By Kelly Spencer
FireRescue1 Staff
 Photo Kelly Spencer Kevin O’Connor, of the IAFF, stands with Vice President Joe Biden at the event. |
WASHINGTON — With a change in administrations and the start of a new Congress, organizers of the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s 21st Annual Dinner picked a fitting theme for this year’s event: “New Beginnings, New Opportunities.”
But it was an old face — in a somewhat unfamiliar role — who delivered the keynote speech to the audience at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
Vice President Joe Biden, former co-chairman of the Fire Caucus and a regular guest at the dinner, said he remains as committed to the fire service in his new position as he has ever been.
“Our nation and counties count on you, now it’s your turn to count on us,” he told the audience. He stressed his commitment during the speech to increase staffing to reduce deaths, his goal of raising the budget for SAFER and his plans to better equip departments in need of both equipment and training.
Despite his new responsibilities, Vice President Biden said there was never any doubt he would not have appeared at Thursday night’s event, joking, “Why wouldn’t I come?”
Thousands of people from the fire service and politics came together for the dinner, which is one of the highlights of the CFSI calendar. Established in 1989 as a nonprofit, the institute is designed to educate members of Congress about the needs and challenges of fire and emergency services.
Several members of the fire community were recognized with awards during the dinner. The Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Safety Leadership award had two recipients: The IAFC for its Near Miss program and Common Voices, a group known for its advocacy of fire sprinkler programs.
Other winners were Steve Edwards, of the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, who was presented with Motorola’s Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award, and Pat Mieszala, who was given the Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education for her efforts in setting up Burn Concerns.
The evening’s entertainment, provided by The Capitol Steps, a musical comedy group known for political satire, was sponsored by the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association and the Fire & Emergency Manufacturers Services Association’s Government Affairs Committee.
Congressman Rob Andrews helped bring the evening to a close by urging attendees to “ask for what you deserve in the halls of government.” Rep. Andrews said the fire service should not let its tendencies to act selflessly stand in the way of receiving appropriate funding, and praised CFSI for recent efforts in earning federal appropriations.
He urged the audience not to think about politics along partisan lines, but rather to think of what a political voice can do to fix the interoperability problem, to augment training resources, and to secure updated equipment for brothers and sisters of the fire service.
“Political has become a dirty word, and it shouldn’t be,” Rep. Andrews said.