Greetings to each of you! What a year this has been. The weather in some parts of the state has been overly hot and dry and other areas have seen rain and milder overall temperatures.
Who says Missouri doesn’t offer a little bit of everything? Hopefully, you have had success throughout the year and are making plans to spend extra time with friends and family to close out the year.
As we close out the year take an opportunity to reflect on what has taken place around your agency or perhaps in your region. Each year the FFAM makes various award presentations to recognize deserving members of our Missouri fire service family who have “shined” at some point during the year. All you have to do is jump on the FFAM website at ffam.org/committees/awards/ and you will find the description of each available recognition and a nomination form. These are all due by February 28th, so don’t put it off any longer. Let’s make sure those deserving of recognition are highlighted at our next convention and annual meeting.
While we are talking about deadlines, I should mention the fact that there are scholarship funds available. Take the same path to the website at ffam.org/committees/scholarship/ and all the information you need will be there. Remember those applications are due by February 28th also.
The Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri did another outstanding job on October 7 and 8 recognizing Missouri fire service members who have passed away. Eight line-of-duty-deaths were recognized along with non-line-of-duty-deaths from 2022, 2021 and 2020. This was a large group of personnel to be honored and remembered and the event was well attended by family, friends, and supporters. This annual event is now planned for the first weekend in October moving forward. If you have never attended, put this on your 2024 calendar and plan to join us for a moving weekend in Kingdom City.
Thanks to the foundation for all the hard work to put this event together year after year.
MU FRTI Winter Fire School will be here before you can believe it, so start watching for class and enrollment information to come shortly. The MU FRTI staff works tirelessly to put together a quality fire service training opportunity and has done so longer than a good deal of us have been on this earth. They continue to try to add new classes to keep the experience fresh while still remembering the “basics” are still the foundation of what we do. If you have never been, watch for the announcements and make the time to attend in early February. If you are a seasoned attendee, make plans to return and gain more knowledge and visit with your peers from across the state.
Don’t forget it is also about time to make sure your agency (big or small, career or volunteer) is registered with the Division of Fire Safety. This is a statutory requirement under RSMo 320.271 and applies to every fire agency in the state. The number of registered agencies grows some each year, but there is no reason we can’t reach 100% on this simple task. Go to https://apps1.mo.gov/fsreg/fdRegistration.aspx and start your registration. The process is not difficult and registration is often a requirement for certain areas of funding opportunities through the state.
So get this done for 2024 and don’t miss out on potential opportunities coupled with this registration.
Each year I also caution each of us to pay attention to those around us as we enter what is often referred to as the “holiday” season. The “holidays” are not always kind to everyone and this time of year often sees a spike in depression and isolation for many in the emergency services professions. Although we should keep an eye on each other all year, the coming months are sometimes more challenging and require an extra level of vigilance. There are many resources available on the local, state, and national level so if you or someone you know needs some extra assistance dealing with life’s various challenges please reach out and secure what is needed.
Let’s all work together to make sure we each make it into the next year and the years beyond. If the Board or I can be of service please contact us as we continue to serve you, our members all across this state. Be Safe!
FFAM
