The Fire Industry Association’s (FIA) Annual General Meeting and lunch at the London Hilton Bankside Hotel was attended by FIA members and their guests.
The morning meeting, exclusively for FIA members, reported on all areas of the business. Chairman Martin Harvey interviewed the respective council chairmen about the areas of the industry, highlighting some of the achievements of the past year within the councils.
The meeting closed with a vote of thanks for the work and dedication of the FIA from an attending member, speaking on behalf of everyone attending. This was met with a round of applause.
The developments of the FIA over the past year were highlighted in the Annual Report – a video for which was produced and shown during the AGM lunch. Then, Martin Harvey awarded Wilf Butcher with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the industry.
The AGM and lunch was a celebration of the double anniversary of the two founding trade associations – FETA (founded 1916) and BFPSA (founded 1966) that merged in 2007 to become the FIA – 100 years and 50 years respectively. An eight-minute film was produced and played at the event to showcase the FIA’s history, surviving two world wars to become the institution that it is today.
The film, ‘The FIA – A History’ was well-received by members and guests. Guest speakers during the afternoon were comedian Dominic Holland and Ron Dobson, from London Fire Brigade and CFOA. Holland delighted attendees with his comedic sketches, while Dobson highlighted that it has been 350 years since the Great Fire of London, and 150 years since the beginning of London Fire Brigade, which set the scene well for the FIA’s short documentary.
