Fire Rescue International--Atlanta

This week the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is holding its annual Fire-Rescue International Conference & Trade Show.

Each year it is held in a different major city and this year the venue is Atlanta. Attendance is predicted at 17,000+ which is certainly far better than when the show was held in Denver two years ago. Atlanta is a lot easier to reach whether driving or flying.

The trade show, set for the Georgia World Congress Center, has roots going back to the late 1800s, making this show the grandaddy of them all.

A major question is whether or not any SCBA company will have a new model of breathing apparatus that meets the 2007 NFPA Standard and has been certified by the independent testing organizations.
This is the toughest standard yet and thus far--as of this writing--no SCBA maker has announced that it has a unit tested and approved at the new standard.

Well, there's 11 days left before it technically becomes "mandatory." NFPA Standard 1981 2007 Edition goes into effect September 1 and what action will be taken if no manufacturer can meet the new standard is still open to question.

While we are most interested in then "nuts and bolts" that will be introduced at IAFC-FRI, there wil be four days of great seminars on solving problems facing the fire service today.

The trade show opens at 10 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday this week. We hope to see you there. Drop by our booth Number 4623.