All change at the NFDC

The National Federation of Demolition Contractors held its 72^nd Annual General Meeting at the Dorchester Hotel, adjacent to Hyde Park in central London, on Friday 1^stMarch, an event that saw the regular change-over of office holders. Outgoing president Gary Bishop handed over the chain of office as president to Safedem’s William Sinclair, with William in turn handing over the position of vice-president to Martin Wilson, with Andrew Forshaw now occupying the position of second vice-president. William looks to have a challenging term of office, since he will shortly also occupy the position of vice-president of the European Demolition Association.

William is a fourth generation member of a family who have been closely associated with the NFDC since its formation in 1941. His great, great uncle Samuel B. Allison was a founder member and a past NFDC president. His grandfather, the late Bill Sinclair, was acting Scottish Regional Secretary during the early 1960s and his great uncle, the late James B. Allison, served as an NFDC vice president. William’s third cousin Jim Caldwell, also served as vice oresident and is also the immediate past chairman of the National Demolition Training Group (NDTG). William’s father, David P. Sinclair, is well known internationally in the demolition industry and is also a past president of the NFDC.

During the meeting, it was announced that 13 new full member companies joined the Federation during the year, with the total of full corporate membership standing at 156, with a number of companies dropping out during these challenging economic times. A further 64 associate members join these in the organisation, and a new third tier category of membership will allow industry service providers to join from this year.

During the meeting, chief executive Howard Button made a presentation covering a new major initiative from the Federation in the shape of its new Demolition and Refurbishment Information Data Sheets, or DRIDS. These are two page data sheets that list the recycling/disposal requirements for specific material types that list the best practice for disposal/recycling/reuse along with other useful information. They will be available as ipad/iphone apps, which will also allow users to identify companies or facilities that are able to accept or process each material type in the most environmentally friendly manner. For more details, contact the NFDC.