Firehouse World Expo and Conference

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Thousands of firefighters, EMTs, instructors, and fire service vendors gathered in San Diego, California for the Firehouse World Expo. One of the largest fire and EMS conferences on the West Coast, this convention was hosted by Cygnus Business Media, the publishers of Firehouse Magazine, www.Firehouse.com, EMS Magazine, www.EMSResponder.com and other first responder websites and publications. The conference and expo was held from February 15th to February 19th at the San Diego Convention Center, and attendees were able to experience a wide variety of training and information on the latest tools and technology available to the fire service and EMS personnel.

According to Judy Corey of Cygnus Expositions, a division of Cygnus Business Media, "We understand the importance of this show now more than ever. You have to have the best training and you have to have the equipment to make it all happen, and with the recent wildland fires, this is what they need. They need to refresh their equipment. They need to come here and see what's new, and get the best in training."

The training aspect of the Firehouse World Expo offered firefighters 120 educational opportunities, as well as a Fire Chief's leadership program. CEU Certification and EMS education credits were offered for the courses. Describing the instructors and types of classes offered at the conference, Corey explains, "Most of the speakers are from this area, and they do this type of firefighting. They bring in a small contingent from the East Coast to do some structural training, but we have a lot of training in wildland fire, budgets, grants, something that really applies to this region. So it is a good show catered to how they fight fires down here."

The Exhibit Hall offered visitors a look at the latest in fire, rescue and EMS products and services. Over 350 companies hosted booths at Firehouse World, including Pierce Manufacturing, Federal Signal Corp., Scott Health and Safety, Stryker EMS, Base-X, Inc., Zoll Medical, and Con-Space Communications, among many others. The California State Firefighter's Association (CSFA) also hosted a large display, giving current and potential members information on the benefits and services that it offers its firefighters. Several non-profit organizations, such as the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund also had booths at the conference.

Those who attended Firehouse World were pleased with their experience. Kurt Allendorf, a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service in Glendora, California, says of the convention, "It's a great opportunity to come and network with different agencies, the different vendors, and I'm looking for training material. This is a great avenue to do that."

Cygnus Expositions, a division of Cygnus Business Media, hosts various conferences throughout the United States. Click here for more information and a scedule of events.

Join FDNNTV.com in the coming weeks as we highlight several of the products, services and technologies that were displayed at the conference, as well as interviews with fire service leaders.