It’s really hard to believe that we are a quarter way through another year. We have had a very busy first quarter of the year and have great news to share with our members.

First thing we need to mention is the very successful Winter In-Service we hosted at the end of February in Sun Prairie. Our attendance was up over the past couple of years and our programming and planning committee put a great schedule together of the NFA courses and workshops. We had an excellent keynote address from Derek Deprey that can help us be better individuals just by adjusting some of our habits. The general leadership track had several key presentations to get us updated on where we are at on several issues we have in our departments. The executive track brought Harold Cohen back to Wisconsin for another great NFA class on Exercising Leadership Through Difficult Conservations.

If you we unable to make it to our Winter In-Service the last couple of years, please consider saving the date for next February. We are in the process of setting up the date and location very soon, so watch your email and our website for those details. We received some great feedback and look forward to bringing you great events like this for you to learn from, enjoy the camaraderie of others and help us be better Chief’s, Officer’s, Firefighter’s and individuals. We certainly hope to see you next February at our Winter In-Service.

The next item I wanted to touch on is the success we have had in Madison at the Capitol. We currently have 10 bills waiting for the Govener’s signature that the Association has been working on. Some of these bills have been a work in progress for several years and all of them have had our position known and communicated throughout the legislative progress. We are looking forward to seeing almost all of these bills signed into law. As with any bills and eventually laws, there is no perfect pieces of legislation but we feel this has been a great session for the Fire and EMS services in Wisconsin. I want to thank all of our members for the time you may have taken to contact your legislators, call their office or wrote a letter and even made the trip to Madison to testify at the hearings. We have worked extremely hard making sure our elected officials understand how important and passionate we are for our industry and the safety of our members and the communities we serve. Your presence, calls, letters and testimony do not go unnoticed. They have been listening and notice when we are in the room and part of the process. Keep up the good work.  

The last item I wanted to mention is our annual Conference and Convention coming up in June in Milwaukee. This is our largest event the Association hosts and we are looking forward to another exceptional conference. The city of Milwaukee and Chief Lipski as our host Chief, has been a pleasure to work with. We have a great venue planned and are in the final stages of completing it in the near future. We anticipate having the schedule completed and out in April sometime.

There are many areas of interest, places to eat, enjoy some fun with friends or visit, within walking distance of the hotels and the Baird Center. Besides the events we have planned, consider checking out the local area calendar of events. The city is looking forward to us coming to Milwaukee so let’s show them our appreciation for hosting our conference. 

In closing, I wanted to thank you for being an active member of our Association. You are the reason we are successful as an organization. We are here to assist you and your department in any way we can. The growth and strength of the fire service in Wisconsin is dependent on the active participation you bring to your Association. Remember, “Together We Make a Difference”

     - John P. Breuer, Fire Chief, Allenton Fire Department