As fall is upon us, furnaces are cranking up. Several fire departments in our area have already responded to house fires. Make sure to check your heating systems regularly.
The Missouri Fallen Firefighter weekend was in Kingdom City in October. A large crowd attended. I wish to thank all the folks for their hard work in making that weekend very special for those families that were honored. The museum was open, and folks got to go inside for the first time. Hopefully, we can continue to move forward in making this project a reality. The pavilion on the grounds is now open as the tables are there. Stop by and take a few minutes, bring your lunch, and enjoy the facility. It was built in memory of Art “Shorty” Smith.
The fire and EMS funeral teams had their conference October 22-23 in Osage Beach. Supporting Heroes were there to train individuals on the “behind the scenes” of setting up visitations, funerals, and helping families prepare. The banquet was held Saturday night with Ms. Juliann Ashcraft as the keynote speaker. Ms. Ashcraft is the widow of Andrew Ashcraft, one of the 19 firefighters that lost their lives in a wildfire in Prescott, Arizona, on June 30, 2013. Some of the fireteams that went to Prescott, Juliann got to meet. I would like to thank Don and Hariett as they shared pictures with Juliann of that time. Juliann cherished those pictures. Thanks again. The banquet attendance was the largest to date. We wish to thank all the fire and EMS funeral team members that attended.
Next year’s conference will be the 10th annual, and it will be the biggest conference to date. It will be held October 14-16, 2022, at the Camden on the Lake Resort in Lake Ozark, Missouri. Several different training will be held including the return of the National Honor Guard Academy from Seminole, Florida. On Sunday morning closing out conference will be national known speaker Mr. Barry Young. All are welcome as more information will be coming out after the first of the year. Till next time be safe and have a great holiday season.
FFAM
