Livingston Fire Chief Terry Peeler will soon have a chance to trade ideas with fire departments around the nation. Peeler was recently awarded a scholarship from Jeep to attend a conference in Las Vegas for fire chiefs from all over America.

The IAFC awarded scholarships to their program known as

Fire-Rescue Med 2005, to be held April 18-22 in Las Vegas.

Peeler said this was a chance for he and his peers to get together and look at some of the common issues they face. Peeler said only a handful of people are given the scholarship each year and felt very fortunate to be able to attend.

“What this it is a conference through Jeep that gives scholarships to fire chiefs around the country and gives them a chance to come to a conference and get together,” Peeler said. “They usually have about 100 applicants and we were one of the first 40 to be awarded,”

The DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund through the Jeep Everyday Heroes Program provides financial support for this scholarship program to the IAFC. Scholarships include full-conference registration, air travel, and lodging in Las Vegas. It will also include registration for the pre-conference workshop Staying Alive: EMS Safety.

Peeler said one of the greatest benefits of the scholarship was the fact that it came as no cost to the department.

“For that we get an all expenses paid trip to the conference,” Peeler said. “That includes lodging and all other expenses.”

Peeler added the conference was also a great resource to get more money for his department. Peeler said different departments around the nation use different techniques and this program would be a window into future fundraisers.

“You get t come together with people from around the nation and look at ways to get funding fro the department,” Peeler said. “Everybody has a shortage of medics and this way we can get together and see how some of the other departments are dealing with that.”

Technology will also be a topic of discussion. Peeler said small departments such as Livingston often don’t ordinarily get a chance to see some of the latest developments in their field.

Peeler said he would come away from the conference with a better understanding of what kind of progress is being made.

“We will also look at some of the latest technology,” Peeler said. “A lot of times in a rural setting you wont really get a lot of exposure to some of the latest things. I will come away from this conference with some new ideas about a lot of things.”

The scholarship program was developed to supplement the education of future leaders in fire-based EMS to meet anticipated future EMS challenges.

A special committee of the IAFC EMS Section determined the scholarship recipients.

In addition to this program, the Jeep brand also launched an initiative to recognize everyday heroes.

The “Jeep Heroes Nomination Program” rewards military, police, fire and emergency medical services ( EMS ) personnel who deliver exemplary, unique and heroic service to improve the quality of life in cities and towns across America.

The Jeep brand is still seeking nominations online at http://www.jeepheroes.com/ .

Each new Jeep Hero will be recognized on the Web site and entered for a chance to win one of four new Jeep Grand Cherokees with “go-anywhere, do-anything” capability.

For more information on Fire-Rescue Med, go to the IAFC Web site at http://www.iafc.org/conferences/frm/index.asp . If you have questions concerning criteria and selection, contact Bill Kang at 703/273-0911.