Firefighters from as far as Ann Arbor and metro Detroit, and as close as Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace, attended the firefighters conference on Mackinac Island. (Photograph by Armand "Smi" Horn) As many as 100 firefighters attended the inaugural firefighters conference at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Sunday, October 5. John Norman, retired assistant chief of New York City Fire Department, was the guest speaker.

Firefighters who attended came from many local areas, including St. Ignace, Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, Pickford, Sault Ste. Marie, Newton Township, Newberry, Garfield Township, and Bois Blanc Township. Others came from metro Detroit and Ann Arbor.

The group learned ground tactics for single family homes and small business buildings, typical of small communities in the Straits area.

Mr. Norman, who was involved in rescue operations during the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City's World Trade Center, has been an adjunct instructor at the New York City Fire Academy, and is an instructor at the Nassau County New York Fire Academy. He travels across the country to lecture on fire and rescue topics.