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Convention
Recap provided by Vito Maggiolo:
In what has been described as a highly
successful event by
many of its participants, the Friendship Fire Association hosted
approximately
150 guests attending the 57th Annual Convention of the
International
Fire Buffs Associates here in Washington.
Attendees from buff organizations
around the country and Canada gathered
at the Capitol Hill Liaison Hotel, next to Engine 3 and FFA
headquarters,
August 12th through 15th for four fun filled days
of
business and fire buffing activities.
The opening ceremony on Wednesday
included stirring music
from the DC Fire Department Emerald Society Pipe and Drum band. DC Fire
and EMS
Deputy Chief Kenneth Crosswhite welcomed the group on behalf of the
department,
and the invocation was administered by the Department Chaplain, Father
Peter
Weiss.
Later that afternoon, the
conventioneers were bused to the
waterfront, where they boarded the yacht Celebrity for a trip down the Potomac River. Not only were they escorted by DC
fireboats 1 and 2, with a water display, but Alexandria
Va. Fireboat 201 and Prince
Georges County Md.
Fireboat 858 also put on a show when the Celebrity reached the Wilson Bridge.
Upon return to shore, everybody enjoyed a buffet dinner at Phillips
Restaurant
along the Washington Channel.
Day two featured an all day event
at the DC Fire and EMS
Training Academy. The group saw
demonstrations that included a foam unit attack on a vehicle fire, a
mock box
alarm at the burn building, and a high angle rescue simulation on the
drill
tower by Rescue Squad 2. They were also able to view and photograph a
wide
array of DC apparatus. After a delicious lunch provided by the DC Fire
Department
BBQ team, additional apparatus was brought in from Prince Georges
County and
other southern Maryland departments for the attendees to admire and
photograph.
There was also antique apparatus on display.
Friday began with a morning trip
to the Capital building for
a guided tour. After lunch, the group headed off to Alexandria Va.
where they toured the Friendship Fire museum in Oldtown, as well as the
city’s
oldest active fire station, 201, and the new station 209 under
construction,
which features apartments built above and designed to provide
affordable
housing for public safety personnel.
From Alexandria,
the next
stop was the quarters of the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Montgomery
County, Md.
The assembly was provided with a catered dinner, and than addressed by
Ron
Siarnicki of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. A tour of the
squad and
its varied apparatus, along with additional units from the Bethesda and
Chevy Chase Fire Departments,
followed.
Saturday saw a series of
seminars, including fire
photography by District Chief Chris Mickal of New Orleans, Rehab protocols by DC
Fire and
EMS Medical Director Dr. James Augustine, Website development by DC
firefighter
Chris Hebert, Museum management by FFA curator Mark Tennyson, and
canteen
construction by Jim Krammes and Frank Brewer.
Following the seminars, the
convention saw presentations by
representatives of clubs hosting future conventions in 2010, 2011 and
2012,
which will be in Nashville, Northern
New Jersey
and Toronto,
respectively.
The convention culminated
Saturday evening with the annual
banquet, where new officers for the year were sworn in and the “Fire
Buff of
the Year” was named. FFA was extremely pleased that our very own Hal
Bruno, who
had been nominated by the Association, was the winner of the award.
Despite
recent ill health, Hal was able to attend and personally receive the
honor,
which included the presentation of a silver chief’s speaking trumpet.
DC Fire
and EMS Chief Dennis Rubin, the guest speaker of the evening, joined in
the
presentation to Hal.
In addition to all these varied
events, FFA members hosted a
hospitality room at the hotel, where the assembled buffs could enjoy
snacks and
soft drinks, swap stories, and watch fire videos. The
FFA museum also opened its doors during the course of the convention,
under the supervision of Curator Mark Tennyson and Vice President and
DC Fire Department historian Jim Embrey. In addition, buffing
trips
around the city were arranged, with our guests driven around by various
FFA
members and in courtesy cars provided by Frank Brewer of Criswell
Chevrolet.
All in all, it was a whirlwind
four days enjoyed by both
hosts and participants. Walter Gold and Vito Maggiolo served as
co-chairs for
the event, and other key players included Chris Oliphant, Mike DeWalt,
Debra
Hoover, Mark Tennyson, Jim Embrey, Tammy Bianchi, Elliot Goodman, Curt
Elie,
and Jim Sullivan. Association members Joyce Bobitz, Joe Sullivan, John
Gaskins
and Todd Bianchi also lent a considerable helping hand.
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