By FireRescue1 Staff
WASHINGTON — A veteran member of CFSI Board of Directors died Thursday following an illness.
CFSI reported that Louis J. Amabili started his fire career in 1947 at Hockessin Fire Company in Delaware. He was appointed the first Director of the Delaware State Fire School in 1964. When he retired in 1966, Delaware Gov. Thomas Carper renamed the school the “Louis J. Amabili Fire Training Center.”
Amabili gained national recognition when President Richard Nixon made him part of the National Commission for Fire Prevention and Control in 1970, where he helped produce the landmark report, “America Burning.”
He was a member of the CFSI Board of Directors since 1994.
“Throughout his entire career, Lou Amabili was fully committed to the health and safety of the men and women who have served in the fire service,” CFSI President William Jenaway said in a statement. “It was an honor to serve with him for many years on the CFSI Board of Directors. I valued his friendship as did my fellow board members: Jim Estepp, Giff Swayne and Chris Neal. His contributions to our organization and to the nation’s fire service will preserve his legacy as a legendary leader for many years to come. On behalf of the CFSI Board of Directors and staff, I extend my sympathy to the Amabili family on the death of our dear friend and colleague, Louis J. Amabili.”