NFPA Journal - July/August 2019 - 6

NFPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS
Keith E. Williams, Chair
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Northbrook, Illinois
James Pauley, President
President and CEO, NFPA
Amy R. Acton, First Vice-Chair
The Phoenix Society
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Russell B. Leavitt, Second Vice Chair
Telgian Corporation
Tempe, Arizona

First Word

by Jim Pauley

NFPA President

Donald R. Cook, Secretary
Shelby County Department of
Development Services
Pelham, Alabama
Roger W. Montembeault, Treasurer
The Montembeault Group
Tampa, Florida
Kwame Cooper, Assistant Treasurer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Los Angeles, California
*Sally P. Everett, Assistant Secretary
Secretary of the Corporation,
VP & General Counsel, NFPA
*Bruce H. Mullen, Staff Officer
Executive VP and CFO, NFPA

just returned from our 2019
Conference & Expo in San
Antonio, and I've been reflecting on the lessons I learned.
There were many, but at the
top was this: the world will be a safer place
because of what all of you do.
Nearly 8,000 of you attended the world's
largest fire and life safety event, and you
were there because you're dedicated to
making a difference and saving lives. In fact,
"dedicated" is a word that constantly comes
to mind, no matter what field you're in:
public safety, engineering, electrical-the list
goes on. The continuing education sessions
were well attended and interactive. The expo
floor buzzed with people with a drive to
enhance their own knowledge. The excitement level was beyond anything I've seen in
my years of attending the NFPA conference.
One of the themes that we threaded
through the conference was "What we do
here improves safety everywhere," and that
idea was visible in many different ways.
This year's conference attracted delegations
and attendees from more than 40 countries.
Dr. Tricia Wang, our keynote at the general
session, reminded us of the importance of
the human element alongside data as we
create the tools and processes necessary for
us to do our jobs. People influence people,
and that is the key for us as we work toward
achieving our vision of a safer world. It was
fascinating not only to watch but also to be
a part of it.

I

6 | NFPA JOURNAL * J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

The NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem
resonated across the conference. We talked
about it extensively at the opening general
session, and I lost count of the number of
you who came to me and said, "We need
this thinking in our [country/jurisdiction/
city/take your pick], and I am going to take
it home and apply it." I have to admit that
the impact of the ecosystem message is

Nearly 8,000 of you
attended the world's
largest fire and life
safety event, and you
were there because
you're dedicated to
making a difference
and saving lives.
turning out to be even bigger than we at
NFPA anticipated when we put it together.
I said in my remarks at the general session
that what the "America Burning" report
did to advance a focus on fire safety for the
US in the 1970s, the ecosystem will do for
us today-and it will be able to do it on a
global scale.
Put the dates on your calendar for next
year's conference-June 14-18, 2020, in
Orlando. Don't miss an opportunity to be
part of the biggest networking event in fire
and life safety. See you there!

Eric R. Rosenbaum
Jensen Hughes
Baltimore, Maryland
James Sullivan
IDG International Publishing Services
Framingham, Massachusetts
Terms Expire in 2021
John D. Bonney
Alendi Consulting
Ropley, United Kingdom
Brion Callori
FM Global
Johnston, Rhode Island
Martha Connors
Digital Media & Marketing Consultant
Newton, Massachusetts
Reginald D. Freeman
Hartford Fire Department
Hartford, Connecticut
William J. Fries
Department of Defense
Washington, D.C.
R. David Paulison
Global Emergency Solutions
Davie, Florida
Louis Paulson
Contra Costa County
Fire Protection District, retired
Walnut Creek, California
Michael Wallace
UTC Climate, Controls & Security
Jupiter, Florida
Terms Expire in 2022
Hatem Kheir
Kheir Group
Cairo, Egypt
Patrick J. Morrison
International Association
of Fire Fighters
Washington, DC
Teresa L. Deloach Reed
Oakland Fire Department, retired
Oakland, California
Stacy N. Welch
Marriott International
Bethesda, Maryland

*Not a Board member

NFPA

Conference Reflection

DIRECTORS
Terms Expire in 2020
Jeffery C. Cash
City of Cherryville Fire Department
Cherryville, North Carolina
NFPA Journal - July/August 2019

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