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One of her “students” put it this way; “Mary has continuously, in numerous capacities, made the education and the training of fire service professionals as one of the highest priorities in her life. Mary’s overall contribution to the Fire Service cannot be overstated. There have been thousands of fire service professionals who have, either directly or indirectly, benefited from Mary’s teachings, organizations, associations, societies and writings.” I had the opportunity to sit down with Mary at FDIC in Indianapolis where she was once again behind the scenes tirelessly working. Well, maybe not tirelessly, but even if she did get tired she kept going! It was actually hard to find a few minutes that she had free to have the following conversation: Mary McCormack and COA Chair Ken Elmore When
did your involvement in the fire service begin? I really began when I married Ed in 1960. (Ed McCormack was a principal in ISFSI and FDIC for many years.) But my first job associated with the fire service was in 1973. I worked part time for Roberts Company that distributed fire service memorabilia. Then in 1975 I started working, (volunteering until 1977 when I became the first full-time employee) for International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) where I did the newsletter and membership and meetings. Around 1977 or 1978 ISFSI and ISO began jointly running FDIC and I was involved at many levels including exhibit coordination until 1989. Note: Mary held the following titles at ISFSI: Membership Coordinator, Seminar Coordinator, Director of Internal Affairs, and Director of External Affairs. I have heard about something called the “Bunk House”. Would you care to elaborate on that? (Mary
- smiling warmly and, I suspect, filled with some fond memories) Well,
from the late 1970s to around 1990 ISFSI had meetings at their offices in
Ashland, Massachusetts.
People would come from all over the country to attend, some on
shoestring budgets. We had a
mother-in-law apartment in our house that could sleep four or five people
plus a bedroom upstairs that could sleep two additional Were
they a rowdy bunch? (Mary
- protesting) No,
not at all! I
would get the coffee pots ready for morning, it helped that they were
automatic. After that, they were on their own to forage for breakfast,
etc. We would stay up until
the wee hours of the morning many nights discussing everything from
families to fire across the kitchen table. Editor’s Note: The list of men and women who availed themselves of Mary McCormack’s hospitality is a veritable who’s who list of past and present fire service leaders. A quote from one of them says it all: “Mary McCormack treated the members of the fire service that she served as family - sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters – not clients or customers. It is hard to imagine the North American Fire Service without Mary McCormack. We owe her a debt that cannot be tallied or repaid.” What about your family? I know you have a son on the job with the Indianapolis Fire Department. Yes. Jim is here in
Indianapolis and is the founder of the Fire
Department Training Network. I
also have two daughters Sally and Tricia and a granddaughter Emily. Let’s
talk a little about the Fire Department Safety Officer's Association. What is the mission of the organization? Our
mission is to promote safety in standards and practice in the fire service
community. When
was the organization formed? The
ISFSI Board originally chartered it in July of 1989. Were
you involved with FDSOA from the beginning? Yes
and I have been the Executive Director since January 1990. FDSOA is no
longer affiliated with ISFSI, as we became an independent organization in
1996. How and when did ProBoard accreditation and offering national certification become a goal of the organization? It
was part of the initial focus of the organization.
The members wanted certification testing.
We thought it was important to validate our certification testing
and the ProBoard was the place we went to seek that. No certifications
were issued until we were granted accreditation in 1999. ProBoard
accreditation
gave FDSOA national recognition. Who
are your core customers for certification? We
really have a broad spectrum apply to take classes and get certified.
They include chiefs, departmentally designated safety officers, and
individuals just expanding their knowledge and credential base. They also
include career, volunteer, military and fire brigade members. To
what standards and levels does the FDSOA offer ProBoard accredited
certification testing? We
only offer national certification testing to one standard, NFPA 1521 Fire
Department Safety Officer. We
currently test Incident Safety Officer, Health and Safety Officer,
Incident Safety Officer/Fire Suppression How
many ProBoard certifications does the FDSOA do per year? We
have averaged around 250 certifications for the last few years. Mary, thank you so much for carving out the time to talk with me. I truly enjoyed it. You’re
quite welcome. At
the end of my interview I asked Mary if I could take a few pictures.
She, somewhat reluctantly, agreed.
I took one picture and we both looked at it on my digital
camera’s display. She said,
“That’s the best you’re going to get of me.”
Mary McCormack at FDIC 2005 I submit that Mary has been giving us her best for a long time. Longer, in fact, than the average fire recruit has been alive. If you get a chance to engage her in conversation, I guarantee you’ll learn something. If you get a chance to thank her, I guarantee she deserves it.
Thank
you Mary McCormack! |
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