As Firehouse Sees It: The Three C’s of 2020...COVID, Change and Challenge

As you pick up this issue of Firehouse Magazine, I hope that you were able to enjoy some time over the summer with family and friends, despite the continued chaos that surrounds COVID-19. I took a road trip to spend time with my family, and along the way, I stopped to visit some firefighter friends, including some authors and speakers. No matter with whom I spoke, the topics were similar: COVID fatigue, daily policy or lifestyle changes and immeasurable challenges, from having the proper PPE and equipment for suspected or confirmed pandemic calls, to training with a new piece of equipment or recently delivered apparatus.

During the trip, I stopped in Nashville to talk with chiefs and firefighters from the region who make up the Incident Management Team for Firehouse Expo. There was a lot of hope and anticipation that Firehouse Expo would take place at the end of October. Contingency plans were discussed, and ideas on how to make the show successful were pitched. The Nashville-area fire service’s goal was to give Firehouse Expo attendees a great send off as we move locations to Columbus, OH, in 2021. It meant even more because of all that you, our readers, have encountered. It would have been a tribute to you all and a beacon of hope for some as a return to normalcy.

Changes in COVID-19 cases, travel restrictions and safety concerns continued to grow in the weeks that followed my visit, and the decision was made in mid-August to change the in-person Firehouse Expo to an online event. It really pained the staff to make the decision, as we explored a variety options to provide you with a great, safe experience. The fluid situation posed myriad challenges that could affect your travel and on-site experiences and your return home to the fire department.

With Firehouse’s mission to educate and inform the fire service, we are developing a virtual conference experience for you to take place in December. This program won’t feature the traditional lectures. It will provide tactics and leadership advice, share lessons learned and more in a new, easy-to-digest format to make sure that your experience from the fire station or from home is just as good as it is in person. Visit FirehouseExpo.com in late September for details and to register.

With 2020 comes so many changes that affect firefighters and the communities that they serve. Company picnics, fundraising carnivals, softball or other athletic competitions between departments and so many community-based activities have fallen by the wayside.

One of the heartbreaking postponements to be announced this year is next month’s National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. Although the families of the fallen who were to be honored in Emmitsburg, MD, wish that they never would have to make the trip, the event affects myriad others. Memorial Weekend is an annual pilgrimage for many firefighters for whom the event is a chance to give back or reflect on the firefighting family across the country while honoring and supporting the grieving families. The survivors who were honored in the past also attend each year with the hope of providing support or a shoulder to lean on as the families cope with the loss of loved ones.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will hold a national tribute on Oct. 4 and, to help to support the families of 2019’s fallen, I encourage you to take part. The 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs are another way that you can honor the fallen brothers and sisters, and the NFFF created a virtual stair climb experience this year. You can take part alone or with family and colleagues at your own pace, all while honoring FDNY’s 343 bravest who died on Sept. 11, 2001, and to help to raise funds for the continued support of fallen firefighters’ families from across the country.

Even with social distancing, you can show that you support from far and near this year. Visit FireHero.org to find out how you can view the national tribute or take part in a 9/11 memorial stair climb.