IFRM appoints new advisory board
Published: 06 January, 2012
The International Fire Relief Mission recently named five fire-industry professionals from various disciplines to serve three-year terms on its advisory board. The board members will help IFRM achieve its goal of improving firefighter safety by providing donated fire and EMS equipment to firefighters in developing countries. The new advisory board members are Robb Chapman, William “Jim” Dunn, Jennifer Jesty, Wayne Martin, and Christina Spoons.
“Because of their special skills, commitment to firefighting and belief in IFRM’s purpose, these five individuals rose to the top of a long list of well-qualified applicants,” says Ron Gruening, IFRM president and CEO. “We are grateful for the tremendous response we received from our call for nominations. Narrowing the field was very difficult, but we are confident that these new board members will have a profound and lasting impact on IFRM’s ability to make fire fighting safer in areas of the world where it is an extremely dangerous profession.”
First and foremost on the board’s agenda will be helping IFRM secure operating capital. Equipment donations from fire departments across the USA are pouring in, Gruening says. Likewise, requests for assistance from fire departments in dire financial situations are coming into IFRM almost daily. “IFRM’s biggest challenge is securing the operating capital necessary to collect and ship that donated equipment to the firefighters who desperately need it,” Gruening says.
The five new advisory board members and their areas of expertise are:
- Robb Chapman is a wildland fire leader whose vast knowledge and contacts will help IFRM better meet the wildland fire-fighting needs around the world.
- William “Jim” Dunn is a former volunteer firefighter who holds a leadership position with a major fire-apparatus dealership. His experience with prominent nonprofit organizations will greatly help IFRM.
