The IAFC represents all aspects of the fire service and has much to offer industrial fire chiefs.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is a membership association of management personnel in the fire service that was originally organized in 1873 as The National Association of Fire Engineers. One of the organization’s initial goals was to develop a standard for fire hose thread. The IAFC adopted its current name in 1926 and today has more than 12,000 members representing the leadership of more than 1.2 million firefighters.
IAFC members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation.
The IAFC is a diverse organization representing all aspects of the fire service, including industrial fire departments and fire brigades. And that’s the part of the IAFC that surprises many industrial fire chiefs and brigade leaders.
A Growing Industrial Presence
I joined the IAFC in 1984 and attended my first conference the same year in Los Angeles. One of the salesmen with National Foam told me I was probably the only industrial chief at the conference. That changed over the next few years as more industrial chiefs attended the annual conference, and in 1990 the IAFC Board of Directors approved the creation of the Industrial Fire and Safety Section. Its inaugural meeting was attended by about 20 people from a wide range of industries. I say “people” because not all attendees were chiefs. The group included safety managers, loss prevention specialists, university fire service educators, and some chiefs.
That small initial group has grown to nearly 300 members. Today, the Industrial Section’s purpose is to provide a forum for members who share a common interest in industrial emergency management services at all levels. Section members represent a broad spectrum of industry, including petrochemical (production, refining, and transportation), pharmaceuticals, aviation, consulting, metals manufacturing, automotive, the film industry, and contract industrial firefighting services.
The Industrial Fire and Safety Section is one of eight sections that allow members to network and exchange information with chiefs who share their interests. Several sections benefit the industrial sector:
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The Fire and Life Safety Section provides leadership and vision in an effort to reduce the risk of injury and the loss of life and property through effective prevention programs.
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The Safety, Health, and Survival Section concentrates on policies and issues relating to the health and safety of firefighters.
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The Volunteer and Combination Officer Section (VCOS) provides information, education, services, and representation to enhance professionalism and capabilities. VCOS has quite a few industrial chiefs as members because of the similar issues faced by both municipal and industrial departments that are composed of volunteer, assigned, and paid positions. Issues of recruitment, retention, and training are common to both types of organizations.
The Industrial Section also works closely with the Hazardous Materials committee. Since municipal hazmat teams respond to incidents involving the products that we in the industrial sector produce, it’s a natural fit. We are currently working together to address the expanding production and transportation of ethanol and the increase in ethanol-blended fuels. Although fire and incident response to polar solvent products is nothing new for industry, the public sector is discovering that it is unprepared and undertrained to meet this new and growing challenge.
The Industrial Section has undertaken several major projects. It developed a mutual aid user guide that provides a road map for developing mutual aid agreements with other industrial departments or companies and also mutual aid agreements between industrial and municipal departments. Its most recent project is an industrial firefighter textbook. Industrial Fire Brigade Principles and Practice was created in partnership with the IAFC, NFPA, and Jones & Bartlett Publishing. The NFPA 1081 – compliant textbook was written by the industry for the industry.
Visit Us at IFSS
Members of the Industrial Fire and Safety Section will have an exhibit booth at the 3rd Annual Industrial Fire, Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition. We hope to meet you there and show you how our organizations can help each other.