Pub Ed Conference a Success!

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Pictured above:

Left: NYSAFC 2nd Vice President John Tighe addresses students during the opening session.

Right: Kim O'Malley, NFPA public education field advisor for the Mid-Atlantic region, presented the workshop "It's Fire Prevention Week." She discussed the 2012 NFPA Fire Prevention Week theme "Have 2 Ways Out!" and "Sparky's Wish List," an online registry that brings together fire departments and community members to support life saving fire safety education programs.

Fire safety educators from throughout New York state and from as far away as Canada and Maine gathered at the New York State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls, N.Y. from May 4-6, 2012, for the 39th Annual Public Fire Safety Educators’ Conference, co-hosted by the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs and the Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

Close to 200 students attended this year's event, which began on Friday with pre-program sessions on educating people with autism and NYSAFC’s new Recruitment and Marketing Assistance Training program.

Robin Gaby Fisher delivered the conference keynote address on campus fire safety and the aftermath of the tragic Seton Hall University fire. Workshops addressed a variety of topics such as school bus driver fire safety education, Fire Prevention Week, teaching fire safety to preschoolers, juvenile fire setting, basic codes for those that are not code officials, innovative ideas for elementary school education, and how to make an effective fire prevention and life safety program.

A highlight of the event each year is the presentation of the NYSAFC James W. Wright Public Education Award. This year, NYSAFC acknowledged the 20 New York state fire departments that participated in the association's 2011 Smoke Alarm Project as recipients of the award during the conference general session. Pub Ed Committee Chairman Scott Ewing and Vice Chairman Tim Boel discussed the 2011 Smoke Alarm Project, which installed 2,800 smoke alarms in homes across the state and reached over 5,000 individuals with fire safety education. The association is currently seeking funding to repeat the successful project in the future. (See related story in the Association News section.)

BullEx Digital Safety was on hand throughout the conference to provide demonstrations of its fire safety trailer. The event also included networking activities, allowing students to discuss the effectiveness of the fire and life safety programs enacted in their regions.

To view more photos from the event click here to visit NYSAFC's Facebook page.

Photos by Rick Nemier.