Hello all,

January 11th, 12th & 13th I attended the Firefighter Safety & Survival Symposium at DPSST in Oregon it was put on by the Oregon Fire Instructors Association (OFIA). I have been to many, many classes; however had never been to seminars like this before. This was awesome it opened my already opened eyes even wider and made my fire service gears spin almost out of control. Lets just say I did not get as much sleep as I would have liked to. This was due to thoughts, ideas and a massive recharging of my motivation. This was my chance to take in as much information as I could from the "big wigs" of the fire service. Some information was new and other information I had read about or heard; however all information allowed me to brainstorm and plan on how to better make my impact in the fire service. The presenters were very approachable and willing to answer any questions at breaks. I talked to Chief John Salka and asked him for advice for a matter in my own agency. Anyhow, I highly recommend that everyone in the fire service attend something of this caliber at some point in their fire service career (career not just meaning paid, but instead path within the field). My only regret is that I hadn't attended something like it sooner in my 18 years of service.

Be safe and always promote safety,


Jim Cooper