It's about time for a reminder of things to do before Labor Day weekend. No matter what the Farmers' Almanac may say, in my mind, summer is over after Labor Day. Autumn is my favorite season, so that's just fine with me.

• The International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire-Rescue International Conference & Expo starts in Denver with pre-conference workshops on Tuesday, Aug. 9. Three separate day-long programs will target managing change in volunteer/combination departments, resolving conflicts in the firehouse and pre-planning for industrial brigades. The programs are led by some of my favorite leaders in each of those areas. It's not too late to sign-up and go!
• 
  
  
• At FRI, Rosenbauer America is offering free tickets to the Rockies vs. Nationals baseball game at the beautiful Coors Field ballpark on Friday night. The first 500 visitors to Rosenbauer's booth on Friday morning at FRI will get a ticket to the game and in a pre-game salute to firefighters, Rosenbauer's guests will also go on to the field and sing the national anthem. Play ball!
• 
  
  
• The IAFC's Apparatus Maintenance Section Workshop has a great line-up for its two-day conference. Besides our very own In Service Senior Editor Chris Cavette's program, the famous apparatus tag-team of Bob Barraclough and Alan Saulsbury will present updates on NFPA 1911, Annex D and a preview of hot options. In addition, AMS Chair Don Henry has arranged for Caterpillar to do a short presentation on its new transmission on Friday at 7:30 a.m. in Room 403 in the Convention Center.
• 
  
  
• After you've walked around the exhibits at FRI, stop by FIRE CHIEF magazine's booth (#2631) and let us know your choices of the best products you saw at FRI Expo. Write it on the back of one of your business cards and drop it off at our booth. Not only will you be eligible for a drawing for an iPod mini or a copy of Ronny Coleman's book, "20 Years of Chiefs' Clipboard," your input will be part of an upcoming issue of our Fire/EMS Product News.
• 
  
  
• The Chicago Fire Department's High-Rise Life Safety Conference will be held Aug. 17-20 at Navy Pier in Chicago. The conference will focus on transforming policies, leadership and tactical operations and targets incident command, building management and anyone involved with public safety for high-rise buildings. Among more than 20 programs are Evacuate or Defend, Managing High-Rise Building Intelligence and High-Rise Ops and Tactics. Speakers from Madrid, London and Rome will also participate in a town-hall meeting to share lessons learned. Other highlights of the conference plans include a hands-on exercise, tours of four of Chicago's largest buildings and the O'Hare International Airport burn pit. It's also the weekend of the Chicago Air Show!
• 
  
  Whether you're reading this Command Post from your Blackberry out in Sturgis, a laptop in the Wisconsin Dells or an Internet cafe in Santa Fe, enjoy the summer of 2005! Stop by and see us in Denver or Chicago!
  
  Janet Wilmoth, Editor