Day two of FireFusion kicked off with the opening ceremony pulling on the heart strings of everyone in the audience. From Hall of Fame introductions to stories about taking a different meaning to failures to honoring the work that the Charleston, SC, region has put in since the tragic Super Sofa Store Fire in 2007.
The welcoming statement was presented by Charleston Fire Department Chief Dan Curia and was subsequently followed with Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Peter Matthews sharing a few words about the goal of FireFusion 2024 and presenting the Hall of Fame honors to the two co-creators of Firehouse.com.
"We also appreciate the speakers helping you navigate the challenge they're facing, whether it's leadership, operations, technology training, we're trying to bring everybody together,” Matthews said. “Whether you're a speaker or attending, we want to engage everybody. We want to make sure those conversations take place over the next few days. That is an important element of FireFusion; that as technology grows in the fire service, it can be challenging for departments to find the right programs and services for their needs.”
Hall of famers
The honoring of Hall of Fame inductees Dave Iannone and Chris Hebert followed suit, with each giving some insight into their journey and what they learned from all of the twists and turns.
Iannone has been immersed in the fire service since age 12, starting as a cadet with the Hyattsville, MD, Volunteer Fire Department. After joined the department as a regular member, he rose to the ranks of president and lieutenant.
"Firehouse.com is a hub for training, grant resources and discussion forums,” Iannone said. “We aimed to empower firefighters across the country and around the world. A crucial aspect of the platform was our mission of honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We raised millions of dollars to support families of fallen firefighters, ensuring their sacrifices would not be forgotten, which is what we take the greatest pride in."
Hebert began his fire service journey in 1988 with the Greenwich, NY, Volunteer Fire Department, joining their explorer program at age 13. In 1994, he became a live-in member of the Hyattsville, MD, Volunteer Fire Department (HVFD) while attending college. Over the years, he rose through the ranks at HVFD, serving as captain and treasurer.
"Every misstep has been a teacher grounding me and offering me a chance to learn or to grow, to rise again. Failure has been a companion in my career," Hebert said.
The two launched their creation of Firehouse.com on Dec. 25, 1998. Bringing the induction full circle in a city of remembrance and growth, both showed thanks and true humility while accepting the honor.
"It's a privilege to be recognized with some of the most esteemed company in the fire service and in the Hall of Fame,” Iannone said.
"My heartfelt thanks goes to Peter and the firehouse team for this honor, standing here inducted among the legends. I grew up admiring these men and women whose courage, vision and grit built the fire service we know today," Hebert added.
Following the induction ceremony, Division Chief William Broscious of the city of Columbia, SC, presented the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). The system went live on Monday, and Broscious encouraged all departments to start transitioning over to the new information system to enhance response capabilities. By the end of the third quarter in 2025, the plan is for NERIS to be integrated through more than 5,000 departments across the nation.
Keynote on progress
The opening ceremony was highlighted by Retired Fire Chief Jason Moore, who gave the keynote presentation. The introduction of Moore was given by Fireline CEO Nate Gilbert.
Moore opened his presentation with a common phrase throughout the fire service of "200 years of tradition unimpeded by progress." A statement that Moore has distaste for, because it is simply not true. While the tradition aspect runs deeper than anything in the fire service, it's a statement that doesn't encourage development and growth.
This was tied into the theme of embracing technology. Seeing it from both sides, Moore articulated that integrating technology that can provide game-changing and life-saving measures, while the human aspect of firefighting will never go away, and is in fact, pivotal to the success of the fire service
"I don't care what machine you put out there, it doesn't have the heart of a firefighter," Moore said. "The other thing that I want people to think about is all of this tech innovation. This means nothing if we don't work on the people who are using it."
Moore closed his presentation by not erasing the aforementioned statement, rather editing it to lean towards a brighter and more efficient future. With the fire service dating back thousands of years, the statement was edited to, "2,045 years of tradition GUIDING OUR progress."
"It's not a story of just failure. It's a story of rebirth. It's a story of abandoning this statement and saying we will be better. It's a story that is inspiring. It is a story that has invoked massive change. And in the end, looking back at everything that we've done, everything that this region has accomplished, every leader that has been developed from this region," Moore said.
The notion of embracing technological advancements and being willing to implement the training and strategies necessary to see the system flourish is a common theme throughout FireFusion 2024. Hosted in a city that dove head-first into the murky waters, they did so with a desire to become the safest, most-efficient and most-effective department and region possible.
Ryan Baker
Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for T&D World and Firehouse, while he is going to graduate school in pursuit of a master's degree in sciences of communication at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.
