Features
Blogs
Editor's Blog
A fond farewell to FDIC
Editor’s note: Deputy Chief and Training Officer George Low, an FDIC rookie, blogs from Indianapolis this week.
March 27, 2011, Indianapolis - Fantastic day Friday! Started slowly with a market research seminar with a major manufacturer of communications equipment. Wait! They’re actually asking what we want?
March 26, 2011
By George Low
From there we proceeded to the show. There were examples of every type of product or service a firefighter could imagine needing (or wanting!). Accompanied by the 30,000 other firefighters visiting FDIC, we spent the entire day wandering through aisles of enticing products. We spoke to companies selling products we might like to try. We spoke to those that supplied equipment we already used, looking for any enhancements that may have been added, or discussing our successes or failures with their products. We also spoke with companies selling products that we neither owned or needed (or even wanted), but were just interesting. The representatives were almost universally knowledgeable and helpful. We managed to get through about one-third of the exhibits before hearing an announcement that the show was closing for the day, and would open Saturday.
Alas, we are going home today! After a wonderful week, our trip to FDIC is ending. It’s been a great opportunity to learn, to see what’s available in the service, to socialize and share with our peers from all over North America (and beyond). I can’t say enough to thank Chad Sartison and the staff of The Fire Within, who hosted our trip. From the fantastic job Jodi did with organizing all aspects of our trip, to the opportunities to meet the greatest thinkers of the fire service, to the chance to socialize with firefighters from all over Canada and the U.S., they made the trip a great pleasure.
I can’t wait until next year.
Print this page
