President’s Remarks – January 2025

I remember while growing up hearing the “old” people say that time seemed to speed up as they aged. Apparently, I may have reached “old” people status because I am not sure where 2024 has gone and how 2025 has already arrived. Maybe if I haven’t really reached the coveted “old” people status I am certain that time has Zoomed by for me just as I am sure it has for many of you. With all we are involved in with our families, communities and employment I am not sure how we find time to fit it all in, but generally, we appear to figure it out and accomplish many worthwhile achievements.

At a recent year’s of service and recruit graduation ceremony I challenged the graduates to excel in everything they did and to be the very best they can be as they move forward in their fire service career. The new members entering our agencies are our future and the future of the fire service. Not only should they strive to be the best but we should all help them in any way possible so they are equipped to carry the torch for years to come. At the same time, each of us must remember to be our best and keep our knowledge and skill sets up to date and lead by example for those we are mentors for or peers of. When we each do our best, new members develop strongly and our agencies and communities flourish with the benefits provided by our service. Do your best in all you are involved in.

Speaking of 2025 already arriving there are a few things I hope you have remembered to address:

1. Your agency’s statutorily required registration with the Division of Fire Safety is past due if not already completed. Please make sure you or your agency’s administration have taken care of this and if not, the information can be found on the Division website or contact the office for assistance.
2. Scholarship and award nominations are due no later than February 28 so make sure you get those applications or nominations submitted on time. There are many out there that can benefit from additional financial assistance to further their education and we have many members that do extraordinary things all year that are deserving of recognition. Information about both opportunities is available on the FFAM website under the “Committees” tab.
3. MU FRTI Winter Fire School is just around the corner so make sure you have submitted your registration and made your lodging reservations if you will be staying the weekend in Columbia. Remember, even if you cannot attend any of the multitude of course offerings to enhance your knowledge and skills you can still attend the vendor/equipment expo on Friday night. You would be surprised how much you can learn just by visiting various vendors and examining apparatus and equipment on display. Besides those opportunities, you will no doubt either run into old friends or make new ones as people from all over the state and often from surrounding states will be in attendance.
4. Remember to mark your calendars and submit your registration for the 2025 FFAM Convention. All necessary information is located on the FFAM website under the “Convention” tab. The Tri-Lakes Fire Chief’s Association will be our host May 2-4 in Branson. They have done a tremendous job planning and there will be no cost to register, BUT you still need to register in order to attend….planning is always easier when you know how many to plan for, so please let them know. Banquet tickets are available and contact information for lodging is included on the website. I hope each of you will be able to attend and remember to get registered early to assist this group in their planning.

My thanks to 1st Vice President Charlie Peel and Secretary/Treasurer Jaime Miller for presenting the organization with a financially sound budget for 2025. Preparing our budget is not as easy as they make it look as they must weigh each committee’s request for funding and compare that to projected income. Because there are almost always more needs than available funding, many hard decisions have to be made and not all requests can be fully funded. It is important that our budget is carefully planned so we can keep our organization financially healthy. Thank you both for your hard work and dedication to FFAM.

I hope the remainder of this year is filled with positive experiences for each of you and that all of our fire service family have a prosperous year. Be safe in all you do, not just when performing your fire service duties, and please reach out to the Board if we can be of assistance to you or your agency.