SOUTHWICK – Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson attended the FDIC (Fire Department Instructors Conference) in Indianapolis from April 24 to April 29.
Chief Anderson was one of three Chiefs selected by the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts which also included Charlton Fire Chief Charles E. Cloutier Jr. and Needham Fire Chief Dennis Condon.
Russ Anderson was one of three Chiefs from Massachusetts to be selected to attend the FDIC in Indianapolis. (WNG File Photo)
Anderson and the other two Chiefs had a clear purpose for the trip; to find out if any of the classes and workshops presented at the conference are programs that they could implement in Massachusetts.
According to Anderson, they attended nearly 30 presentations over the course of four days and found the experience a clear benefit to their position.
“There were definitely things that we saw that we’d like to bring back to Massachusetts,” said Anderson.
While time was spent observing various programs, the Southwick Fire Chief enjoyed the whole experience at the conference.
“It was definitely an overwhelming experience,” said Anderson. “There were just so many educational opportunities, it was pretty amazing.”
Anderson noted that he would like to see more classes on the international trend in firefighter’s safety and, with the recent increased cancer rates in firefighters according to the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), more education and training in the area of firefighter health and wellness.
The largest firefighting conference in North America, FDIC brought in 33,979 attendees, 58 countries being represented, 798 exhibitors, and 385,296 sq. ft. of vendor space.
