By FireRescue1 Staff
MCLEAN, Va. — The International Association of Fire Chiefs presented association-related historical memorabilia to the DC Fire Museum and Fairfax County Fire Museum today.
IAFC leaders also unveiled plans to celebrate the association’s 150th anniversary at a press conference held at DC Fire & EMS Engine Company 3 on Capitol Hill.
IAFC President Chief Donna Black and 1st Vice President John Butler, who serve as 150th anniversary co-chairs, presented historical items of significance to be displayed at these local fire and EMS museums during the IAFC’s sesquicentennial anniversary year. One item, the original handwritten ledger of the organization’s proceedings in 1873, displays the notes of the IAFC’s first recording secretary, Cambridge (Massachusetts) Fire Chief P. H. Raymond. Chief Raymond was the first African-American fire chief in the United States.
The IAFC was founded on Oct. 20, 1873, in New York City and is one of the oldest national fire service organizations in the United States. Today, the IAFC has over 11,000 members from 26 countries worldwide.