Chief Dan Eggleston Installed as IAFC President

Pictured left to right: Chief Otto Drozd, Chief Gary Ludwig, and Chief Dan Eggleston.

Dallas, Texas - Chief Dan Eggleston, Albemarle County (Virginia) Department of Fire Rescue, was installed Thursday, August 9, as president and chairman of the board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).

Chief Eggleston will lead the association’s 18-member board of directors. He will serve as the association’s primary spokesman on national and international issues, testify on behalf of the organization at Congressional hearings and serve as the association’s representative dignitary. His term officially began Saturday, August 11.

During his inaugural address at Fire-Rescue International (FRI)  in Dallas, Chief Eggleston said he was grateful to the members of the IAFC for putting their faith in him and electing him to this acclaimed role.

"It is my hope that this position will allow me to have a positive influence on our profession at an even higher level," Eggleston said. "I pledge my dedication to upholding and elevating the impeccable standards of the IAFC."

Watch Chief Eggleston’s IAFCtv interview.
Read Chief Eggleston's full acceptance speech.

Also installed were:

• Chief Gary Ludwig, Champaign (Illinois) Fire Department, as first vice president
• Chief Otto Drozd, Orange County (Florida) Fire Rescue Department, as second vice president 

2017-2018 President Chief Tom Jenkins, Rogers (Arkansas) Fire Department, will continue to serve on the IAFC executive committee as immediate past president. 

FRI General Session Highlights

IAFC Fire Chief of the Year Awards

Volunteer Fire Chief Herbert Leusch of the Glen Echo Fire Department in Bethesda, Maryland, and career Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White of the San Francisco Fire Department are this year’s Fire Chiefs of the Year. They were honored at FRI's general session on August 9.

Fire Chiefs of the Year are active department chiefs who have shown exemplary contributions in the areas of leadership, innovation, professional development, service to the public and contributions to the fire-service community as a whole. Nominations for this honor are reviewed by a committee appointed by the IAFC; the program is sponsored by Pierce Manufacturing, Inc.

Watch IAFCtv video interview of Chief Leusch.

Watch IAFCtv video interview of Chief Hayes-White.

Read more about the 2018 Fire Chiefs of the Year.

IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor

In the early morning hours of September 6, 2017, a two-alarm fire erupted blocks away from Clackamas (Oregon) Fire District #1.  As flames engulfed a two-story dwelling, Heavy Rescue 305 (HR305) was first to respond. Reaching the top floor, they broke a window and deployed a personal bail-out system to lower a woman to safety as the fire flashed inside.

Their courageous actions in a life-saving rescue are being lauded with the 2018 IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor sponsored by Motorola Solutions. Medals of honor were presented to Captain Kyle Olson, apparatus operator Andrew Brian and firefighters Scott Kohler and Matt Towner at FRI's general session.

The IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor recognizes firefighters worldwide for their expert training, leadership, heroic actions and safe practices. Named after the United State's first fire chief, Benjamin Franklin, it is the most prestigious honor a department can receive from the IAFC.

Watch IAFCtv interview of the 2018 IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor winners.

Read more about the 2018 IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor winners.

Presentation of the IAFC President's Awards of Recognition

Each year at the general session of FRI, the IAFC president honors individuals from the fire service who have contributed in a significant way during his or her term. Recognized by 2017-2018 President Tom Jenkins were:

• Ghassan Abulfaraj, Saudi Aramco Fire Protection department manager, for outstanding international contributions to the IAFC International Fellowship Program (Presented April 11, International Fire Operations Conference, Manama, Bahrain)
• Chief Tim Wall, VCOS chair, for outstanding leadership and contributions
• Sue Swenson, First Responder Network Authority, for outstanding leadership in communications
• Dr. Sara Jahnke, Center for Fire, Rescue and EMS Health Research, for excellence in fire service research
• Tommy Hicks, IAFC chief strategy officer and deputy executive director, for outstanding professional service