Asst. Chief Wayne Senter of Kitsap County (Wash.) Fire District No. 7 is the new chair of the Fire and Life Safety Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Senter and other new board members were elected Aug. 14 at the section’s second annual business meeting at Fire-Rescue International in New Orleans.

The section presented a plaque to outgoing chair, Chief Jackie T. Gibbs, in recognition of his “unwavering dedication to the creation of the section and exemplary leadership” as its first chairman. FLSS was established as a new section of the IAFC in August 2003; approximately 50 members attended its second business meeting.

Alan Perdue, director, Guilford County Emergency Services, Greensboro, N.C., is the new vice chair. At-large board members include Chief Jackie T. Gibbs of Marietta (Ga.) Fire Department; Chief Thomas Lariviere of Madison (Miss.) Fire Department; Division Chief Brian Maltby of Brampton Fire & Emergency, Ontario Canada; Fire Marshal James F. Madden of Henderson City (Nev.) Building & Fire Safety Department; Ret. Chief Michael L. Merwick of Missouri Valley Association of Fire Chiefs, Lincoln, Neb.; and Chief Adolf Zubia of Las Cruces (N.M.) Fire Dept.

The FLSS passed resolutions to petition to have a director from the section on the IAFC Board of Directors, authorization to seek funding through IAFC Board approval and a section dues increase from $15 to $20 year.

Members reviewed committee work that FLSS participated in during the last year, including projects with the National Fire Protection Association, the International Code Council, the U.S. Fire Administration and the International Fire Marshal’s Association. The FLSS represented the fire service regarding emerging code issues through a special task force concerning assembly and group care occupancy fire safety. Residential fire sprinklers, standardized measurements for fire prevention and campus fire safety are all on the radar for the coming year.

The FLSS’s mission is to provide leadership and vision for chief fire officers and managers in an effort to reduce the risk of injury, loss of life and property loss in their communities through effective fire prevention efforts. Section members participate in the codes development process with a view toward obtaining and distributing pertinent information to all IAFC members. The section is also developing training programs and activities for members to enhance their professional development.

For more information on the Fire and Life Safety Section, visit the section's Web site at www.iafc.org/sections/safety.asp

From left, Chief Jackie Gibbs, founding chair; Asst. Chief Wayne Senter, 2004-2005 chair; and Chief Alan Perdue, vice chair.