New Year Brings Change of Guard

           

As we enter 2004, best wishes from the staff and board of directors of the International Association of Wildland Fire. The new year brings many changes to the IAWF. Among those changes is the addition of three new members to your board of directors.

Howard Dupuis is the fire operations program manager for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Keith Harrap is the assistant commissioner of the New South Wales Fire Service. His article “Shelter Shock” appears on page 18 of this issue.

Jim Tidwell is the national director of fire service activities for the International Code Council. The ICC is a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention based in Falls Church, Va.

This will also be the last “From the President's Desk” I will be writing, as my term of office is ending. I am sure that the new president will keep you informed of the IAWF's activities.

My wish for 2004 is that we firefighters are provided with defensible space, or as our friends in Australia call it, the asset protection zone, so that we don't have to risk the lives of firefighters throughout the world to protect buildings. What a great wish! Now all we have to do is to educate homeowners, developers, insurance officials and ourselves as to why we would want such a tool! I guess that task is going to provide plenty of work for all of us throughout the year.