The Congressional Fire Services Institute is pleased to announce that the Honorable Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, will deliver remarks at the 28th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner on May 5, 2016 at the Washington Hilton, in Washington, DC.  The theme of the dinner program is “Making a Difference at the National Level.”  Approximately 1,500 fire and emergency services officials from across the country are expected to attend the program that pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of our nation’s one million firefighters and emergency services personnel.

As the 30^th Secretary of Agriculture, Vilsack oversees 18 federal agencies that make up the Department of Agriculture, including the U.S. Forest Service.   In 2015, wildfires burned a record 10,125,149 acres across the United States, and fighting these fires required the Forest Service to spend a record amount of its budget to protect lives, property and habitat. Secretary Vilsack is expected to address how the federal government can mitigate the threat of future wildfires and provide additional suppression and restoration efforts.

Prior to his appointment, Vilsack served two terms as the Governor of Iowa, in the Iowa State Senate and as the mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.

Established in 1989, the Congressional Fire Services Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute designed to educate members of Congress about the role of our nation’s fire service in protecting our homeland.  Additional information about CFSI and the dinner program is available at www.cfsi.org.

Contact: Bill Webb (202) 371-1277