January 2024
With the changing of the year comes a changing in the Association’s executive board. As I finish out my term with the installation of the new board at the February meeting, I would like to thank you all for the support that I received and wish the new board of trustees and the new executive board headed by incoming president Chris Ulshoefer, much success.
The greatest challenge facing our association is the ability to keep up our membership numbers up so we can remain an important voice for the Bergen County fire service. While low membership is a problem that many organizations face, our unique role of giving a united voice to support all the county’s fire departments must not go away. I ask that you do what you can to make your department’s membership in this Association a reality.
I realize that many of you may be new to the chief’s rank and may not be familiar with our mission statement or some of the work we have completed over the years. As such, I would like to review our mission statement and some of the projects that the Bergen County Fire Chiefs Association has been involved with. Our mission is:
• To unite for their mutual benefit current and former chief officers of the Bergen County Fire Departments.
• To provide an open and recurring forum.
• To address technical, operational, and administrative fire service issues.
• To encourage improvements within the fire service.
• To advance the cause of fire safety.
• To support initiatives that will aid in reducing the frequency and severity of fire losses.
Ours is the organization that allows current and former chief officers as well as active, associate, and business members to join. You have the opportunity to have your department’s concerns heard. To ask for or to provide advice so we can hit the benchmarks that make us all a better fire service. We are the organization that has a voice at the County’s Public Safety Communications Advisory Board. We are the organization that pushed for the County’s purchase of the thawing unit vehicle that can be used by any department. This is the group that has sponsored numerous training seminars over the last 25 years. This is the association that provides the leadership to the Fire Service Working Group at the County level Terrorism Task Force. And the Working Group has done its job in using the UASI funding that it received to provide our fire departments with equipment such as haz-mat decon equipment, chemical protective suits and evacuation skeds, water rescue equipment and cold-water suits, active shooter protective gear, and the training that was required to operate.
I encourage you and other members of your department to join this organization. Have your department’s concerns and opinions heard and let us work together for the betterment of the county-wide fire service as we look to meet the goals of our mission statement. The Bergen County Fire Chiefs Association has been there to support your department and now I ask that your department supports it back.
Thank you and please stay safe,
Jim Kirsch
President