiting/Retaining Emergency Service Volunteers course on Friday. Both of these courses are slated for eight hours, but will be completed in plenty of time to still visit the vendor exposition. Additionally we will be hosting a pipeline related emergency awareness course to be held on Friday morning for four hours and a two hour Introduction to Public Safety Officer Benefits presentation on Friday afternoon. Registration information for the courses will be available soon. We think the additional courses will provide you with a great opportunity to pick up some extra knowledge you can apply to your daily activities with your department.
If you plan on entering a team in the fire fighter competition don’t forget to get registered with the contest committee. As you know the contests are always fun to participate in and to watch. Bragging rights for the upcoming year will be up for grabs so plan on participating or cheering your favorite team to victory.
Of course what would convention be without a banquet? What a great opportunity for us to dress up a little and “strut or stuff” while enjoying some tasty food and watching many deserving individuals be recognized for their efforts during the past year or perhaps for a lifetime. Dan Meers, the man inside the Kansas City Chief’s mascot KC Wolf will be the guest speaker and will provide some inspirational words resulting from his own personal struggles and successes much like many of us face regularly while serving the public.
The whole event will close out with the Sunday morning Annual Meeting of the FFAM as we conduct the official business of the organization. If you know of anyone that may want vendor booth space, would like to advertise in the convention book or would just like to make a donation and be a sponsor, the forms are available in the newsletter or contact a convention committee member. Don’t forget to send in your registration to attend as soon as possible.
We hope to see each of you in Sedalia!
FFAM
