The Fire Trailer News

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1 Summer 2015 Volume 22, Issue 3 The Fire Trailer News Officers: PRESIDENT S MESSAGE President Bill Knight Bill Knight First Vice-President John Dancsecs, Jr Second Vice-President Perry Hopkins Secretary Mickey Howard Treasurer Laurel Mason Please allow me to begin by expressing my gratitude for the opportunity to serve as president of this great organization. Thank you to the membership for the support you have shown this past year. To the officers, members of the board, committee chairs and members, a special thank you for a job well done. Our Spring Seminar was, once again, a huge success with over 100 attendees. The Henry County Fire Department stepped to the plate and once again served as an instrumental role in our success. We appreciate not only their Southern hospitality but the tremendous amount of time expended in the implementation of the seminar. The Georgia Chapter was well represented at the IAAI Annual Meeting in Chicago. A great time was had by all. Congratulations to Corey Cunningham for being appointed as the CFI Proctor for the State of Georgia. When you are approaching satisfying the requirements to challenge the exam, give Corey a call. Our Annual Training Seminar has returned to Savannah and will be held July 27 31, Annual Awards Luncheon Continued page -2- Individual Highlights: Save the Dates 2 Committee Chairs 3 Inside Story 4 Inside Story 5 Last Story 6 Our Annual Awards Luncheon will be held in conjunction with the Annual Training Seminar in Savannah. The luncheon will be held Thursday, July 30, 2015 at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott.

2 The Fire Trailer News Page 2 of 6 President s Message continued The Training & Education Committee has again arranged for an excellent training program. It isn t too late to register, you won t be disappointed. As I prepare to leave office, I look forward to continuing my support of the GFIA. If I can assist you in any manner, please give me a call. To that end, if you have an interest in serving as an officer, committee member, etc., please give me a call. It is through the volunteers that fill these roles that make us the best Chapter of the IAAI. Last, but certainly not least, I want to give a shout out and a special thank you to my greatest supporter, my wife, Beverly. I could not do all that I love to do without your help and support. It has truly been an honor and I look forward to seeing you in Savannah. God Bless you all. SAVE THE DATES for 2016 Spring Seminar The Henry County Fire Department has again graciously volunteered to host the Spring Seminar. Tentative dates are March 22 25, 2016 at the Heritage Park in McDonough. Annual Seminar Our Annual Training Seminar will be July 25 29, We will again be at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott. Watch the website for additional details for both seminars. Planning will begin in October. Is there a topic that peaks your interest, perhaps a speaker you may be interested in hearing from? Let us know, we would love to hear from you. Board Meeting / Annual Meeting There will be a meeting of the board on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 beginning at 12:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Forsyth Room at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott. Please RSVP to President Bill Knight no later than July 21. The Annual Membership Meeting will be held Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. in the Savannah A Ballroom of the Savannah Riverfront Marriott.

3 Page 3 of 6 The Fire Trailer News GFIA Committee Chairs Position: Name: Employer: Phone: Finance John Dancsecs City of Milton Fire & Rescue jdancsecs@windstream.net By-Laws/Legal Jim Fisher Hall, Booth & Slover jhf@hbss.net EP&G Mark Dietrichs Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers mark.dietrichs@swiftcurrie.com T&E Kevin Cunningham Cunningham Investigations kevincis@comcast.net Nominating/ Elections Kenny Wright Kenny Wright Investigations knwright@bellsouth.net Editor (interim) Teresa McAfee State Farm Insurance teresa.mcafee.axzt@statefarm.com Membership Sara Bonner Analytical Forensic Associates sara@afalabs.com CFI Certification Ralph Newell Newell Investigative Services nisi1@bellsouth.net Web Master Dana Mason David Smith Fire dmason@davidsmithfire.com Chaplain Parliamentarian Teresa McAfee State Farm Insurance teresa.mcafee.axzt@statefarm.com 921 Committee Awards Doug Byron Forensic & Scientific Testing, Inc dbyron@fast-lab.com CHAPLAIN S CORNER Are You Starting to Forget? There was a little boy who couldn t wait for his new baby sister to come home from the hospital. He couldn t wait to be near her, to talk to her. But his parents didn t want him to be left alone with her. After all, he was only four years old, so they wanted to supervise his visits. He kept begging to be alone with her, so one night his parents finally relented. As his mom stood in the doorway, the little brother tiptoed into her room, stood next to sister s crib and said: since we are gifts from God please Tell me about God- I m starting to forget. There are times when we as adults get so caught up in the rat race and all of our responsibilities. Perhaps we need to go to the children around us and say Tell me about God- I m starting to forget. Are you starting to forget? Ask someone to tell you about God once more. Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life (Deuteronomy 4:9) Brotherly, Joe Maddox Written by Alan Smith

