MARYLAND STATE FIREMEN S ASSOCIATION Representing the Volunteer Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Personnel

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MARYLAND STATE FIREMEN S ASSOCIATION Representing the Volunteer Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Personnel www.msfa.

1 MARYLAND STATE FIREMEN S ASSOCIATION Representing the Volunteer Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Report to the Executive Committee December 5, 2009 Kent Island, MD David W. Lewis Second Vice President 533 Oakton Rd. Odenton, MD Home Work Fax Cell dlewis@msfa.org President Powell, Vice President Cox, Chairman Carter, Members of the Executive Committee, Officers, Committee Chairs, and Guests: Since our last Executive Committee meeting, I have had the opportunity to attend many meetings, banquets, and conventions held by our member companies and associations while representing the MSFA as your Second Vice President. This has provided an opportunity to meet new friends, return to see old friends, and listen to the issues and concerns of our member organizations. I was especially honored to have attended the major anniversary celebrations of several companies who are commemorating many years of service I extend my congratulations to Vigilant Hose Company (Emmitsburg) (125 years), Chestertown (100 years), and Goodwill (Centreville) (100 years) I also attended the conventions of our neighboring state associations (Delaware, Pennsylvania, Cumberland Valley). These meetings provide an opportunity to share in discussions concerning challenges and solutions in the mid-atlantic states regional area. I would be remiss if I did not mention the losses experienced by some of Association s Past Presidents. I submit my condolences to Joan Cumberland on the loss of her mother, Gayle Jester for the loss of her father, and Joe Robinson on the loss of his brother. May each of you find comfort in your faith in God and the compassion shown by your fire service family. I am most proud to have been a part of the fire service representation at the ICC hearings in Baltimore on October 28. Last year, I was part of over 70 Maryland fire

2 service personnel who traveled to Minneapolis to place residential sprinkler requirements into the International Residential Code. This year, the home builders returned with proposals to remove those requirements. The fire service answered the challenge in force and I am proud of Maryland s representation at those hearing. Thanks to Doug Alexander, Fire Marshal Bill Barnard, Faron Taylor, and Doug Gentzel for their efforts in preserving the residential sprinkler requirements as a part of the code. On October 8, I represented the MSFA for a donation from Delmarva Power of smoke alarms and hearing impaired smoke alarms. This donation will provide a much needed inventory of alarms to support the needs of citizens on the Eastern Shore. This was the ninth year of donations from Delmarva Power and they have proven to be a steady partner of the MSFA in promoting life safety and we are grateful for their contribution. I am proud to have been a part of the Maryland representation at the annual National Fallen Firefighters memorial weekend in Emmitsburg on October 2-4. This year s service recognized 122 personnel who made the supreme sacrifice while performing their mission in the interest of public safety, including Maryland s own Jarrett Dixon and Brian Neville both of the Baltimore County Fire Department. I was honored to be a part of the Maryland team that presented each family with a lithograph representation of the memorial. I also attended the Maryland Memorial gala held on September 26 in Solomons. This is an important fundraising activity for the memorial. Congratulations to the members of the Memorial Foundation planning committee that organized this year s event. I also applaud the committee for the appearance of the memorial site. It truly is a beautiful memorial for our fallen heroes and we all should be proud of this accomplishment that started as a vision of Chief Donald Mooney. I also had the pleasure of attending the fall conference held by the MSFA Ladies Auxiliary. I was good to see many of the auxiliary members attend this important meeting. Thank you ladies for what you do in support of the Association and our members. I would also like to comment about the excellent job that is performed by our Fire Prevention queens. I almost forgot how important that these young ladies are in spreading the word of fire prevention, coming from a county that has been unable to put together an active program for quite a few years. As I have traveled around the state over these past two years, I see the queens everywhere I go and I can attest that they continue to do an outstanding job on behalf of life safety. So, I say to the Queens who are here today great job and thank you. I know that each of you recognize that the legislative session will be among us again real soon. I want to thank Co-Chairmen Danny Davis and Richard Yinger for the outstanding job that they do in Annapolis and know that we can count on them again this year. Last year was a challenging year with the attacks on the EMS system and the

3 helicopters and this year promises to be no less with the budgetary woes that the state is facing with the downturn in the economy. And finally, I am happy to report that on November 29, I received the keys to the Second Vice President s vehicle, a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. I thank the Executive Committee and the President s Vehicle Committee for their part in the procurement of the new President s vehicle. I would like to make note that the Second Vice President s vehicle currently has 137,658 miles on it. While most of this is over the road mileage and the vehicle has been well maintained, I would encourage the President s Vehicle Committee and the Executive Committee consider actions for the replacement of this vehicle before maintenance requirements exceed the value of the vehicle. I appreciate the support and hospitality that I have received at this point in my year as your Second Vice President. I am most appreciative of the Past Presidents who remain active within our association and are always willing to help those who are just now walking the path that they have once trodden. Thank each of you for the opportunity to serve this great association and I look forward to continuing this journey over the next three years. If I can be of any assistance to any of you, please do not hesitate to contact me. A copy of my itinerary since the August Executive Committee meeting is attached. Since the August Executive Committee meeting, I have traveled 6708 miles while attending 96 events on behalf of the MSFA. Happy holidays Respectfully submitted, David W. Lewis Second Vice President

