Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The National Association of Hispanic Firefighters March in a Cinco De Mayo Parade in San Jose California

On May 7, 2006, several members of the NAHF including Miguel Ramos (FDNY) Sal Morales (Dallas) Alberto Olmos (San Jose) participated in the largest Cinco De Mayo Parade in the United States. “It was great to be part of this community event” stated Firefighter Sal Morales form Dallas, Texas.

“You have to come to New York for the Puerto Rican Day Parade” stated Miguel Ramos from New York, NY.

“This parade was a great opportunity to be the role model our youth need and at the same time provide a refection of our community in the Fire Service” said Alberto Olmos from San Jose.

The National Association of Hispanic Firefighters understands the importance of mentoring and inspiring our youth. With the support of local Fire Departments and Fire service organizations the NAHF will continue to perform community outreach and Fire Safety presentations throughout the United States. For further information about the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters go to our web-site at http://www.nahf.org/

Friday, May 19, 2006

2006 NAHF Int'l Training Conference

The 2006 National Association of Hispanic Firefighters 11th Annual International Training Conference was a tremendous success. The Conference was held from May 2 through May 7, 2006 in San José California. It was hosted by Los Bomberos of Northern California and supported by the San Jose Fire Department and San Jose Firefighters Local 230. It provided United States, International, Volunteer and Student Firefighters a forum to conduct training, fellowship, mentorship, recruitment, community outreach and public education.

Firefighters from all over the United States, Mexico and South America participated in this memorable Conference. The hands-on training was geared for the International and Student Firefighters. The instructors were seasoned veterans from Fire Departments in Silicon Valley including, Santa Clara County, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Santa Clara City, Milpitas, Gilroy, Mountain View, California Department of Forestry, Redwood City and San Jose Fire Department.

The Classroom sessions were state of the art. Instructors from across the country held workshops on three separate days. Included among the instructors were Chief John W. Norman FDNY, Chief Dennis Compton IFSTA, Chief Brian Crawford Shreveport Louisiana and Recruiting Consultant Larry Sagan Fire 20/20. The IAFF General President, Harold Schaitberger, gave an enthusiastic inclusive luncheon address to our participants. Collectively these instructors brought hundreds of years of rich and diverse experience to share with us.

The Conference culminated with an Awards Banquet and Bombero Ball. This was a magnificent platform to recognize our Peers, Conference Supporters and Community Advocates. Firefighters from all ranks and throughout the Americas were brought together to create the perfect networking and learning environment. The international contingency included Firefighters from Mexico, Peru, Panama, Argentina and Ecuador. United States representatives included San Jose, San Diego, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Denver, Chicago, New York, Fairfax, Atlanta-Fulton County, Seattle, Phoenix, Providence and many others.

For those of you who attended the NAHF’s 11th Annual International Training Conference “Thank you”. We were honored that you decided to join us in our pursuit of excellence within the Fire Service and Community. We look forward to seeing you next year in Dallas.

Sinceramente,

Alberto Olmos, President
National Association of Hispanic Firefighters