In 2011, the Emergency Management Committee (EMC) invested a significant amount of time and effort examining the progress made on issues identified in the Mutual Aid System Task Force (MASTF) report of 2005-2006 and the efforts of the EMC during the first five years of existence.
While there’s still much work in progress and more to be done, the committee voted to consolidate the number of subcommittees and reduce the total from six to three. Simultaneously, the subcommittee membership would be opened to all existing members and allow for the addition of some new members.
This would allow the groups to maintain the historical perspective associated with the issues, but also allow an infusion of new thoughts, ideas and direction to meet the objectives. Effective this month, the subcommittees and their purposes are:
- Education & Training, Deputy Chief Sean Hughes, Chair – To develop and provide training programs associated with the state and national mutual-aid programs.
- Exercise & Response, Chief Sandy Schiess, Chair – To provide information on past and future Go Team capabilities and deployments and to provide HSEEP exercise evaluators for the IAMS individual and multistate exercises.
- Mutual Aid Resources, Chief Joe Houck, Chair – To provide a clearinghouse for the review and dissemination of local, state and federal information that affects mutual-aid participation.
Following an announcement in November 2011, 72 IAFC members submitted a letter of interest to participate. In January, the EMC completed a review for each subcommittee appointment and has notified those who applied of the results. A complete listing of the subcommittees can be found on the Mutual Aid webpage, under the EMC tab.
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About the International Association of Fire Chiefs
The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. 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. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.