|
TORONTO, ON – The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) will be the continental “hot spot” for the International Association of Fire Fighters this summer when it hosts the IAFF’s 48th Biennial Convention here August 28-September 1, 2006.
Approximately 4,500 professional fire fighters, exhibitors and guests from across the U.S. and Canada are expected to attend. The IAFF is the single union which represents over 85 percent of all career fire fighters working in North America, including the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Local 3888.
A key feature of the event will be a pre-convention Fire Ops Training Program, scheduled to take place on Friday, August 25. Fire Ops is a modified “Fire Fighting 101” course that the IAFF developed to simulate fire fighter training to give decision-makers and the media a true sense of the rigours and safety needs of the job.
The Fire Ops program will include hands-on fire fighting and rescue operations under the controlled, careful supervision of Toronto’s professional fire fighters from Local 3888. Participants will don official personal protective gear to put out a fire, rescue a victim, and perform defibrillation on a cardiac patient. Elected public officials and media representatives have been invited to participate – to live a day as a fire fighter and to feel the heat, smoke, physical demands and incredible adrenaline rush these outstanding first responders experience on the job every time they handle an emergency situation.
The Fire Ops training will be held at the Toronto Fire Training Centre, located at 895 Eastern Avenue. Confirmed elected participants to date include: Toronto City Councillors Raymond Cho, Shelley Carroll, Janet Davis, Mark Grimes, Suzan Hall, Pam McConnell, Joe Mihevc, Karen Stintz, and Sylvia Watson; Ontario MPP’s Lorenzo Berardinetti, Kim Craitor, Brad Duguid, Cam Jackson, Dave Levac, and Jennifer Mossop; and Federal MP’s Dave Kristoferson and Peggy Nash.
The formal meeting program will feature a number of exciting international speakers and presenters, including Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), FEMA Director David Paulison, and Jeni Stepanek, the mother of the late Mattie Stepanek, who served as national spokesman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Other highlights will include presentations by Heidi Cave, a burn victim and motivational speaker, and CNN politics commentator Paul Begala.
In addition, IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger , Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Bill Killen, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and Pat Burke, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, will also address attendees during the four-day event.
“It’s great that we are returning to Toronto for our convention. It’s been two decades since we had our biennial convention here. The Toronto fire fighters have a great local, and we are proud to join them here once again,” Schaitberger said.
“We are delighted to be welcoming this large group of fire fighting and rescue professionals to the MTCC,” added Barry Smith, the Centre’s CEO. “Each and every day they are faced with life and death situations. Our safety is in their capable hands. The MTCC is very pleased to be a part of this and to be supporting the IAFF’s important work in communities across Canada and the United States.”
Smith added that the MTCC anticipates this major convention will produce significant revenue for Toronto’s hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues, with an overall economic impact of approximately $7 million in direct spending.
About the IAFF
The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, and Ottawa, ON, represents more than 275,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who provide emergency response to 80 percent of the population in the United States and Canada. For more information about the IAFF, please visit www.iaff.org.
About the MTCC
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada’s #1 convention and trade show facility and one of the finest in North America. With more than 2 million square feet of state-of-the-art space, it is considered a world-class, tier-one facility. Since its opening in 1984, the MTCC has hosted approximately 10,000 events, entertained nearly 40 million guests and has had a multi-billion dollar direct and indirect economic impact on the City and Province.
– 30 –
For Further Information Please Contact:
Heather Evans Bill Glanz
Marketing Mgr Assistant Press Secretary
MTCC International Association of Fire Fighters
(416) 585-8126 (202) 824-1566 (w)
(202) 329-5856 (cell)
Note: To inquire about participating in Fire Ops, contact Rick Berenz, Local 3888 media representative, at 416 466-1167, x 302 (w) or 416 986-4130 (cell).
|
