FDSOA Elects New Board Chairman

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) announced that Richard Maddox, RN, MPA HSO/ISO Certified, was elected as the new chairman of the board of directors by its membership through electronic voting. Maddox, a member of FDSOA since 1993, has served as Eastern Region director and twice as vice chairman over the past 12 years.

In 1992, Maddox was appointed safety officer for the Sayville, N.Y., Fire Department. He was one of the first safety officers to participate in the original Incident Scene Safety Officer training program and certification exam. Maddox is a registered nurse, holds a master’s degree in public health administration and is currently employed by the New York State Office of Mental Health as a clinical risk management specialist.

In acknowledging the announcement, Maddox stated, “First, let me thank all the members of FDSOA who exercised their right and voted in the recent election for the selection of the chairman of our association. I am honored to have the membership’s confidence to serve as your next chairman. I would like to extend my congratulations to Chief Paul Nelson on his efforts during the campaign and look forward to working with him in the future."

Maddox continued, saying; "As I mentioned during the campaign, I have been a member of FDSOA for 23 years. During that time I have dedicated myself to working with other members across the country in advancing the mission of our association, which in turn benefits the overall objectives of firefighter safety and health. It is my goal to expand membership participation, increase membership, improve our educational programming, develop additional safety certifications and collaborate with fire/emergency services agencies to advocate for FDSOA’s mission and goals. I look forward to working with as many of you as possible during the next three years. Each member brings a valuable strength to the organization, without which such an organization could not run without success. My hope is to have a successful term as chairman of this fine organization.”

Current FDSOA Chairman Michael Petroff said, “Congratulations to Chairman-elect Richard Maddox and thank you to his opponent Paul Nelson. Both of these gentlemen have shown dedication and professional expertise in support of firefighter health and safety. Both are certified safety officers, teach the curriculum and have served on the board of FDSOA helping advance the association.”

Petroff acknowledged that during his tenure on the board, particularly the past couple years, the FDSOA faced significant challenges including changes in leadership, staffing and office consolidation.

“Rich Maddox will face the future well-equipped as he has been an active member of the FDSOA board of directors for over 12 years and vice chair for two terms,” said Petroff. “In addition, with the excellent management capabilities of Richard Marinucci, executive director, Linda Stone-Marinucci, administrative assistant, a dedicated board of directors and a strong membership, Maddox will have great support.”

“As chairman, I believe I lead the board to make the right decisions and feel I have left the association in a good position to continue to improve,” Petroff added. “I thank the membership for allowing me to serve and I feel confident in the capabilities of Richard Maddox.”
Petroff has appointed a nomination and elections committee as outlined in the by-laws to validate the election and will make the voting official. As the vice chair position is vacant, the board will fill the position at the next annual meeting to be held at the Safety Forum, in Fort Lauderdale, September 21-25, 2015.

For more information regarding the FDSOA Annual Safety Forum, September 21-25, 2015, contact Rich Marinucci, executive director, at [email protected] or visit www.fdsoa.org.

FDSOA was established in 1989 as a non-profit association. Its mission is to promote safety standards and practices in the fire, rescue and emergency services community. The association is led by a volunteer board of directors and has a small staff to handle day to day operations. FDSOA is dedicated to the issues that affect the critical role of safety officers in protecting and promoting the safety and health of fire departments, communities and first responders.