Thursday, Mar 5, 2009
Superintendents, deputy superintendents, chief rangers, and structural fire coordinators from 23 engine company parks gathered in Tucson, Arizona from January 27th to January 29th to discuss the unique responsibilities and challenges of managing safe structural fire suppression programs, while striving to protect park resources and the visiting public. Karen Taylor-Goodrich, Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection, welcomed conference participants to the National Park Serviceâs first structural fire suppression conference, titled âTools for Success.â
The conference focused on:
- Understanding the serious nature of fire suppression operations and the risks firefighting poses to our personnel
- Understanding the common roadblocks within the National Park Service that keep us from being compliant with industry and OSHA standards
- Reviewing how we currently manage our engine companies and identifying ways to manage them smarter and more efficiently
A comprehensive agenda included plenary sessions for all attendees and breakout sessions for specific groups to share ideas, discuss concerns, and devise a plan of action to improve structural fire suppression operations in the parks and at the national level. Topics covered during the conference were broad and ranged from structural fire management liabilities to training requirements and their standardization, historic structure protection, medical and training documentation requirements, and the application of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to emergency management activities.
Two keynote speakers provided significant food for thought to conference attendees in their presentations. Gordon Graham, a 33-year veteran of California law enforcement, an attorney, and a leading professional in the area of organizational and risk management and civil liability, provided a riveting presentation on emergency services liability, professionalism, and the importance of training. Jack Harris, a trainer, workshop leader, counselor, and 20-year veteran of law enforcement, discussed managementâs role in âkeeping good people good.â
The conference generated insightful discussions and identified areas for improvement, which will assist the NPS structural fire management program in planning its priorities for the future. Overall, attendees valued the interaction and exchange with members of other engine company parks and recommended future meetings to mark progress and ensure that the National Park Service excels in its structure fire suppression safety efforts.
The mission of the structural fire management program is to establish, maintain, and operate a viable, integrated, and multi-disciplinary structural fire protection program to keep visitors, employees, dependents, buildings, and cultural resources of the National Park Service safe from fire, life safety, and related hazards. Structure fire protection extends to over 26,000 structures, many of them national icons and historic structures, and 80 million artifacts.
For conference highlights and PowerPoint presentations, visit the program's web pages at http://inside.nps.gov/waso/waso.cfm?prg=358&lv=3 .
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