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IT IS with sadness that I have to announce the death of Len Richards – a Fellow and an active member of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) – who served on the Institution’s International Council as a regional representative. Mr Richards was active in his local branch in Somerset and he recently retired from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. He died in a motorbike accident while on holiday in South America.
IFE events
The Institution is delighted to have the support of Arup Fire for its annual Graduate Lecture, due to be held on 25 April 2008 at the Arup Campus, Solihull, West Midlands. The keynote speaker will be Dr Barbara Lane and the event has been accredited with 4.5 hours of continuing professional development. Members can use the Institution’s new online booking facility to obtain full details of the event and reserve a place by visiting website: www.eventsforce.net/ife.grad08. This new facility is also being used for the Institution’s Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition. The dedicated website for this event is: www.eventsforce.net/ife.agm08
The annual Rasbash Memorial Lecture will be held on 5 June 2008 in London. Further details will be announced soon.
Membership cards
Paid-up members will have now received their 2008 membership card, which was incorporated in the membership renewal letter. The new card comes in a ‘peel-off’ format and enables the Institution to use the same card for all its international members. This has resulted in considerable savings in staff time and in the cost of materials, compared to the old ‘credit-card-style’ membership card used previously. However, the Institution recognises that some members frequently use the old membership card as part of their professional activities, so individuals are still able to receive this option on request, for a fee of £15 to reflect production and mailing costs.
Board and General Assembly meetings
The Institution’s Board meeting in January approved the 2008 business plan, which is available to view on the IFE website. This ambitious plan is based on a detailed review of the Institution’s activities. Reports received by the Board indicated that membership of the Institution has increased by over 4% in 2007, and that the number of candidates registering to sit examinations in March 2008 has increased by over 30% from the previous year, to over 2,500 bookings. The Board also received a preliminary report showing the successful outcome from a recent audit by the Engineering Council UK. All of this activity is supported by IFE staff working with volunteers, who commit significant energy and time to developing the Institution.
The General Assembly meetings were held on 28-29 January 2008 and were well attended. The meetings reported on an impressive range of activities in branches around the world. General Assembly members examined a number of issues, including the setting of examination questions; travelling schools; strategic partnerships; the IFE Young Professionals Network; and Student Member retention and development.
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