4 Itinerary August MSFA Executive Committee Pikesville 17 Meeting w/ Governor Annapolis 17 AACVFA Board of Directors Millersville 19 MFRETC Annapolis 20 Baltimore County Rosedale 21 Fundraising set-up Odenton 22 Scrapbooking fundraising event Odenton 26 Recruitment & Retention Committee Baltimore 29 Parade Queenstown 30 Funeral viewing - Charles Anthony (father of LA MSFA PP Gayle Jester) September 2 Memorial Foundation Millersville 3 Council of Academies MFRI, College Park SEMSAC MIEMSS, Baltimore 8 EMS Board MIEMSS, Baltimore MSFA Officers meeting Linthicum AACVFA Memorial Service Lake Shore 9 AACVFA Past Presidents Dinner Gambrills 10 AACVFA Convention BINGO Orchard Beach 11 AACVFA Convention Meeting Orchard Beach 12 AACVFA Convention Social Orchard Beach 15 VAIP MIEMSS, Baltimore 16 Mtg w/ Senator Middleton Annapolis NVFC/JHU Firefighter Wellness Study Millersville 17 Metro Chiefs MFRI, College Park Funeral visit Helen Shaffer (mother of PPLA Joan Cumberland) Westminster Montgomery Co Convention Kensington 18 Delaware State Convention Dover Howard County annual meeting West Friendship 19 Chestertown 100th celebration Chestertown 20 Safety Committee meeting Tilghman Island Eastern Shore VFA meeting Tilghman Island 21 AACVFA Board of Directors Millersville 22 Life Safety Conference Laurel 23 ATAC Columbia 24 Pennsylvannia State Convention King of Prussia Maryland Fire Chiefs Assn Grasonville Residential Sprinkler Committee Grasonville 26 Fire Prevention open house Centreville

5 Memorial Gala Solomons 27 FP Open House Glenn Dale 28 Southern Maryland VFA Bryans Road 29 Enhanced Grant Writing TTT College Park 30 MICRB MFRI, College Park October 1 SEMSAC MIEMSS, Baltimore 2 NFF Memorial Weekend NETC 3 NFF Memorial Weekend NETC 4 NFF Memorial Weekend NETC Baltimore County memorial service Towson 5 EDS seminar MFRI, College Park Dorchester County VFA meeting Secretary 6 PG County memorial service Accokeek 7 Fire safety demo, press release College Park Planning Committee Annapolis 8 Smoke Alarm donation Salisbury PG Convention Accokeek 9 Funeral viewing - Howlin Edgewater Anne Arundel County VFA Odenton 10 Chestertown parade Chestertown Cecil County Queens contest Northeast 13 EMS Board MIEMSS, Baltimore OVFC Company meeting Odenton 14 Somerset VFA meeting Mt. Vernon 15 Washington County VFA meeting Junior #3, Hagerstown 17 Banquet Lisbon 18 Basket BINGO Odenton 19 Cecil County VFA Northeast 20 ATAC Columbia MSFA Officers luncheon Timbuktu NFF Memorial Critique Emmitsburg 21 MFRETC Howard Co PSTA 23 Disaster exercise evaluator Frederick 24 LA MSFA Fall Conference Lewistown 25 Vigilant Hose 125 anniversary Emmitsburg 26 Convention committee Odenton 28 ICC/IRC hearings Baltimore 29 OVFC LA Fund Raiser Hanover 31 Oyster/Ham Dinner Odenton

6 November 1 Allegany/Garrett Rawlings 2 Carroll Westminster 3 OVFC Ladies Auxiliary Odenton 10 EMS Board MIEMSS, Baltimore AACVFA Ladies Auxiliary Earleigh Heights Company meeting Odenton 11 MSFA Officers meeting Odenton Prince Georges West Lanham Hills 12 MFRI/MIEMSS meeting Baltimore 13 Meeting with USFA Emmitsburg Kent-Queen Annes Betterton 14 Banquet Ellicott City 15 Eastern Shore Deal Island-Chance 16 AACVFA Board of Directors Millersville 17 ATAC Columbia Communications Work Group Annapolis 18 Harford Jarrettsville 19 Frederick United@Independent 22 Maryland Fire Chiefs Arbutus 29 Pick up Second Vice President vehicle Reisterstown Lake Shore - engine dedication Pasadena 30 Southern Maryland Calv St. Leonards December 3 SEMSAC Baltimore 4 Financial Team meeting Kent Island 5 Executive Committee Kent Island Banquet West Friendship 6 Executive Committee Kent Island

The Maryland Trail PUBLISHED BY THE MARYLAND 4-H CLUB ALL STARS INC.

The Maryland Trail PUBLISHED BY THE MARYLAND 4-H CLUB ALL STARS INC. Dear Maryland 4-H All Stars, I don t know what we did to get such great weather during this winter, but I like it. Guess I got my wish