Tom Weber

There are more than 1.3 million photovoltaic (PV) solar systems installed in homes and businesses nationwide, with 1.2 million of them on residential buildings. And the number is growing. The systems produce renewable energy through rooftop solar panels and are part of the green building movement. Renewable energy sources offer many benefits, but also present some additional safety considerations for firefighters.

The situation has become so dire that 33 states and 9 Canadian provinces made cancer a presumptive job-related injury.

According to Tom Harbour, former director of the United States Forest Service (USFS), 2015 was a record year for the national fire season.

L-R: Robert Andrews, vice president and chief field operations officer, Verisk Insurance Solutions – Underwriting; Bradley Bain, CFPS, vice president, ISO Community Hazard Mitigation; Tom Weber, national director, ISO Community Hazard Mitigation; and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chiefs Bob Hoecherl, Chantel Botting, and Jeff Lucas. For 35 years, Firehouse magazine has published an annual nationa...

Recently, Tom Weber, national director of ISO Community Hazard Mitigation, interviewed Chief Anthony Raffin, chief of the Fairview Park (Ohio) Fire Department.

Last May, Shane Ray was elected president of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). In an interview with Tom Weber, national director of ISO Community Hazard Mitigation, Ray talks about his leadership style, his plans for the NFSA, and the challenges ahead for the organization.

Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr is a fourth-generation firefighter who recently became the first woman elected president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.