<br>"Hospital Fire Marshal's Association"

HFMA Hospital Fire Marshals' Association
History of the HFMA

It began in 1968 when nine hospital fire marshals from the City of Philadelphia joined together and formed what is now known as The Hospital Fire Marshals' Association. From that very humble beginning, the HFMA has grown into one of the largest organizations of its kind in the United States.

The organization became incorporated in 1986 and in 1990 added institutions of higher education to its agenda and extended the fire safety program to include general safety and security issues in all healthcare related organizations as well as for the educational facilities.

A totally volunteer organization with a membership that has grown to more than 400 individuals who are interested in preserving the safety and security of everyone walking through the doors of a healthcare or educational facility. Many of the current members are charged with the responsibility for safety and security management in a wide variety of organizations.

Presently, twenty-eight (28) states, the District of Columbia, and Saudi Arabia have at least one facility represented in the organization. The membership is comprised of disciplines encompassing all staff levels in healthcare and educational facilities; examples include, Facility Managers, Nursing, Fire Marshals, Safety Officers, Risk Managers, Administrators, Security, Industrial Hygienists, Environmental, Insurance, Educators and the Fire Service.

President's Column: "Fire Watch duties need to be taken seriously"
Continuous Improvement Column: "The Three C's and P of Personal Leadership"
Environment Column: "Waste Not, Want Not"
Safety Column: "What is Safety?"

The organization's leaders include;

Officers

Bob Shewbrooks, President: former professional firefighter and healthcare safety officer
Larry Woods, Vice President: safety and security for a large healthcare organization and fire service volunteer
Patrick O'Neill, Secretary: healthcare safety officer and former maintenance mechanic
Linda Brown, Treasurer: private business owner
John Skarbek, Sergeant at Arms: retired City of Philadelphia fire marshal and healthcare safety and security director

Executive Committee

John Ingram: healthcare Industrial Hygienist, retired fire officer
Joseph McCarey: private consulting business, retired fire officer, former official with US Government
James Connell: healthcare safety officer, retired firefighter
Anthony Heiser: healthcare security and safety director
Timothy Hawks: healthcare facilities supervisor

Benefits of Membership

Educational monthly meetings, seminars, forums, and an informative newsletter monthly provide the member an opportunity to become better prepared for a visit from all regulatory and accreditation agencies such as Joint Commission, CMS, OSHA, NFPA, Local Fire Departments, Insurance Companies and more.

Membership is only $50 per year, includes the monthly NEWSLETTER

Calendar of Events
Meetings: TBA.
Other Activities:
Welcome to New Members John M. Cleary Philadelphia Fire Department Philadelphia, PA
Paul J. Meyer Capital Health System Trenton, NJ
May Meeting May 15 @ 12 noon Hospital of the Univ. of PA Philadelphia
Incipient Fire Suppression Training May 20 8am to 4pm Montgomery County Fire Academy Conshohocken, PA COST: $75 per registrant includes AM Coffee and Donuts Hot Lunch Certificate of Training This incipient fire suppression training course has been designed to train healthcare employees the most effective methods of response when a fire has been reported. The program content has been carefully selected to comply with the OSHA standard for incipient fire brigades and to meet the requirements of NFPA 600. The cost has been kept at a low $75 per person. Each person attending will receive a certificate of attendance documenting their training in fire suppression techniques and they will be given a hot lunch and morning refreshments Instructors of this course includes veterans of major fire departments, healthcare safety managers and professional fire response trainers. Their knowledge of the requirements necessary to meet the standards of the Joint Commission, CMS, and OSHA is blended into the program

Membership $50 Annual INFO Call Bob Shewbrooks, 215-338-1052