Chief Gary Curmode, second vice president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), represented the organization on Wednesday at a White House event to discuss hometown preparedness activities.
The event was led by Josh Barnes, director for preparedness policy at the National Security Council, and Chad Stover, program officer for the disaster services unit at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Curmode participated on a panel titled “Government and Non-Governmental Organizations – Preparedness Messaging at the Community Level” to discuss various ways local departments can better prepare for disasters in their areas.
“Our basic message is that the fire and emergency service emphasizes the importance of preparedness in the home as a building block for community and national awareness,” Curmode said. “Many fire departments run local preparedness programs targeted to at-risk communities that emphasize fire prevention, the installation of smoke detectors, and the need for families to develop evacuations plans if their house catches fire.”
The panel also discussed the importance of building relationships with federal, state, local and emergency management stakeholders to ensure a more successful response to potential threats.
IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. Included in its membership are leaders in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety policy.