First FireTech Conference Held at OSU
Monday, April 16, 2018
STILLWATER, Okla. – OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Professional Development along with the OSU Department of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology held their first FireTech Conference and Expo March 18-21 on OSU’s campus, home of the oldest fire and safety related program in North America.
The conference was designed specifically for the fire protection engineer, design technician, Fire Marshal, inspector, installer, loss control representative and building code official. The purpose of the conference was to give the participants the opportunity to develop relationships with peers from industry, network with product distributors and manufacturers, and engage experts with regard to current research topics, all while receiving continuing education to further the participant’s professional development.
The conference and expo was an overwhelming success with over 100 attendees from across the nation. There were over 35 technical sessions and three keynote speakers over the two and a half days. Keynotes included Chief Tonya Hoover, superintendent of the National Fire Academy, Dr. James Milke, P.E., Ph.D professor and chair at the University of Maryland Fire Protection and Engineering, and Bob Caputo, CFPA, CET, vice president of training and technical services of Fire and Life Safety America.
“[The FireTech conference] was one of the best I have attended,” said Bruce A. White, CSP, ARM, CFPS, vice president and loss control manager at Lockton Companies, LLC. “I attended several of the presentations by the faculty and was very impressed. It was also nice to have a chance to meet with the advisory board and listen to all of the exciting and challenging things that are going on with the program. I would highly encourage others to attend next year if at all possible.”
Other highlights for those in attendance included Joe and Buffy from Eskimo Joe’s attending the opening event, a live burn held at Fire Service Training facility, Pistol Pete visiting, time to interact with fellow alum and reconnect with others after 30 years.
“I sincerely appreciated the hospitality at the conference; top notch!” said Tim Oates, Deputy Chief at Coppell Fire Department. “I’ve been to nearly 50 conferences in my 27-year career and very few compare to what [OSU] did. The instructors and speakers were excellent. I look forward to attending again in the future.”
CEAT Professional Development and FPST look forward to the conference next year scheduled for April 29-May 1, 2019.
RELEASE CONTACT: Kylie Fanning | CEAT Marketing | 405-744-2745 | kyliecf@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, Oklahoma State has graduated more than 240,000 students who have been serving the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.
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