FSA Representatives Attend the Florida Fire Chiefs Association Summer Conference To Share the Benefits of the FSA Cooperative Purchasing Program

Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) representatives attended the Florida Fire Chiefs Association (FFCA) annual summer conference in Panama City Beach July 16 through July 20, 2021.

FSA was represented by Jan Raymond, FSA 1122 Coordinator; Ray Griffin, Chair, FSA Fleet Advisory Committee; and Craig Chown, FSA Cooperative Purchasing Program (CPP) Manager. Jimmy Patronis, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) was the keynote speaker. During this conference, FSA representatives had the opportunity to meet with over 150 fire chiefs and provided them with information about the FSA CPP Program. Specifically, the FSA Cooperative Purchasing Program (CPP) in partnership with the Florida Fire Chiefs Association (FFCA) offers statewide purchasing contracts on a variety of vehicles, trucks, vans, cab & chassis, equipment, ambulances, fire rescue vehicles, tires, and other items to meet the needs of fire chiefs and their fleets.

The FSA CPP contracts provide cost efficiencies and reduced staff administrative workloads related to the bid and contract processes, cost savings for contract award items, and reduced time for ordering and purchasing fire rescue vehicles and equipment to meet their purchasing and operational needs, and financial support of the FFCA. Further, FSA offers purchasers technical support for their purchases and development of specifications for customized vehicles and equipment. For example, FSA CPP has provided assistance relating to approval for use of federal funds, and specifications for customized technical assistance for purchase of fire rescue vehicles and equipment.

FSA representatives also had the opportunity to meet with Chief Douglas Riley, FFCA, Current President; Chief Ty Silcox, FFCA Immediate Past President; other FFCA board members; and Ray Colburn, FFCA Executive Director. The FFCA leadership expressed strong support of the FSA CPP Program and is committed to collaborate with FSA to share information to fire chiefs and other fire professionals statewide about the benefits of FSA CPP to meet their purchasing and operational needs.