On April 10th and 11th, the Western Fire Chiefs Association will be holding their annual President’s Forum is Sisters, Oregon.  This year will be the fourth President’s Forum I have been invited to and each time I attend I bring back a sense of satisfaction that we, as Fire Chiefs, are making a difference in our communities, our states, and on a national level.

Just having the opportunity to meet with fire service leaders from across the west coast as well as the Pacific Islands to discuss our state and regional issues is rewarding.  To hear how much we have in common regarding the challenges we face always stimulates active discussion, which results in each of us bringing home new strategies to address these issues.

In addition to the Presidents of each state and territories represented in the Western Fire Chiefs Association, leaders from the IAFC, NFPA, FEMA and several other national fire service groups will be in attendance.  Their participation in the forum is a demonstration of their commitment to all of us and the issues we face.

I look forward to reporting back to the Oregon Chiefs on the issues and strategies that were presented during the forum.

Stay safe,

Ted R. Kunze, President

Oregon Fire Chief Association

www.ofca.org