4 Minutes 2014 Annual Meeting The Fire Trailer News Page 4 of 6 Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Association August 6, 2014 Call to Order: President Reagan called the meeting to order at 4:59 p.m. Membership Present: Ron Reagan, Bill Knight, John Dancsecs, Kevin Wallace, Laurel Mason, Charlie Mangan, Doug Byron and general membership (25). Standing Committee Reports: Secretary s Report: Motion by Kevin Cunningham, seconded by Kevin Wallace, to waive the reading of the minutes and accept them as published. Motion carried. Treasurer s Report: Laurel Mason reported we have approximately $60,000 in our accounts. There are some outstanding expenses related to the seminar. Taxes have been paid. Finances of the Association are in good standing. Motion by Doug Byron to accept the report, seconded by Joe Kelley. Motion carried. Finance Committee: First Vice-President Bill Knight reported he has reviewed the books of Association and there were no discrepancies. Motion by David Adams to accept the report. Seconded by John Dancsecs. Motion carried. Ethics Committee: Nothing to report. Certification Committee: On behalf of the chair, Kevin Cunningham stated there are presently two members completing the necessary paperwork to challenge the exam. Membership Committee: Chair Sara Bonner reported our current active membership is 289 including 18 new members approved by the Board earlier in the day. Sara also reported that in the future, new applicants will be posed to the Board on a monthly basis as opposed to waiting until the Semi or Annual Meetings. Training & Education Committee: Chair Kevin Cunningham reported our attendance was down this year with only 137 attendees. The seminar was progressing well. Next year s Annual Seminar will be held the week of July 28 th in Savannah, Georgia. Nominating Committee: Chair Kenny Wright advised that all amendments to the Constitution & By-Laws passed. The By-Laws will be updated on the web site. Members may view or print from the site. Perry Hopkins was elected incoming 2 nd Vice-President and Mickey Howard and Laurel Mason were re-elected as Secretary and Treasurer respectively. Motion by Teresa McAfee to accept the report. Seconded by Kevin Cunningham. Motion passed. continued

5 Page 5 of 6 The Fire Trailer News Minutes of Semi-Annual Meeting continued District Reports: Bill Knight reported that the SW District meets the first Wednesday of the even numbered months for training. They currently have 18 members and have $2,600 in their account. No other districts were present. Unfinished Business: None New Business: None Motion made by Kevin Cunningham to adjourn, seconded by Kevin Wallace. Meeting adjourned at 5:08 p.m Officers Candidates running for office for upcoming year ran unopposed, therefore, there will be no election. The following will be installed at the Awards Luncheon, July 30, 2015 in Savannah: Joe Kelley as Second Vice President, Sara Bonner as Secretary, and Laurel Mason as Treasurer K.G. Davis Scholarship Award This year, we received a record number of entries for the K.G. Davis Scholarship Award. To say our panel of judges struggled with narrowing the field to one individual is an understatement. Please join us in congratulating Lt. Anthony Koranda with the Fayette County Fire Marshal s Office as our 2015 recipient. Lt. Koranda attained an Associates Degree in Fire Science and will pursue a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice. Thanks to all who entered. If you meet the criteria, we hope you will consider entering again next year.

6 P.O. Box 382 Snellville, GA Membership Chair Sara Bonner Training & Education Chair Kevin Cunningham The Fire Trailer News is the official organ of the Georgia Fire Investigator s Association. We re on the Web! See us at: