The International Association of Fire Chiefs represents the leadership of the fire and emergency services of our nation, North America, and abroad. We have a long history of serving all members of our great society. In the service to our respective communities, we treasure the high level of trust and confidence that people place in us. We return this trust and confidence in the form of highly trained response, professionalism, compassionate service to all, and integrity for those we serve as well as ourselves.
The events of the past year have resulted in uncertainty, frustration, and anger across our nation and even within our own agencies. We understand and endorse our nation's founding principles – the right to assemble peacefully and the right of free speech as fundamental freedoms – freedoms upheld by the basic tenets of mutual respect, constructive conversation, and at times healthy debate. The violence that occurred across our nation in 2020, and most recently at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, threaten the very principles we value as a nation.
The IAFC, together with the people we represent, hold ourselves to the highest standards and do not condone violence or the wanton destruction of property in any form; hate within our organizations is unacceptable and cannot jade the quality of service to our communities. We are often the "last chance" to those who are suffering an emergency. We are committed to assuring the public that when they need us – we will be there, regardless of race, color, creed, lifestyle, or beliefs. As Fire Chiefs, we believe in the basic tenets of a good society: doing the right things, for the right reasons, in the right way, at the right time for any and all.
You can download a PDF version of this statement here.