AFOA 2022 AGM held at The Emergency Services Show

AFOA members gathered at the NEC in Birmingham to attend the 2022 AGM held as an informal working lunch on the first day of The Emergency Services Show.

AFOA Chairman Simon Petts opened by presenting a cheque for £500 to Kerry James, Fundraising Manager at The Fire Fighters Charity.

In AFOA committee news, Simon Petts will be standing down after many years’ service as Chairman. Barry Alderslade has agreed to take over as chair in October for a period of one year. Kieran Merriman, CFO at BAE Systems has agreed to join the AFOA committee. Simon Lane, deputy CFO, Airbus, Broughton has also agreed to join the AFOA committee from 2023. The committee actively encourages further members to join if they are able to contribute.

Suzanne Price, International Sales & Business Development Manager from WL Gore & Associates (UK) Ltd, who sponsored the event, introduced the company’s latest GORE-TEX structural products including GORE-TEX CROSSTECH PARALLON for superior breathability and thermal protection even in wet conditions and GORE-TEX CROSSTECH PYRAD fabric providing lightweight comfort and protection for technical rescue. Her colleague Oli Willson, UK Sales Manager for Gore’s footwear products introduced delegates to the breathability benefits of GORE-TEX CROSSTECH footwear. The AGM lunch was additionally sponsored by ERDT Emergency Response Driver Training.

The next AFOA event is the 2022 annual conference taking place at the NEC Hilton Birmingham Metropole on 18 October, for which very limited places are still available. For a detailed speaker programme and booking details visit: www.afoa.org.uk/events/afoa-mini-conference

AFOA is planning to return to its traditional two-day conference format, with up to 250 delegates and up to 20 exhibiting organisations at an event to be held in late March of 2023. Dates and venue will be confirmed in due course. The 2023 AFOA AGM will be held again at The Emergency Services Show.

For more information, go to www.afoa.org.uk