Hornet Event

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: The Hornet event was a great success. While we didn’t make any money it paid for itself making it the first event not paid for by member dues. : Our presentations to the public went off pretty well because of a great slide show put together by Breanna Buchanan of Marin County Fire and Duane “Sharkey” Cornell. Our audience was largely Boy Scouts and their families. : We learned a lot about the potential for this kind public outreach approach. We are going to put together a slide show with no more than 20 slides and a narrative explaining aerial firefighting; it’s components, how it works and the Citizens role in fire protection. Once packaged as a slide show with narrative we can make CDs for every member of AAF so that they can make their own presentations to service clubs and community organizations. : This kind of “grass roots” approach is what saved the State’s fixed wing air program and several tanker bases from closure. Having every member a potential ambassador for aerial firefighting will be a great force multiplier. : Even though our Chairman, Brad Baker, was committed to an assignment in So Cal. We had the most substantive meeting I have seen in years. A careful analysis of the proposed changes to our webisight established our priorities and we will go ahead with some needed changes without breaking our bank account. : The new direction for the Associated Aerial Firefighters will take some time to assimilate. We have to choose our champions carefully. For Board members we need leaders with impeccable credentials. With Brad Baker’s approval I will nominate him once again for the AAF Board. Brad is a natural leader with the pulse of the young pilots. He has credentials from the Large Airtanker Community, the SEAT program and very soon as a CALFIRE tanker captain. : Mr. Dave Wardall has consented to having us advance his name for nomination to the AAF Board. Mr. Marshall Graves has given his assurance that he will act as a consultant. These two gentlemen represent total competence as engineers and total integrity as leaders. : We will be putting together a process so that all voting members can participate on line to select the best nominees from all walks of aerial firefighting to serve on the AAF Board. Once that is established we will vote by secret ballot for our new representatives. : Our Memorial Fund is healthier than it’s ever been. Once again because of Marin County Fire’s efforts this year we put another $15,000 into our AMF. Last year we were able to make a donation to a family who suffered the tragic loss of a husband and father. Because of the establishment of strict rules on donations we can give substantially more to AAF members than we can to non-members. However we donate to all families of contract aerial firefighters lost in the line of duty regardless of membership status. : Special thanks to Bob Valette, Gabby Newhart, Breanna Buchanan, the crew of the Hornet, The Firefighters of the Sonoma Air Attack Base and especially Mr. Bob Fish for making it all come together. : Our next event will be the annual Memorial Golf Tournament in May. : Jim Barnes

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