Hello firefighters: Since my last report my son, my wife and I moved two convention trailers to Oelwein for the 2027 IFA convention. Oelwein is moving along with their plans.
I have been working on midyear planning and finalizing with Tori. We are continuing to work on raffle and auction items and anticipate a new entertainment option, stay tuned.
I hope everyone who wanted to sign up for LOSAP was able to do so. I want everyone to keep an open mind as this is new to all of us and we continue to work through everything. I feel this is another great benefit to offer the Iowa Firefighters.
I also want to remind everyone that we have the tire bill, the tax credit, and our SAFER grant. Please research and use these funding programs to benefit you or your department. We have plenty of money left in our safer grant that we want to share.
It was brought to my attention that a news station said the Iowa Firefighters Association was endorsing Josh Turek who is running for US Senate. I want to be clear: the IFA board did not, does not, and will not endorse any candidate for public office. It was misprinted and misspoken. I did reach out to the news station and spoke with the reporter who did the story that day. I look forward to the States network meeting in November. The next IFA board meeting is Nov. 8th at the Radcliffe Fire Station. If anyone would like to attend the meeting is always open and if you would like to see the IFA office (Tori’s headquarters) she will have it open for viewing.
As always if you have any questions, concerns or ideas to benefit the IFA please reach out to any board member, district coordinator or myself; we would love to hear from you and continue to do great things to benefit the Iowa Firefighters.
IFA PRESIDENT, Mike Kime
Greetings Fellow Firefighters, Wow, another convention is done and fall is here. November brings the board together for our annual Mid-States Networking Meeting. This year we are hosting this in Ames, Iowa. This is a great meeting for us as we meet with our neighboring states from here in the Midwest Region. We find out what their Associations are working on and pass ideas that might be good to present to our legislators.
On Sunday, November 9, at 9 a.m. we will be holding our board meeting in Radcliffe at the fire station. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting.
I hope everyone had a good Fire Prevention Week this year. I always enjoy sharing stop, drop, and roll, with the kids. It’s such a simple thing to teach and yet it surprises me how many kids do not know how to do this when the attend the booth at the state fair. I also would like to remind everyone that while Fire Prevention Week is in October, this is something we as firefighters need to talk to kids about all year long. If your department participates in the poster contest, be sure to get the fire prevention posters sent in on time.
Until next time, take care of your equipment so it can take care of you.
Rick SCHMIDT, 1st Vice President
Hello everyone, I am going to start by saying I‘m proud to have gotten to work with the Fire Department Coffee crew on the IFA‘s Divided yet United T-shirts. Talking with Brad and Randy of the FDC. They receive 3,500 applications a year. So we were one of twelve to be chosen this year. That really says something for the IFA. In our initial zoom meeting we were able to come up with the theme. It took a few drafts to get the final T-shirt design, and a photo shoot in the Hall of Flame at the State Fair to make it all come together. The T-shirts were only sold during the month of September. This was a wonderful way to promote the IFA, letting the whole country know what we do for Iowa. The campaign generated $10,150.00 in proceeds, and the Fire Department Coffee Charitable Foundation donated an additional $9,850.00, bringing the total donation to $20,000 in support of the IFA. Thank you Kent Brix for sending in the application and making this happen.
The Board has amended the SAFER Grant so Advanced Training will now cover Fire Schools. So if it hasn‘t been in your departments budget to send firefighters to fire schools you can now do that. Mileage, hotel costs, and registration can be reimbursed through the IFA SAFER Grant. If your department is actively looking to recruit new members we have marketing recruitment kits available to help do this as well. All of the information is on the IFA website under SAFER Grant.
Colette and I along with Past President Marv Boldt went to Clear Lake on an invitation to the IFA to join them for their 9-11 Remembrance. In front of a crowd of 350 maybe 400 people they unveiled a new statue they added to their 9-11 memorial, so now beside their piece of steel from the North Tower they have a life size bronze firefighter sitting vigil over it. And as a tribute to Clear Lakes long time chief Mike Keefe they made the statue in his likeness to honor his dedication to the Clear Lake community. Their guest speaker was the former FDNY Battalion Chief Richard Picciotto who spoke of his experience of being in the North Tower when it collapsed and how he survived. Following the Remembrance they had a fire truck procession of 46 trucks that traveled around the lake in honor of the lives lost 25 years ago.
On September 14th, Past President Chuck Raska and I traveled to Stratford for the funeral of Grant Carlson. Grant had 40 years with the Stratford Fire Department serving as chief for 10 years and as assistant chief for 12. He was very dedicated to the department and the Stratford community serving on many boards and associations. Rest easy Grant; you have completed your assignment and have returned home.
I have had the honor of giving Meritorious Service Awards to Trent Miller of the Palo Fire Department for 20 years of service. And to Larry Dufel for 50 years of service to the Dike Department. Congratulations gentlemen, and thank you for your service to your communities.
I would like to congratulate Jeremy Coates on being the IFA‘s new 5th Vice. I would also like to remind anyone who has thought about running for 5th Vice or would like to be a district coordinator to do so. It is a great experience giving you the ability to meet with firefighters across the state and work to improve the fire service of Iowa.
As always, Stay Safe, Be Safe.
LONNIE NEWHALL, 2nd Vice President
Hello fellow firefighters, As I write this, harvest is in full swing. I hope everyone is staying safe out there.
I was able to attend the convention, and for the short time I was there, it appeared a good time was had by all. Thank you to Manchester for hosting and putting on a great event! I have also been reaching out to help fire departments get set up for the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP), and I hope everyone received the information needed to begin participating.
Over the next couple of months, we will be holding our state networking meeting, which is always informative. Having the opportunity to speak with other state associations, learn what they are doing for their firefighters, and find new ways to support our members in Iowa is invaluable—especially as we approach the next legislative session. This will be an interesting session as we learn who our legislators are following the elections and begin working with them. We will also start planning our goals and objectives for the upcoming session, so if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your board members so we can add them to our list.
Chris and I are also working on the PAC Golf Tournament, which is scheduled for June 5th at the Buena Vista Golf Course at Lake Creek. Camping is available at Sunrise Point Campground, and King’s Pointe Waterpark Resort is available for those who prefer hotel accommodations. Make a weekend of it—enjoy a round of golf and spend some time at the water park while you are here! If you know of anyone interested in sponsoring the tournament, please let us know so we can contact them.
In closing, please stay safe. As we head into the holiday season, remember to check on friends who are alone or unable to make it back to their families. A simple hello or an invitation to dinner can make a world of difference.
Thank you everyone for the encouragement and prayers for Angie over the past year. Stay safe,
ADAM KUTZ, 3rd Vice President