A hearty thanks to IAEI members. The
proposed change in the IAEI Articles of Association that
included an increase in membership dues received a favorable
vote during the 1998 IAEI Annual Section meetings. Over 90% of
those casting votes during the section meetings supported the
dues increase. The support expressed by members of the IAEI
was and is vital to the existence of the IAEI as an active and
effective organization in the electrical industry. With dues
making up less than half of the income and covering less than
half of the operating expenses, the IAEI needed help from its
members. It was a difficult decision to ask members to pay
higher membership dues but there was little choice. IAEI
International President Tom Trainor identified many services
presently being provided for members as well as some
obligations that must be met by the IAEI in the future. In
order to become really effective in industry affairs, we must
become a more active participant. We need to greatly expand
our knowledge of world affairs and become more directly
involved in them. The IAEI Board of Directors is taking the
challenge of preparing the IAEI for the 21st century very
seriously. Concerns ranging from local needs to international
affairs face the Board and with your support, we should be
more able to address them. It is clear that the IAEI must
operate in a businesslike manner and it must meet issues that
affect its stated goals in a professional manner.
Members Working
Hard in Mexico
The new Central Mexico Chapter of the IAEI is active and
growing. Under the leadership of Chapter President Manuel
Vila, Vice President Javier Velez, and Secretary/Treasurer
Antonio Macias, a strong education program is being promoted
and focus is placed on achieving safe electrical
installations. The photographs included with this article show
the Central Mexico Chapter officers being installed during the
first official meeting of the chapter. The installation
ceremony was preceded by an two-day Code training session. The
National Fire Protection Association joined with the IAEI in
assisting the Central Mexico Chapter in conducting the
training. John Caloggero of the NFPA Engineering Department,
who has a good command of the Spanish language, presented a
major portion of the material. He is very effective in
bridging the language barrier between those who speak little
or no English and those of us who speak Spanish with
difficulty or not at all. Thanks must also be given to AMERIC
and its staff for their effort in making the IAEI educational
seminars in Mexico City possible.
Work is also being done to establish
additional chapters in Mexico. A petition for a new Sinaloa
Chapter is expected to be approved during the 1998 IAEI Board
of Directors meeting. It is anticipated that one or two more
chapters will be established during 1999. With the quality of
leadership being demonstrated by IAEI chapter officers and
members in Mexico, it is expected that electrical training
involving the electrical code and installation practices will
expand rapidly and the interest in the work of the chapters
will grow. Raising the level of awareness of the need for safe
installation and use of electrical systems is a major goal and
will ultimately benefit those who use electricity.
Those who need to make contact with the
Central Mexico Chapter can do so by contacting
Secretary/Treasurer Antonio Macias. His telephone number in
Mexico City is 594 91 93. His e-mail address is am5307@servidor.unam.mx.
He can also provide information on new IAEI chapters being
established in Mexico.
Photo
1. (L to R) - John Caloggero, NFPA; Antonio Macias,
secretary/treasurer; Javier Velez, vice-president; Manuel
Vila, president Central Mexico Chapter of IAEI; Doug Geralde,
CSA; Mark Earley, NFPA; Phil Cox, IAEI; Victor Espinola,
manager of Americ.
Photo
2. Phil Cox installs Central Mexico Chapter in
February 1998.
Photo
3. Manuel Vila receives congratulations from Phil Cox
on the formation of a new Chapter.
Editor’s Note: Photos from the installation ceremony
of the new IAEI chapter in Mexico were incorrectly mixed with
another article submitted from Mexico in the September/October
magazine. The photos properly belong with the above
information.
IAEI Executive Director,
CEO, and Editor-in-Chief for the IAEI News, Philip Cox was
formerly employed with the National Electrical Manufacturers
Association as a field representative covering a 17-state
area. He is a member of NFPA NEC Technical Correlating
Committee. He served on Code-Making Panel No. 6, representing
IAEI during the Code cycles for the 1984 and 1987 editions of
the NEC. He served as chairman of CMP-1, representing the
National Electrical Manufacturers Association during the 1996
cycle. He served as acting chairman of CMP-1, representing
IAEI for the 1999 cycle and remains as a member of that panel
for the 2002 Code cycle. He is a member of NFPA Electrical
Section; and former member of UL Electrical Council, ITS
Technical Advisory Council, The Chauncey Group International
Board of Governors for the National Certification Program for
Construction Code Inspectors, and the IEC United States
National Committee Executive Committee.
He also served as chief
electrical inspector for the city of Little Rock, Arkansas,
and was secretary to the Little Rock Electrical Examining
Board, developing and administering examinations for master,
journeyman and specialty electricians. He was appointed as
electrical safety coordinator for the Arkansas Department of
Labor and administered the Arkansas state electrical licensing
law.
Cox is past president of the Western
Section, IAEI, and served on the IAEI Board of Directors as
board member and fifth vice president. He has been involved in
the development and presentation of IAEI training programs on
both chapter and international level.
|
