There was a time when regular meetings of the Arrowhead Regional Firefighters’ Association (ARFA) would attract around 200 firefighters. Vendors would compete for floor space at the meeting locations. The festivities would last for several hours.
Today, ARFA meetings may attract as many as 40, but that is more of an exception to the rule. Particpation has dropped. Interest is lacking. The future of the organization has been questioned. ARFA President Bob Brown has seen the rise and fall of the association. He served as the group’s president for ten years and then left for a time. This fall, because of a lack of interest, Brown found himself back as the President with former President Ron Minter of Hermantown taking over asVice President. Former ARFA President Rex Lentner of Hibbing has been serving as Secretary-Treasurer for years. “We need an infusion of interest,” said Brown. “The association serves a good function, but we have fallen down, just like a lot of other organizations. We can’t die. We need to re-build!”
During the last ARFA meeting in Grand Rapids (December 1), members talked about the future of the organization and how to rebuild it. According to President Brown, a number of things are being looked at including: reducing the number of regular meetings, establishing a Facebook page, and even a website. “We are doing things differently now,” said Brown. “Meetings seem to have gone by the wayside. The “social media” is the way to go to convey information. We need to get into the electronic media world to talk to and build our membership.” Brown says a small committee is being put together to see how ARFA can “get the word out” to its members. Northland Fire Wire Editor Peter Makowski sat down with Brown and discussed ways to set up Facebook pages and a website. “The Northland Fire Wire went through a similiar change,” said Makowski. “For over 20 years, we printed a publication four times a year. Publication and mailing costs were substantial. We needed to look elsewhere. For awhile, the publication and website were operating at the same time. Finally, in 2010, we ended the publication and set up a Facebook page. We bolstered the website.” Makowski admits that if ARFA goes electronic with some of its operations, it will need constant work. “We struggle with keeping the Facebook page current, along with the website,” Makowski added. “It has been rewarding. At the height of our publication, we mailed out to about 240 people. Today, our Facebook page alone has just over 200 “friends” and we are trying to build on this. The website also has a lot of “hits” and we are building.”
ARFA President Brown remains guardedly optimistic about the association and is willing to make it work. He openly admits that he can’t do it alone. He did make it clear that some meetings still need to be scheduled and attended. “We need to have one-on-one face time with our members,” said Brown. “We still need to exchange ideas and informaton face-to-face. This is still a good way to communicate!”
“The ultimate future of ARFA will rest with its remaining members,” stated Brown. “The members will decide the fate of the association, but I hope we can rebuild! A good number of us want to fight to keep this organization going, but again, we are going to need help!”