From Dimes to Dollars - Winning the Economic Discussion

Author: Mark Niemeyer, WFCA President and Bob Horton, WFCA Deputy Director
Published: 2/15/2023
Recently, WFCA hosted a webinar with Dr. Anirban Basu, a well-respected economist from Maryland. As Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc., a Baltimore-based economic and policy consultancy he founded in 2004, Dr. Basu’s insight into and analysis of the major factors shaping economic outcomes is highly sought after. Regardless of your rank, understanding economic indicators will help you judge the overall health of your department, division, community and state. Dr. Basu’s 2023 Economic Update is a great way to get started on your journey to understanding. Before you click to listen, read on for an introduction to the material from WFCA’s President and Deputy Director.     read more

Your Connection to Compliance

Author: Scott Miller, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Published: 6/10/2021
First responders need partners—those organizations dedicated to finding solutions that enhance our ability to maintain public safety. BRYCER, LLC, is one such organization. Western Fire Chiefs Association is proud to endorse BRYCER, The Compliance Engine. With its long history of working with fire, insurance and Information Technology industries, BRYCER has created a simple to use, state-of-the-art web-based service to accelerate and simplify the collection and utilization of fire and life safety data. BRYCER’s technology will help your department get and stay compliant with adopted fire codes and the law—that means you can focus on mission critical tasks that keep your community safe.     read more

WFCA Announces Support of Public Safety Spectrum Alliance

Author: Scott Miller, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Published: 8/14/2020
As our industry navigates the myriad challenges threatening public safety, the efforts of the Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA) to preserve the 4.9 GHz spectrum will ensure that we are able to solve the pressing challenges of today and prepare for what will emerge in the future. On behalf of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, I am pleased to announce our support of the PSSA. A unified public safety voice is necessary to keep spectrum where it belongs - with public safety. Please take a few moments right now to read how the PSSA will secure a safer future for our citizens, cities and nation.     read more

Public Safety Advocate: HPUE—What It Does, How It Works, What Is Available

Author: Andrew Seybold, CEO, Principal Analyst, Andrew Seybold, Inc.
Published: 5/15/2020
Today's Guest Columnist discusses the impact of using high-power devices for Band 14 FirstNet in terms of coverage and data speeds, and gives a bit of history on FirstNet and other LTE-based networks. Additionally, his column provides an in-depth discussion of products coming to market that are designed to enable FirstNet to support higher-power end-user devices. In Andrew's words, "I believe HPUE checks off one more of the many important pieces that need to find their way into FirstNet and the public safety community's arsenal of products and services available to our first responders."     read more

Your Support is Requested: Letters to Members of Congress

Author: Jeff Tucker, President, Western Fire Chiefs Association
Published: 5/01/2020
Today, as President of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, I issued letters to the Honorable Members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate on behalf of the WFCA Executive Board, and our members in AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WPI, urging Congress to provide an additional $5 billion for AFG and $5 billion for SAFER grants.     read more