In celebration of our 50th anniversary last week at Fire-Rescue International in Dallas, the FIRE CHIEF booth displayed a 1956 Maxim fire truck courtesy of its owner, Garry Sande, and the Texas Fire Museum.

Thanks are in order to Dallas Fire Chief Eddie Burns Jr., Chief Ken Johnson and International Association of Fire Chiefs Exhibits Director Karissa Jacobs for working with us to allow this old truck to be part of our anniversary celebration.

Getting the old fire truck into the conference center also meant being in the staging area at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Staging fire trucks for display in the convention center is an event in itself. Dallas volunteers brought in their canteen and served coffee and donuts to the drivers amid rows of trucks side-by-side in the parking lot. The camaraderie among this early morning crowd was worth getting up for. Precise orchestration and many unsung heroes make the truck displays what they are at trade shows.

Once the show opened, the old truck did a fine job of attracting chiefs, officers and even exhibitors to our booth. The truck originally served in Ossining, N.Y., and in fact was the first-in apparatus to Sing Sing Prison. Several officers who had responded to calls in the old truck had their pictures taken next to it.

While the conference hall appeared to be smaller than in previous years, it definitely was easier to navigate and cover. Interestingly, the general session was held at the far end of the convention center rather than in the arena next to it.

The show had a good crowd of fire officers on Friday following the general session, and positive comments were heard from many exhibitors. Saturday started off a little slow, but once Family Day kicked in, the afternoon was filled with an assortment of people running around the hall.

However, was it really necessary for the IAFC to offer free beer at this "family" day? Although a ticket for a free drink had been included with badges, when the tubs of cold beer were rolled into the aisles on Saturday afternoon, more than a few people were surprised.

Over 10 years ago, the IAFC restricted exhibitors from distributing beer on the exhibit floor during show hours. In fact, three years ago at the last FRI in Dallas, the IAFC board of directors introduced a "zero-tolerance" policy statement regarding the use of alcohol. The policy calls for restricting the use of alcohol by fire department members within eight hours of service. The policy depicts not only a concern for safety but for the public's image of the fire service.

What happened? Was the change based on a sponsorship or a demand by attendees? What's the message here? The sight of a two-year old nestled in her Dad's arms as he balanced a long-neck bottle in his hands was not one I expected to see at an IAFC conference.

Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
janet@firechief.com