PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FALL 2018
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FALL 2018
PAAI Membership,
As the summer ends, fall moves towards winter and the Holidays loom on the horizon I want to take a few moments to update the membership on some things the Board has been working on for our members.
The PAAI has stopped producing a printed Newsletter. We are working on an Electronic Newsletter and are soliciting articles and photos for the 1st edition. Anyone who wishes to submit to the newsletter contact Editor Liz Schew lizschew@gmail.com .
The PAAI has applied to the International Code Council for status as a Preferred Training Partner. By doing this we will be able to offer additional Training CEU’s to members who need them to maintain the ICC certifications. These credits will be issued on a course by course basis as approved by the ICC.
The committee for the Jack Christmas Training weekend has arranged some great topics and presenters and this year should be a very good training experience for our members. The dates are January 27-28, 2018. The registration information is available on the website Training and Seminar Page. Please feel free to pass the information to anyone you think might be interested. We have stopped charging non-members an additional fee so that we can attract more participants and hopefully they will join and stay involved. Scholarships are available for this training class. Applications are on the Scholarship page on the PAAI website.
The January Board of Directors meeting will be held Friday Night January 26, 2018 at 7:00 PM at the Ramada Inn. A notice will be sent to the Board, Officers and Past Presidents as we get closer to the date. Any active member may attend the Board meeting.
The June Training Seminar is being reduced from 5 days to 3. The dates will be June 11-13, 2018 at the Ramada Inn. The topics are being finalized and we hope to have a training notice out by the end of January.
We are looking for someone to volunteer as a Zone Training Coordinator in the West Zone. The responsibilities are to organize and schedule training in that zone.
We are exploring the possibility of offering the IAAI-ECT Practicum in the West in the spring. Anyone that is interested on obtaining this certification should review the requirements on the IAAI website and if you meet those requirements contact Eric Leksell eric_leksell@efiglobal.com and let him know. The class size is limited to 12 people but if we have enough interest we might be able to offer 2 classes.
Anyone that has a suggestion for upcoming training classes please contact Kevin Pezzano k.pezzano@comcast.net . We are always looking for locations and suggestions for training.
The PAAI is working on compiling a list of K-9 resources throughout the state to assist our members in identifying the closest asset if needed. Please provide the Department Information, Handler Contact information, whether the dog is an ATF or State Farm canine (if known) and dispatch information if different from the handler. Information can be e-mailed to Kevin Pezzano k.pezzano@comcast.net
Remember as we move into the winter please make sure to exercise caution at fire scenes and avoid prolonged exposure to cold. We want to see all our members healthy in the spring.
Thank you to the members of the Association, the Board members and Past President for their support. We look forward to a great year in 2018.
Lastly the Officers and Board of Directors would like to wish our members a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Kevin Pezzano IAAI-CFI, ECT
1st Vice-President
Pennsylvania Association of Arson Investigators
