Can we start this month over? The first three days of May greeted us with record-breaking cold temperatures here in Chicagoland. We were thankful Cinco de Mayo brought in some warmth because May is shaping up to be a pretty busy month.

For one thing, now is the time to start planning the list of activities you'll participate in this summer. Many registration and nomination deadlines are approaching, notably:

The International Association of Fire Chiefs' Fire-Rescue International will be held this August in Denver. If you haven't decided yet about going, consider this: In previous years, the conference and exhibits extended from Wednesday to Monday. This year, the IAFC has tightened the schedule so chiefs can be back in the office Monday morning. The team at IAFC knows how budget and timing are important to chiefs and officers, consequently the FRI educational programs, general session and exhibits will be packed into three days. Pre-conference programs still start on Wednesday, but educational programs are Thursday, and there's only one general session on Friday leading right into the opening of the exhibit hall, which will be open through Saturday. The conference ends with the presidential dinner on Saturday night. (Remember to stop by the FIRE CHIEF booth and say hi!) For more details, see the IAFC Web site.

This is the 10th anniversary for FIRE CHIEF magazine's Fire Chief of the Year awards, sponsored again this year by Pierce Manufacturing. The 2005 Fire Chief of the Year nominations are due June 20. If your organization is planning to submit a nomination, check the nomination procedures and download the form from our Web site. Nominations must be submitted through an organization, so make sure the organizations you belong to have your candidate.

It's time to recognize the dedication of your Emergency Vehicle Technician with In Service Online's EVT of the Year award. Follow directions posted on our Web site. You'll need to write a letter explaining why your EVT deserves to be recognized and send it in by July 1.

Speaking of EVTs, the IAFC's Apparatus Maintenance Section has super-sized its workshop Aug. 10-11 with some great programs and familiar industry names, including In Service Online Senior Editor Chris Cavette! Of course, we're partial to Chris, but his tell-it-like-it-is approach to apparatus will be good prep for EVTs going into the IAFC exhibit hall. For more details, see the AMS Web site.

The deadline for entries to the 2005 Station Style Design Awards is Aug. 20. This year, we have two new categories -- satellite stations and multi-purpose stations -- in addition to the previous categories for volunteer, career and renovations. Two more chances to win! See our call for entries on the Web for details on how to enter your station.

The 2005 Station Style Design Awards will be presented at the F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Symposiumto be held in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 7-8. Whether you're thinking about building or renovating or already in the cement, this is the conference for you. Everything -- from site selection to NFPA and OSHA codes to interiors -- is covered in this symposium. And you get a nice thick notebook with guidelines for building your next station.

The Chicago Fire Department is hosting its first High-Rise Life Safety Conference, Aug. 18-20. This conference is specifically designed for incident commanders and building managers.

What a summer! Don't wait till the last minute. The weather in Denver should be perfect in August. Do Denver!

Janet Wilmoth, Editor