Opportunities available for public to participate
With the annual SFFMA Training Conference & Convention about two weeks away, things are heating up even more than the temps outside.
The 148th Annual SFFMA Training Conference & Convention takes place June 27-30 in San Marcos. SFFMA Executive Director Dan Kramer said this year’s conference is shaping up to be an event that firefighters across the state won’t want to miss.
“Staff is finalizing the details to bring conference goers an excellent event,” he said. “We are excited about our speaker line-up, thrilled with all of the sponsor support and ready to kick things off.”
The keynote speaker on Saturday, June 29, is Assistant Deputy Chief Frank Leeb with the New York Fire Department (FDNY). He will share his leadership philosophy over his decades-long career as a firefighter. Leeb is also the author of the best-selling book “Cornerstones of Leadership - On and Off The Fireground”. Leeb will sell and sign books after his presentation.
SFFMA President Donny Boggs said he is thrilled with this year’s speaker line-up overall and especially excited about Leeb’s keynote during a general session.
“We believe Chief Leeb’s session is going to be one of the best of the weekend,” Boggs said. “Our attendees will benefit from his wealth of experience - including his time as a volunteer firefighter.” Leeb understands the challenges of leadership. His career has been defined by an unwavering commitment to fostering growth through training and development. In addition to his career with FDNY, Leeb has been a volunteer with the East Farmingdale Fire Department on Long Island since 1983.
The 2024 SFFMA conference keynote speaker is sponsored by BELFOR USA, which provides disaster restoration services for both commercial and residential clients.
Leeb said, “I am happy to be part of a training conference that will deliver so many relevant fire service topics. Training is the heart and soul of every organization, regardless of your position as a career or volunteer firefighter.”
SFFMA Event Planner Heather Lundy said all of the presenters are discussing timely, relevant topics of critical importance to firefighters across the state, whether they are paid or volunteer.
“Our goal with this year’s conference is to offer our attendees a range of topics and speakers who can help all of us improve the fire service in Texas,” Lundy said. “Having someone of Frank Leeb’s caliber for our general session is just icing on the cake.”
Another well-known presenter is Chief Michael Stanley with the Oshkosh, WI, Fire Department.
“Chief Stanley is an excellent addition to our speaker list,” said Mark Wobus, SFFMA Executive Board 2nd Vice President and chair of the Speaker Selection Committee. “We saw him at the TEEX Leadership Symposium in San Marcos and we were so impressed, we asked him to come back to Texas for our event.”
His presentation is sponsored by Siddons-Martin Emergency Group.
The conference takes place at the San Marcos Convention Center. A sold-out vendor show with plenty of reasons to visit the exhibit hall (free and open to the public) is just one of the many event features. According to Lundy, this year is all about aiming for the fences.
“This year we’re offering live training including forcible entry, victim window rescue and hose operations,” she said. “We will have opportunities for about 100 firefighters to get hands-on training experience – all of which is covered in the conference fee.”
This year’s conference also features the Firefighter of the Year and EMS Responder of the Year Awards, sponsored by VFIS of Texas. The President’s Dinner & Awards is sponsored by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. The annual memorial takes place Sunday and honors the memory of fallen firefighters.
As much of the handson training will take place in the parking lot early Friday and Saturday mornings, it’s also an excellent opportunity for the public to come watch the firefighters. Other events where SFFMA welcomes the public are the Pumper Races (a team sport) and the Firefighter Gauntlet (individual effort), both of which are popular with conference goers. Those events are sponsored by National Foam.
“These are excellent opportunities to showcase the kinds of skills needed to be a firefighter,” Lundy said. “The driving contest happens Saturday morning. The races and gauntlet take place Saturday afternoon. The full conference schedule is on our website, and will continue to be shared on our social media pages.”
Lundy said the fun doesn’t stop there.
“We are hosting several meals with our vendors and offering tons of door prizes,” she said. “But one of our most fun activities is a modeling show with real firefighters who will show off items from our vendors while walking the catwalk.”
The public is welcome in the exhibitor hall when the show is open. The modeling show takes place Saturday at noon.
Boggs said to expect fun, laughter and a good time for all ages throughout the conference weekend but stressed the importance of attending training sessions.
“Our conference is all about helping to train firefighters and provide the skills and experience needed to serve their communities,” he said. “We’re proud to offer a wide variety of training sessions and believe each one will be beneficial to our attendees.”
Find the full conference schedule, registration and hotel information, exhibitor list, event sponsors, contest rules and more on the SFFMA website.
Assistant Deputy Chief Frank Leeb with the New York Fire Department will be the key note speaker. Photo courtesy of SFFMA
