Marty Bowers, 2009-2010 President TFCA erry
Congratulations on yet another great Annual Conference, our 41st!
My gratitude to all who worked so diligently to make our conference so successful, and for the contributions and participation of our vendors who helped make the event possible.
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Chief Crawford noted as incoming President last year that there seemed to be a renewed commitment to the Association, and to the Fire Service in Tennessee. The past year’s events have borne out his assessment, and I challenge all of you to help me keep that sense of commitment growing. You may recall that I said at the banquet that “none of us is as smart as all of us”. I believe that, and consequently solicit and need your input and ideas throughout the coming 12 months.
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We have four goals to accomplish in those few months. The first of these is the completion of the Fire Fighter Memorial at TFACA. We still have a ways to go and will still need additional funding to reach our goal. It is a great tribute to our fallen firefighters who gave the ultimate sacrifice to the fire service.
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Our second goal is to continue to develop our strategic plan as to who we are, where we are going, and how we are going to get there. This is not something we can expect to find on GPS.
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Our third goal is to increase membership. Growth, especially in these economic times, is going to require some salesmanship. Time, distance, and budget are probably the biggest factors to overcome. We all know just how busy a Chief can be, and taking on yet another commitment to an organization that the prospective new member doesn’t know much about requires some education………..if you’re reading this, you know why YOU belong, and what you gain from your membership, so share that, and do it with the same vigor you use in running your department. “Piling on” is allowed, so if you and a neighboring Chief both know another Chief who should be a member and isn’t (yet)……well, you know what to do!
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Our fourth goal is to finalize the Mutual Aid Plan………..to quote Lieutenant General Confusion: “failing to plan is a plan to fail”. No plan is fool-proof, nor can it be all-encompassing, but is always a better place to start from that no plan at all. The systematic, disciplined approach of ICS works, and when the tones drop, it can be a better feeling to know with some certainty who is en route with that equipment, what the capabilities are, and that you are not having to rely on a complete stranger. We will all need other’s help at some point, and will without doubt, be called upon to help anther department. It’s going to happen, (the plan) it can be complicated, and it can be done…….and done before next year’s conference.
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We can make 2009 – 2010 another growth year, and I’m excited about our potential as an organization. Let me hear from you, and let that Strogher Martin line “what we have here is a failure to communicate” remain just that…… a line in a move (Cool Hand Luke).
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Yours for a Fire Safe Tennessee,
Martin H. Bowers,
President, Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association