Welcome!
Greater Houston Fire Buffs is a organization of individuals with a common interest in the Fire Department and Fire/EMS activities throughout the Houston area. Membership is $12 paid annually. The group meets every other month, usually on a Saturday. Fire photos and descriptions are emailed out on a regular basis; and the end of year Houston FD Multiple-Alarm Report is also sent to current members.
I.F.B.A. 2010 Region 5 Meeting
The I.F.B.A. Region 5 meeting will be in held in Houston, TX from March 26 - 28. Additional information and registration form
is availble in the document linked here: 2010 I.F.B.A Region 5 Meeting Announcment
I.F.B.A. 2009 Convention Report
Members Charlie Womack, Tom McDonald, and Wally Banks represented GHFB at the 57th annual IFBA Convention held
August 11-15, 2009 in Washington D.C. Wally holds dual membership with his hometown club, Box 4, in Dallas as well.
The weather cooperated for the most part in D.C. as approximately 150 attendees enjoyed four days of tours, fellowship,
seminars, and fine meals arranged by the host club, The Friendship Fire Association of D.C. Convention coordinators
Vito Maggiolo, Walter Gold, and Chris Oliphant did a wonderful job planning and executing the show.
The opening ceremonies were held Wednesday at the host hotel, The Liaison, just two blocks north of the capital. That
evening, a Potomac River cruise and seafood dinner at the waterside Phillips Restaurant made for a wonderful time. Attendees
headed to the DCFD academy on Thursday where the entire day was spent observing area apparatus and D.C. firefighter
trainees conducting live fire demonstrations. On Friday, tour buses took attendees to Alexandria, VA to see what is
probably the oldest fire museum in the country. That evening, the buses stopped at the famous Bethesda-Chevy Chase
Rescue Squad where an excellent dinner was served and the rescue apparatus pulled out for display. Five one-hour-long
educational seminars made up most of Saturday's program, but, that evening, the annual awards banquet was extra special.
Legendary journalist and fire buff Hal Bruno was presented with the 43rd annual Henry Wilwers Fire Buff of the Year
Award. Bruno, the former political director for ABC News, long-time columnist for Firehouse Magazine, as well as a
volunteer firefighter himself over the years, was presented the award by Phil Reid, the IFBA Award Chairman. The Fire
Chief of the District of Columbia, Dennis Rubin, was also on hand to help present the award. Bruno, confined to a wheel
chair, gave a heartfelt thanks to a standing ovation.
The IFBA convention in 2010 will be held September 22-25 in Nashville, TN, hosted by the Box 55 Association. The IFBA's
new President, Ron Huff, will be coordinating what will surely be a wonderful event.


GHFB Members Have Cover Article in August Firehouse
GHFB members Brandon Jacob and Tom McDonald have seen their frequent contributions to Firehouse magazine appear
once again, this time on the cover of the August 2009 edition and in a five-page article inside about the 4-alarm
fire on May 21 at the Gallery Furniture warehouse at 6006 North Freeway.

For McDonald, this was his ninth article in the magazine, and his third collaboration with Jacob. Their last work together appeared in the June 2007 Firehouse, again with a cover shot by Jacob. In that photo, HFD firefighters are shown rescuing occupants of a mid-rise atrium office building that was destroyed in an arson fire on March 28 of that year killing three workers.
Jacob is a Houston CPA and firefighter with the Houston VFD. McDonald retired in 2008 as a Senior Captain on Ladder 59 after a 26-year career with the HFD. More of Jacob's photos can be found on his web site at www.fouralarmphotos.com. McDonald says his web site is "under construction" (and he's been saying that for 15 years).
Images from Harlow/Hobbs Memorial Service, April 16, 2009

The members of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) are mourning the loss of two of their own at a tragic Easter morning house fire.
Captain James Harlow and Firefighter Damion Hobbs, both assigned to Fire Station 26 in southeast Houston, were killed shortly after
midnight on Sunday, April 12, 2009.












