It couldn't be more obvious. Invite someone to your home for lunch and your relationship changes — usually for the better.

This past week the Illinois Fire Service Association and members of the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers' Association and the Fire Equipment Manufacturers & Services Association invited Illinois state and federal legislators to lunch for Illinois Fire Services Home Day.

Home Day was held in two Illinois locations: one to coincide with the opening of the Illinois Fire Services Institute's college in Champaign, and another in conjunction with the bimonthly Illinois Metropolitan Fire Chiefs meeting outside Chicago.

The event is an outgrowth of the Congressional Fire Services Institute's annual Hill Day in Washington, D.C., which encourages fire chiefs to meet with their Congressional leaders prior to the annual CFSI dinner. The goal of Home Day is to help legislators and their staffers develop a better understanding of the local emergency services and create better working relationships.

At the Chicago luncheon, there were more than 110 chiefs, FEMSA and FAMA members, and legislative representatives. It was efficient, focused and over in two hours.

Cindy Williams from Federal Signal's corporate office in Illinois introduced U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.). A member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, Biggert explained that with 340 members, the bipartisan caucus is the largest on the Hill and "brings together members of Congress that have a common interest — the firefighters and the mission of the firefighters and safety." The caucus meets bimonthly to discuss what legislation to propose.

Biggert offered a bit of insight on Congressional leaders. "See if you can talk to them in their home office. Don't be disappointed if you talk to the staff because they are the ones that relay to the Congressmen and -women," she said. "If you do meet in the district, they will have more time with you."

During the luncheon, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association Executive Director Bob Buhs gave a presentation on the state's fire service legislative efforts and the current status of the local FIRE Grant Program funding.

Paul Darley, president of W.S. Darley in Melrose Park, Ill., was the spark in getting the partnerships for Illinois' Home Day off the ground and pulled together in less than eight weeks. The feedback from all participants was positive, and there's much anticipation for future Home Days.

The blueprint for planning a Home Day event is available to any fire department or FAMA and FEMSA members. Everything from sample invitations for legislators to an outline of key talking points is available at the FEMSA Web site. There's no excuse for you not to educate your legislators and staffers on the needs of the first responders.

One last note: While Buhs was speaking, I noticed that each of his slides included, in the lower left corner, the small word "teamwork." It was a perfect reminder of what can happen when people work together to form one voice for the fire and emergency services in Illinois. The message came home. Visit www.femsa.org for information on how to put together a Home Day in your state.

Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
janet@firechief.com