The last half of 2021 whet the appetite of those who were hungry to get back to fire service conferences and training events. Now, fire service events are returning to our calendars this year with more vigor than in the past.
I would like to invite you to join us in Columbus, OH, Sept. 26–30 for Firehouse Expo 2022, for five days of education from instructors from all over plus three days of companies showcasing their equipment, technology and innovation.
The feedback from last year’s event was encouraging after we moved out of Nashville. With the move to Columbus, or “Cbus,” we encountered unbelievable hospitality from businesses that rolled out the red carpet. I heard several stories of restaurants going above and beyond when firefighters broke bread in their shops. Columbus is a great host city that has plenty of local establishments to check out after the event wraps up daily or on the weekends that bookend this year’s conference, since we changed the event days to Monday–Friday. There are sports, live music, and so much more to see and do.
Columbus Division of Fire, Columbus Fire Fighters Local 67, the fire departments across Franklin County, and the Ohio Fire Academy opened their arms to the brothers and sisters who attended, representing almost every state. Each group played a role in making the Expo memorable in a city that’s designed for a conference, with everything just a short walk from the conference hall.
When it comes to the conference, we added a number of first-time sessions, including Keith Stakes’ “Search and Rescue on the Modern Fireground”; “Emergency Radio Communications: What to Say When it Matters the Most” by Robert Moran and John Lewis; Marc Aloan’s “Probie to Promotee: The Missing Link of Professional Development”; Brandon Fletcher’s “Views from the Other Side of the Desk”; and “Responding to Aircraft Emergencies” by Duane Welliver.
Several Firehouse columnists and authors will present, too, including Mike Daley, Billy Goldfeder, Jon Hall, Brandon Heggie, Curt Isakson, Sean Eagen and Aaron Zamzow.
If you’re interested in a more in-depth program, we will offer more pre-conference workshops than we have in the past, ranging from training and leadership to a walking tour of Columbus that couples neighborhood building and construction with Columbus firefighters leading the conversations.
To kick off the conference, FDNY Chief of Training Frank Leeb will present the must-see keynote, “Fire Service Cornerstones of Success: Training and Teamwork and Why It Matters on Game Day.” Leeb will cover the importance of passion for firefighting and training and of creating a winning mindset.
For departments that want to send multiple members, we developed the “Firefighter Partner Program,” so groups can attend at significant savings. Chiefs can take advantage of the incentive to send new or soon-to-be-promoted officers, training officers and those who want to expand their skill set or to even reward top responders. Check out the offer for first-time attendees, too. Visit firehouseexpo.com/fhe2022/rates to find the best rates for you and your members.
An overview of this year’s conference sessions is on pages 52–53 of the April issue, and you can check FirehouseExpo.com for the most current lineup any time.
I encourage you to look at the conference program and exhibitor lineup for Firehouse Expo 2022 and to join us in Columbus.
Remembering Jim Smith
Just weeks after James P. Smith’s final Firehouse “Fire Studies,” column, he succumbed to cancer on March 1. The effect of his dedicated career as a chief, instructor and mentor goes far beyond that of Firehouse readers and National Fire Academy students.
In this past February issue, he wrote, “I found that firefighters in every town and city in the United States know their job. They also have no problem sharing their knowledge. Traveling across the country, giving seminars and meeting firefighters from every size fire department has shown me that talented firefighters are found everywhere. It has shown me that camaraderie is alive and well in the fire service. It makes me proud to say I’m a firefighter!”
Let’s make sure that we honor the legacy of Jim’s teaching by sharing our talents.
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
