38th Annual Public Fire Safety Educators' Conference a Success!

The 38th Annual Public Fire Safety Educators' Conference, co-hosted by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) and New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC), was held April 29 to May 1, 2011 at the New York State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls, N.Y.

Close to 200 students traveled from throughout New York state and from as far away as Canada and Maine to attend this year's fire prevention and life safety conference.

The event kicked-off on Friday with the "pre-program" session "Fire Safety, Prevention, and Emergency Evacuation," which was designed to offer a wealth of information on fire, including details on the fire threat in the U.S., plus fire prevention and protection resources and tools for use at home, the work place, and while traveling. Friday concluded with an icebreaker reception for attendees and lecturers.

The program began on Saturday morning with the official Opening Ceremony, highlighted by the presentation of the NYSAFC 2011 James W. Wright Public Education Award to City of White Plains Fire Bureau. The White Plains Fire Bureau was honored for its "High Rise Fire Safety Education Program," and students were able to view the department's video on high rise fire safety throughout the conference.

Throughout the day on Saturday and until noon on Sunday, students attended workshops covering a variety of public education issues for all age groups. "Be Aware – Take Care" addressed home fire, fall, and financial safety for seniors. "Junior Firefighter Academy" outlined a unique approach fire departments can take to spread the fire safety message in their communities to kids. "Web 101: Creating and Maintaining an Effective Pub Ed Web Site," "Child Passenger Safety," "NFPA Educational Programs – Stocking Your Toolkit," "CO and Amanda's Law," "Conducting a Successful Family Fire Prevention and Safety Night," "SAFE at Home – NYS Fire Prevention and Safety Program," and "Development of a Comprehensive Pub Ed Program" were other timely programs offered for attendees.

President Lee Ielpi of the September 11th Families' Association and Ex-Chief Fred Sager of the Great Neck Vigilant Fire Department, representing the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, offered the very poignant presentation, "Tribute: Honoring Those Lost on 9/11 Through Positive Action." As the tenth anniversary of September 11th approaches, this program was very meaningful for all of the public educators in attendance.

Throughout the conference, BullEx Digital Safety provided hands-on demonstrations of a variety of tools that can be used by public fire safety educators, including the Fire Safety Trailer and Fire Safety SmartProps, fire extinguisher training systems, and smoke generators.

Click here to check out pictures from the event on the NYSAFC Facebook fan page.

Look for information on next year's conference in early 2012!