FIRE SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA

CONFERENCE - 2019 

The Annual Conference of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia was held in Truro on May 13 and 14; it was a fantastic turnout once again! 

This year’s theme was “Fire Fighting and Hot Topics” and the line-up of speakers this year was impressive. 

The day kicked off at 8:00am with a very efficient registration team, I might add. After an hour of mingle time with the close to 20 suppliers, manufacturers and agencies that attended Charles Thompson, partner with the law firm of Burchell MacDougall in Truro, was back, he had presented at the 2016 conference, once again he gave an excellent presentation and certainly an eye opener as to potential liabilities of first responders in regards to sending information out concerning incidents on social media platforms. 

Next on the agenda were Todd Brown and Paul Maynard, to speak about the public safety broadband and TMR. Before lunch Kara McCurdy gave an informative presentation on wildland fire management and urban interface. After a delicious lunch Jen Aitchison, Senior VP - Sustainable Energy Practice, with Hugh Wood Canada gave an excellent presentation on the challenges of dealing with solar panels for firefighting. The day wrapped up with mingle time with suppliers and manufacturers along with an update from CISM, FSANS Business Updates and the latest news from the Office of the Fire Marshal. Folks then got to wind down and relax before the cocktail time and then it was on to the delicious buffet put on by the Holiday Inn, the choice was turkey or salmon along with many mouth watering side dishes and desserts. So pleased to announced that the two deserving recipients of the Fire Marshal Awards this year were Fire Chief Paul MacCormick from Sydney Mines and Fire Chief Joe MacDonald from Barney’s River, both gentlemen were recognized for their outstanding contribution and leadership to the fire service of NS as well as their communities. The entertainment for the evening was talented musician Dylan Sampson from Cape Breton and he entertained the group into the evening with his wonderful voice and storytelling.

Sunday got underway with more mingle time with the suppliers and manufacturers at 8:30am which followed by FSANS updates at 9:00am. Then it was time to head outside and watch Scotia Fleet Service and Dave’s Pump Service - Shaun Burke and Dave Davenport give a demo of their pump testing services. Greg Down with EHS gave their update at 10:30am. Next Colin MacPhail from Bell, Radio Division presented on Wireless Priority Service. The conference’s last presentation was another demo outside put on by Pat Rickett’s of Rickett’s EVT Services. Then it was time to come back inside, warm up and tuck into a delicious lunch before saying goodbye for another year. 

FSANS Executive, Directors and Conference Committee would like to thank everyone for their support in making the FSANS 2019 Conference another success. We could not do it without the generous support of the Office of The Fire Marshal, JP Financial Services, all our Suppliers and Manufacturers who attend and donate money, door prizes and goodies for the delegate bags. Thank you to the wonderful catering staff at the Holiday Inn and last but certainly not least thank you to those who take the time to attend and present such informative and relevant information. 

See you all in 2020! 

Sincerely, 

Beth Edwards

 Chair, Conference Committee