Massachusetts Fire Chief 2009

A MESSAGE FROM THE PAST PRESIDENT BY KEN WILLE T TE Bonds of Service Since its founding in 1893, the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts has maintained a proud bond with those who have been called to serve our country in the armed services. Many of our members are veterans themselves, and our rolls list retired members who served during World War II, the Korean Conﬂict, Viet Nam, and Operation Desert Storm. Military and ﬁ re service share the bond of entrusting your life to your buddy and knowing you could give your life in fulﬁllment of the oath you have sworn to. On September 11, 2001, FCAM and its members were reminded of the call to duty to which the Minutemen in Concord responded. My son, a recently commissioned Second Lieutenant with the 187th Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), was deployed in December of 2001 to Khost, Afghanistan, in what would be the ﬁrst of two deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The bond of brotherhood that exists among the Fire Chiefs’ of Massachusetts is a bond that transcends what part of the state we hail from or what type department we lead. As brother chiefs became aware of the departure of mine and other chiefs’ sons and daughters, the outpouring of support and concern showed was a true comfort. True to their nature, the Chiefs were not content to let words be their only measure of support, and since 2001 FCAM has been very active in supporting our servicemen and women and their families. During 2002, FCAM educated all members about the Service Star Flag, a red and white banner with a blue star in the center, which signiﬁes a family member is serving during an armed conﬂ ict. History states the Flag was ﬁ rst displayed in 1917, created by an Ohio resident to honor his two sons serving in France. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson endorsed a gold star in the ﬂag’s center to signify the loss of a family member in combat, and the Gold Star Mothers were born. In 1925, a national charter from Congress ofﬁcially adopted this ﬂ ag as the standard symbol of military service, and established protocols for its proper display. Besides displaying the ﬂ ag in the residence of the relatives of the member serving, these protocols allowed a Service Flag to be displayed by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving in the Armed Forces during a period of war or hostilities. As a result of this initiative, more than a dozen ﬁ re departments across the Commonwealth displayed a Service Star Flag to show their support for department personnel, including several ﬁ re chiefs, who had family members deployed. In 2007, while my son was on his second deployment to Forward Operating Base Salerno, serving with the 4-25 Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, in Khost, I read a posting in a blog written by Lt. Col. Bruce Schoneboom that the 14th Combat Support Hospital in Khost, was seeing an increased number of pediatric burn injuries. He noted that his greatest need was for specialized burn dressings, which can be used at the hospital. FCAM mobilized a fundraising effort to help with supplies and more than $3,000 was raised through contributions by FCAM Members, including several Associate/Vendor members, to purchase silver sulfadiazine cream, a topical ointment used to prevent infection in burns and promote healing. With the help of Emerson Hospital, located in Concord, MA, the Fire Chiefs’ Association was able to send 96 tubs of cream to Afghanistan. “Your message is a wonderful testament of why it is a privilege to be an American,” wrote Lt. Col. Schoneboom upon receiving word that the ointment was en route to Afghanistan. In November of 2006, with support from Janet Wilmoth, editor of Fire Engineering magazine, the American Fire Service was asked to submit the name and address of deployed troops to be posted on the Fire Engineering and FCAM Web sites, and readers were encouraged to send holiday cards. Over 50 names were posted and hundreds of cards were mailed out. Both my son and nephew, Sgt. Daniel Newsome of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, serving in Iraq, received cards, and as Danny wrote “I am getting all these cards from people I don’t know. It’s crazy,” which meant he really appreciated it. In 2007, FCAM initiated Operation Wounded Warrior, a program to support service men and women being cared for at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. FCAM members were asked to write cards of encouragement and thanks that can be shared with any soldier at Walter Reed. These were placed into welcome packages for newly arriving soldiers and also distributed by volunteers, especially to soldiers with few visitors or outside contact. With donations from our members and associate/vendors, FCAM purchased gift cards to department stores and pharmacies near Walter Reed, and donated them to the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, to be distributed to the families of hospitalized soldiers. These families often included spouses with very young children who arrived with minimal clothing and toiletries, facing the challenge of spending many weeks with their loved ones. Seven members of FCAM visited the inpatient unit at Walter Reed FCAM EDUCATED ALL MEMBERS ABOUT THE SERVICE STAR Hospital in April 2007. We FLAG, A RED AND WHITE were escorted by a Major who introduced us to six BANNER WITH A BLUE STAR IN THE CENTER, WHICH SIGNIFIES wounded warriors, includA FAMILY MEMBER IS SERVING ing four who were MassaDURING AN ARMED CONFLICT. chusetts residents, one the son of a Boston Fireﬁghter. Four of the soldiers were double amputees, one had suffered head and facial trauma, and another had a major spinal injury. In spite of these injuries, their attitude was positive and focused on the future, and seven ﬁre chiefs left Walter Reed humbled and in awe of the spirit and dedication to our country these warriors exhibited. Upon returning from Walter Reed, FCAM reached out to State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan with a suggestion that a Service Bar indicating the wearer had served during a time of armed conﬂict be adopted by M A SSA C HUSE TTS FIRE CHIEF 2009 | 11

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Massachusetts Fire Chief 2009

Massachusetts Fire Chief 2009 Contents A Message from the FCAM President Code of Ethics/Vision Statement Bonds of Service Legislative Report The Fire Chief for 2009 and Beyond Leading a Combination Fire Department Remember When Fighting for Code Change Leadership Matters Fire Risk Management - Fire Chiefs - Codes The Current Economy and its Effect on Fire Departments Statewide Fire Mobilization Plan Beware of the Truss Index of Advertisers

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