MSFA Weekly Report for County Associations and Partners
Week ending 12.12.2022
PDF: MSFA Weekly Report week ending 12.12. 22[2488]
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988
SAVE THE DATES:
February 11–12, 2023 Executive Committee Meeting, Prince Frederick VFD
March 12–17, 2023 Staff And Command Course; Annapolis, MD. Register at www.mfri.org.
March 25, 2023 Public Fire and Life Safety Educator Seminar; MFRI HQ College Park
MSFA 2nd Vice President Candidate Position for 2023 Now Open:
If you or someone you know is interested in running for the Office of 2nd Vice President of the
MSFA in 2023, please submit a formal interest letter to the Office of the Secretary.
MSFA Name Change:
Efforts are being made to create a new, user–friendly voting platform for Convention 2023 and
will be presented to the Executive Committee for approval in mid–January.
As such, President Kurtz has asked that NO NAME CHANGE PROPOSALS BE SUBMITTED until after January 20, 2023.
MSFA Name Change Taskforce Chair Teresa Crisman has coordinated two open forums that will
be held in person at the Bel Air VFD and the Branchville VFD at dates to be announced shortly.
There will also be two zoom forums for those who cannot attend in person.
President Kurtz thanks each of you for your patience as the efforts to gather are organized.
MFRI is Now Hiring Instructors:
MFRI is looking for instructors to teach Fire, EMT, Rescue, HazMat, Industrial, ALS, and the
Simulation Center. Contact MFRI Director of Operations Steve Cox at scox@mfri.org for more
information.
MSFA Mentorship Program Casting Call: To help kick off the official rollout of the MSFA
Mentorship Program in January, we are looking for those that have had positive experiences with
a mentorship program, either formal or informal, in your departments to share your experience.
We are looking for individuals who have been mentors, mentees, as well as someone who has
been integral in the development of a successful program. Please send Executive Director
Loveless your contact information at kloveless@msfa.org and SAFER Marketing Manager
Stephen Jenkins will reach out to coordinate.
MSFA 2023 Convention and Conference: Planning for the 2023 MSFA Convention and
Conference is officially underway! The first meeting of the 2023 Convention Planning
Committee was held and each division of the committee reported out. As we move into
December, important information will be disseminated regarding the Convention program and
any updates and changes that are made.
–Be sure to start submitting your department credential forms on January 1st at
https://convention.msfa.org/registration/department–credentials/
–Have a class you would like to teach at the beach? Classes will be limited so get your RFP
submitted ASAP. The online RFP form is live at https://convention.msfa.org/registration/instructor–proposal/
–Would you like to honor a member of your department that has passed away in 2022? Fill out
the Joint Memorial Service Request Form by February 1, 2023.
https://convention.msfa.org/registration/department–credentials/joint–memorial–service/
–Program Book ads will be available for purchase online by December 1st.
MSFA Committee Notices:
The VCAF Committee has announced that the application period for 2023 is now open. Please visit
the VCAF homepage on the MSFA website at https://www.msfa.org/committees/vcaf/. All of the
information you need to begin the application process is available on the page.
The Scholarship Committee is asking for leads on potential scholarships that could be offered to
our membership. Chair Lynn Hawkins is in the process of updating the information on the
committee page on the MSFA.org website that will include a new updated application as well as
resources for available scholarships available to public safety personnel. An announcement will
be made shortly once these updates are posted. Scholarships are a great retention tool so please
encourage your members to apply!
The MSFA Safety Committee Meeting will be on January 8, 2023 from 1100–1430 at the MD
Shock Trauma Center on Greene Street in Baltimore. We will first meet at MIEMSS and go down
the street to the Trauma Center. Lunch is available in the UMH Cafeteria. Everyone is invited to
attend our meetings from other committees. Any questions please contact Safety Chair – Michael
LeCompte at 443–366–0328.
The Volunteer Trumpet is getting a new look and the committee is looking for content! Do you
have a new rig you would like to show off? Want to highlight a member of your department? Have
important news to share? What better way than to put an article in the Volunteer Trumpet? Message
Chair Jonathan Dayton at jonathan.m.dayton@gmail.com to submit your content today!
The MSFA Rural Water Supply Committee is looking for departments to host a drill in early 2023!
The last few drills have been a huge success with the participation of over 15 departments. Contact
Committee Chair Steve Barry at Barry_Steven@comcast.net for more information.
The MSFA Cancer Committee has announced its 2023 Walk of Hope in Annapolis which will be
held on Sunday, April 23, 2023. They hope to have an excellent turn out again next spring!
The MSFA Ways and Means Committee reminds all departments that the 2023 Convention
$10,000 Raffle tickets have been distributed to all Executive Committee members. Please be sure
to contact them to get your tickets!
If any Committee wishes to share information via this weekly report including meeting dates and
times, please submit it to Executive Director Kate Loveless at KLoveless@msfa.org by the
Wednesday of each week for Friday distribution.
If you are interested in being on an MSFA committee, please visit the MSFA website and submit
the following interest form: https://www.msfa.org/committees/interest–form/
If your department has an upcoming event, please post the information to the MSFA Information
Sharing page on Facebook. The page grows each week and it is a useful tool to help advertise your
events.
You can also share important information and milestones on the MSFA website by
submitting an announcement form online at https://www.msfa.org/about/news/announcements/submit–announcement/
Mental Health Awareness Training: Many departments are embracing a safe and mental health–
aware culture in their stations, and the MSFA Mental Health Taskforce is here to support you. If
your department would like to host a mental health awareness presentation, please reach out to
Teresa Crisman at tacrisman@hotmail.com or PP Dave Lewis at dlewis533@comcast.net for
content that is appropriate for your members.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your county Executive Committee members:
Allegany/Garrett; Tim Dayton daytontd22@gmail.com
Anne Arundel; Ron Block blockntackle@comcast.net
Baltimore; Doug Simpkins, Jr. dougsimpkins350@gmail.com
Calvert/Charles/St. Mary’s; Randy Smith firehouseblues56@yahoo.com
Carroll/Howard; Theresa Collins collins3187@gmail.com
Dorchester/Talbot; Bob Phillips rfcchief48@gmail.com
Frederick/Washington; Chip Jewell cjecc171@comcast.net
Harford/Cecil; PP Steve Cox msfa96@gmail.com
Montgomery; Buddy Sutton b.sutton@ldvfd.org
Prince George’s; Lee Lutz leelutz49@gmail.com
Queen Anne’s/Kent/Caroline; Robbie Blackiston t.r.blackiston@gmail.com
Somerset/Wicomico/Worchester; PP Roger Steger rsteger21842@gmail.com
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