Prompted by the recent mistakes of public figures and subsequent media scrutiny, IAFC President Randy R. Bruegman asked three of the association's past presidents to create a new code, which was adopted earlier this year.

Unfortunately, it seems that the code of ethics doesn't directly address any of the elephants in the room. You know, those issues that everyone is aware of but nobody tries to change? One of those is the Metro Chiefs Section annual meeting.

Now, these meetings provide an excellent insight into the problems of our metropolitan fire departments. However, each year the new host chief seems compelled to top the previous year's event. Has this competition in extravagance crossed a line for these very visible public figures? It's increasingly obvious that this little elephant has quite an appetite.

This year's sponsorship requests were mailed in February and included a list of the events planned by the Calgary (Alberta) Fire Department. According to the department's financial director, it's very expensive to put on a conference with golf outings, pre-conference events, coffees, lunches, hospitality suites and three “big dinners.” She added that the attendees were “being hosted to the tune of about $3,500 each.” This year 67 active and 30 retired chiefs, their partners, and vendors attended.

What started as networking in the 1980s with vendors asked to sponsor a hole on a golf course has turned into a five-day event. If a vendor wants access to the Metro Chiefs conference, the price of the “marketing opportunities” ranges from $3,000 to upwards of $20,000. The more a company spends, the more access it has to the chiefs in terms of representatives and meetings, both educational and social. Based on the number of sponsors for each level, the total fund-raising can range from $316,000 to more than $437,000.

Over the years, people have questioned the Metro Chiefs Board of Directors about the extravagant venues, but the board maintains that vendors will pay for access to these chiefs. In fact, one chief said, “It's the vendors' fault! They always want to outdo their competitors.”

That may be true, but I've seen how the manufacturers are ignored at these events. It goes without saying that the chiefs don't want the sales pitches because they would rather talk to other chiefs. However, for all their donations, vendors end up waiting to receive a plaque and give a two-minute commercial. What choice do they have?

These meetings can be held differently. The Annual U.S./U.K. Symposium includes chiefs from North America and the United Kingdom. Although the event is sponsored, its organizers encourage those sponsors to participate in the programs as well as the social events. The same happens with the Apparatus Maintenance Section, which relies on their sponsors to impart information during the annual workshop. In other industries, vendors pool their resources to host informational symposia, inviting only the attendees they want to reach.

While that last suggestion may not be practical, why not have a one- or two-day pre-conference held in conjunction with the IAFC's Fire-Rescue International? Let the manufacturers pitch in, with any extra money donated to the IAFC Foundation for scholarships of aspiring chiefs. The chiefs — metro, career, volunteer, industrial, military, women, hispanic, black and international — should be at FRI. It should be the gathering place for all the chiefs to become unified. FRI is the opportunity for the one voice of the fire and emergency services to join forces.