Bob Brown Steps Down as ARFA President: Would Like to Continue as VP

May 9, 2006 — Arrowhead Regional Firefighters' Association(ARFA) President Bob Brown announced that he would not be seeking another term. Brown said that part of his decision was related to his election as Vice President of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs' Association(MSFCA). "I am going to be very busy with this new position and I will be spending a lot of time learning and working on issues related to MSFCA." Brown, who served as ARFA President for 10 years, noted that many changes have occurred with the organization. "The meeting time was changed to an earlier time of the day and also the meeting starts with a training session. The by-laws have been updated several times in order to best serve the Arrowhead Region. There is still much work to be done with increasing the attendance at the meetings. Face to face communications are very important for the representatives that serve on state committees that represent our area's fire departments and their members. Our society is changing and we have to adapt to meet their needs.

Brown is not completely out of the picture with ARFA. He says he is willing to serve as Vice President and is willing to work with the new President during the transition period. "You are still going to see Bob Brown at the Arrowhead meetings," he said. "We still have a lot of items out there that need to be addressed. We need to have coordinated efforts with all of those involved in the fire service. The fire service is undergoing some major changes and we need to be able to meet those challenges head on. The costs associated with operating our profession continuing to rise while large cuts have been made to our local units of government. We are expected to do more for less. We need to continue to work together." Brown noted that at least one fire department in the region has had to close its doors because of a lack of members and several others are operating with low members. "The very existence of these departments is up in the air. We will continue to make our local, state and federal lawmakers aware of these concerns and ask for their continued help. If we don't, even the larger departments will be in jeopardy."

Brown can be reached by calling his toll free number with the chiefs' association at 1-877-507-0911. He can also be reached through the Chisholm Fire Department, (218) 254-7921.