IAAI

For those who don't know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Joe Gura and I am your new Chapter President for 2010-2011. I am currently employed as a Massachusetts State Police Officer assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. I have been a Trooper for 24 years and in my current assignment as the Fire Marshal for Hampshire County for the past 4 years.

My previous assignments include patrol officer, canine handler and pilot/observer in the Air Wing. I hold a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from Westfield State College and an Associate Degree in Eletro-Mechanical Engineering from Springfield Technical Community College. But, enough about me.

First and foremost, I want to convey to all the members of the Massachusetts Chapter of the IAAI that I am honored and humbled to serve as your in-coming President for the next year. I have been an active member of this organization for the past 4 years serving on the Board of Directors and as 1^st and 2^nd Vice-President. I have seen this Chapter grow and prosper in leaps and bounds under the tutelage of past-President Mike Mazza and current past-President Dave Domingos, I will make every effort to continue this trend and to improve upon it wherever and whenever I can.

Secondly, I know that the success of this Chapter cannot be accomplished alone. I would like to welcome back the returning board members and send a heartfelt welcome and congratulations to the newly elected 2nd Vice-President Adam Holloway and new board member Diane Whittaker. I have worked closely with Adam and all the returning board members for the past 4 years and I can truly say I have never been associated with a harder working group of people. The time and energy that they expend for this Chapter is unsurpassed. Their professional dedication is inspiring and motivating and I hope to draw from them in my efforts to serve as your President. On behalf of myself and all of the members of the Massachusetts Chapter, I want to personally thank the Board members for your continued service to this Chapter and I look forward to working with each and every one of you over the next year.

Thirdly, to the members of this Chapter, I want you to know that we are stronger than we have ever been. Our current membership stands about 450 members proud, financially we are very solvent, and we continue to provide 5 tested training seminars each and every year. Our success has been and always will be due to the support that you provide by attending these seminars and communicating your wants, needs and desires to the President and to the members of the Board of Director’s. We are here for you and we want your voice to be heard. I not only promote this open line of communication but I encourage and embrace it. Please continue to help us help you: drop us a line, write an e-mail, send a text, or give us an old fashioned phone call on a new fangled cell phone. In today’s electronic world there is absolutely no reason for any member to remain silent. Again, this is your Chapter and we are here to serve you. Please log on to our professionally designed and maintained website at MAIAAI.com and check us out. All our contact information is available to you there.

Finally, we are an organization of professional fire investigator’s. That being said, I believe above all that it is our obligation to provide our membership with the most current, up-to-date, state-of-the-art training and continuing education available today. I know we have been fulfilling that obligation over the past 4 years and I pledge to you that we will continue to provide the same high-level of training that you require and should expect from this organization. I look forward to serving as your President and want to extend an invitation to join us in September 2010 on Cape Cod for our three-day seminar on Motor Vehicle Fire Investigation. It promises to be an exciting and educational three days. Further information and registration will be posted on the website within the next few weeks.

Again, Thank you for your support and I hope to see you all soon. STAY SAFE

Sincerely,
Joseph E. GuraPresident,
Massachusetts Chapter IAAI