Safety Committee
The safety committee meets quarterly to review our group losses and to discuss ways that our members can reduce the frequency and severity of claims. Periodic mailings and e-blasts are sent out to the group members to bring their attention to problem areas and to help them implement changes to control these claims. The more we control our claims, the better chance for continued dividends to be paid to our group members.
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BARBARA MARZEANBarbara Marzean is the President of VFIS of Texas / WinStar Insurance Group and the ESO Group Administrator. VFIS of Texas / WinStar Insurance Group is the leading insurer of emergency service organizations in the state of Texas. Barbara started her insurance career in 1974 with Consolidated Insurance Agency in Austin. She joined VFIS of Texas / WinStar Insurance Group in 1985 as a commercial account manager. Today, she is the President and is responsible for the overall operations and management of the agency. Barbara holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation. She is active in the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas, currently serving as Co-Chairperson of the Firefighter of the Year/EMS Responder of the Year Committee. Barbara has also served on the Executive Board of the Texas Line of Duty Task Force and the SFFMA Golf Committee.
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FRED WINDISCHFred Windisch EFO CFO is the Fire Chief of the Ponderosa FD located north of Houston Texas. He began his volunteer firefighter career in 1972 in Illinois and moved to Ponderosa's district in 1975 and was appointed as the first career Fire Chief in 2004. The Ponderosa FD (ISO 3) is a combination agency serving 47,000 citizens and over 1,000 businesses in a 13 square mile area of unincorporated Harris County. He is retired from Shell Oil Company's research division after 30 years where he served the final 13 years in the Health, Safety and Environment department also as the facility's fire brigade Fire Chief. Chief Windisch is certified by SFFMA as a Master Firefighter and Level II Instructor and by the Commission as an Advanced Firefighter and Intermediate Instructor. He is also certified by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress as Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Hazmat Awareness and Hazmat Operations and he is an Emergency Medical Technician. Chief Windisch is a founding member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Volunteer & Combination Officers Section and he served on the IAFC board of directors for 11 years. He also co-authored a book entitled, A Leadership Guide for Combination Fire Departments available at Jones & Bartlett Publishing.
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CHRIS BARRONChris Barron has been a member of the Manchaca Fire/Rescue in Travis County for over 20 years and has served as Chief for the past 12 years. He has led the organization from an all-volunteer organization to a combination department with five stations, 62 members and over 700 calls a year. He is a certified Advanced Firefighter, Intermediate Instructor, Emergency Care Attendant and Intermediate Fire Investigator. Chief Barron also serves as the Executive Director of the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas, a position which he has held since 2006. Prior to this, he was the Director of Fire Prevention for the State Fire Marshal’s Office where he served for four years. Chief Barron holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration from Texas State University. He is a member of several regional and national committees and associations such as the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association, National Fire Protection Association, NFPA’s Champion Management Team, NFPA 1720 Committee, State Fire Marshal’s Firefighter Fatality Advisory Board and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Advisory Council.
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ROY MERCERRoy Mercer is the Director of Training, Education and Safety for VFIS of Texas / WinStar Insurance Group. He holds an Associates of Fire Technology degree and a Bachelor’s in Business Management from LeTourneau University. He has over 34 years tenure in the fire service with numerous certifications. He has previously served as a Safety/Training Officer for the City of Rosenberg Fire Department, Safety Director for Richmond State School, Business Manager for Fulshear VFD and recently retired from the City of Sugar Land Fire Department as Battalion Chief/Professional Development. Roy is also founder and developer of the Wharton County Junior Firefighter program as well as originator and coordinator of the Fort Bend Eastside Hazardous Material Regional Response Team. He holds state certification as a Master Firefighter, Advance Inspector, Aircraft Rescue Firefighter, Master Instructor Level III, Driver/Operator, Fire Officer I & II, Haz-Mat Technician and is an Emergency Medical Technician. Roy is also currently a member of San Jac’s All Hazards Incident Management Team and an adjunct instructor for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX).
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Shawn HennersShawn Henners has fifteen years of administrative and program management experience in several fields, including public health preparedness, non-profit, and multi-national energy. Since January 2014, she has been the Emergency Preparedness & Risk Manager for Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD), overseeing MCHD’s safety program and emergency preparedness activities. MCHD provides 9-1-1 emergency medical service, indigent care and public health services for Montgomery County, a mixed suburban-rural county just north of Houston with approximately half million population. Ms. Henners is directly responsible for investigating employee injuries, exposures and fleet accidents; coordinating the Safety Committee; updating and maintaining safety policies and procedures; coordinating and providing safety training; and serving as Exposure Control Officer and Haz Comm Program Coordinator for MCHD. Since Ms. Henners took on this role, MCHD has completely rewritten and implemented an Exposure Control Plan that conforms to OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.1030, updated all safety-related policies and procedures, provided annual driver training for all staff, and implemented a Hazardous Chemical Communication Program. She is currently leading MCHD through a process to consolidate and streamline incident reporting, investigation and corrective action tracking.
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