From the Chair – Sept/Oct 2019

By: Beth Hendel – ARFFWG – Chairwoman

Hello and welcome to the 30th Annual special edition of ARFF News. This will be my final “from the Chair” editorial as I time out this year on the ARFFWG Board. It has been six wonderful years of service.

As the Chairwoman, you allowed me the honor of filling the role of what is essentially the “Chief” of the organization and I performed a multitude of important duties this past year for us. I presided over meetings, signed legal documents for conferences, leases, and contracts. Additionally, we created a budget with the Treasurer, lead conferences, worked closely with our counterparts overseas, signed MOUs and appointed esteemed representatives for positions and sections, to name just a few of the duties.

My service to the Board has been incredibly gratifying. This year’s Board of Directors have accomplished so much for our organization that it has evolved into such a meaningful entity. We have been privileged to host groundbreaking conferences, enhance our website, build critical partnerships with our international ARFF counterparts, and provided valuable recommendations to the NTSB, which have been finalized and accepted by them. This really just scratches the surface of our body of contributions.

As I time out, I am approaching another milestone. I retire from the American fire service in December with 37 years of service with the Phoenix Fire Department. Because this professional journey has also been incredibly personal for me, I would like to share a bit of my history as one of the first female firefighters in the American fire service. 

I worked as a baker prior to being hired by the Phoenix Fire Department. In a twist of fate, a man suffered a heart attack in my presence while I was at work. CPR was new then but I understood the basics and performed life saving measures. I was credited with saving his life.  As I look back in time, I still marvel at how easily this call to action came to me and how natural it felt. Because the fire department responded to that medical emergency, my eyes opened to a career that had never before occurred to me.

Shortly after that event in 1982, I began testing for a position in the fire service. A naturally confident young woman, I knew it was just a matter of time that I would attain this goal despite the incredible gender gap. One year later, the City of Phoenix Fire Department called me with the good news. I was the 8th female firefighter hired by the city and one of the top 25 career female firefighters in the US.

Life at the fire station came very naturally to me. After all, I grew up in a large family with six brothers and two sisters. I broke a tradition in our department after becoming the first woman to take a home on “B” shift. That shift was known for being a tough crowd but I saw it as a challenge. Turned out to be much easier than I thought. I fit right in with this burly group of smart, strong, funny men. Was it all a walk in the park?  No, but the challenges made me work harder and become stronger. These competitive traits still help me thrive today. I have always believed that success is the best revenge.

For the first decade of my career, dorm rooms were open. Everyone except the Captain shared a bunk room with beds 18″ apart. We adhered to military style inspections on our gear, bedding, apparatus, and the fire station itself. Firefighters wore class A style uniforms during the day. We inspected hydrants, preplanned buildings, and drilled regularly. Down time was strictly saved for after dinner. We shared locker room, bathrooms, and showers. We rode tailboard, wore day boots (I still have mine) and did not wear our SCBA’s when fighting car fires or dumpster fires. We did not wear seatbelts and raced down city streets busting red lights to the beat the other units to the fire. I recall a few instances when my MSA SCBA ran out of air while fighting fire. When this happened you simply would disconnect it and put the open end of the breathing hose down your shirt so could stay in the fight longer. Back then it was a badge of honor to stretch the limits.

I feel very confident that many of you reading this, are shaking your head and saying to yourself, “yes, that was me.” Those who are newer to the fire service are wise enough to be thinking, “you guys must have been crazy.” It was the time of innocence and we now know better.

Most of the fire stations I worked in as a young firefighter were filled in a sea of cigarette smoke haze. All of the senior members smoked. I am happy to say that ended many years ago and we now sign a tobacco free waiver when we are hired. This allows us inclusion into cancer insurance policies. 

The American fire service has evolved in a way that is better than ever. We have kept the meaningful traditions and are now adopting strategies that serve our health and safety needs.

I was fortunate enough to have worked under the leadership of the late Fire Chief, Alan Brunacini, the “Grandfather” of IMS, the brains behind “Mrs. Smith”, and the ultimate customer service model for the fire service. I feel truly blessed to have served under some of the world’s very best fire service leaders I can only hope that I have influenced some firefighters along the way as those leaders that influenced me. 

Personally, I feel I am leaving the aviation firefighting industry in better hands than ever. When I began attending the ARFFWG Conferences in 1995, I was truly a novice. At the time, I was a Captain in charge of ARFF Training at our airport. But the world of aviation spoke to me from the beginning. It is captivating, complex, and crucial to our world. Throughout the years, I have been so fortunate to have built so many lifelong friendships all over the world. I cherish every one of them.

My love for the aviation industry will not allow me to just walk away. You can look for my next chapter with “Beacon” in Kenia, Alaska instructing Advanced ARFF courses with Bob Lee. If you ever get up that way, stop by and see me or better yet, take a course from us.

In closing, I would like to thank this year’s Board of Directors for all their hard work and dedication to the members.  We have accomplished much!  Please take some time to thank them as well. I am so grateful to all of you for supporting the Board of the ARFFWG. This has been a life changing experience and a genuine honor.  

Stay safe, continue to train, and be nice.              Ciao!   Beth