Each year the city of McAllen, Texas, hosts the largest Earth Day observance in South Texas. The Vida Verde Earth Day Festival features wildlife shows, organic cooking demonstrations, rock climbing, and hands-on eco-art projects. Visitors not only celebrate “going green” but learn about fire and life safety. At the festival... Continue reading

Senior Moments Radio is a nationally syndicated program about care and services for older adults. Geoff Scott, “The Senior Bodyguard,” and co-host Cheryl Hartman interview guests on a broad range of topics, from how to avoid scams to pet therapy for older adults. I was asked to join in on... Continue reading

Maly Son, director of Springfield Vietnamese-American Civic Association, Thu Pham, program coordinator for the Vietnamese Health Project, Mercy Medical Center, and An Rocco, interpreter and translation services, Baystate Medical Center at the Civic Association health fair. The Springfield Fire Department, Springfield, Massachusetts, kicked off its “Multi-Language Public Education Fire Safety... Continue reading

While channel surfing recently, I came across a program called Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. It’s a reality comedy series broadcast on NBC in which older adults play pranks on members of the younger generation. I’ve been a fan of Betty White for many years so I eased up on... Continue reading

I got a frantic phone call from my fiancé early one recent Sunday morning. He was at the airport about to board a plane for a five-day business trip to another part of the country, and he couldn’t remember if he’d turned his oven off. I knew what was coming... Continue reading

April is Autism Awareness Month. In observance, the Autism NOW Center (The National Autism Resource and Information Center) hosted a webinar recently on the topic, “Preparing for Fires and Other Emergencies.” I was a co-presenter, along with Chris Lacy of Autism Alert, which provides autism awareness training for first responders.... Continue reading

I was reminded of my previous career in television news recently when I was asked to go on camera to record NFPA safety information videos. Back when I was a reporter at the CBS station in Champaign, Illinois, I appeared on camera trudging through dry corn fields in 90 degree... Continue reading

The Springfield Fire Department, Springfield, Massachusetts, held a news conference at its headquarters recently to announce that the department had been awarded the Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant. With the commemorative plaque from NFPA on display at the podium, Fire Marshal David Rivera told reporters from the local... Continue reading

Tracy Koslowski, public education/information manager and fire marshal for the Drexel Heights Fire District in Tucson, Arizona, has been named the 2013 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year. A third generation firefighter, Koslowski began using NFPA’s Learn Not to Burn Preschool Program in 1993 when she was a... Continue reading

The Roslindale Firehouse in Boston, Massachusetts, recently hosted Community Day for residents of the neighborhood diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, their families, and caregivers. The Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition (ALEC) partnered with City Councilor Rob Consalvo to implement the program. Funding was provided... Continue reading

The NFPA Education Section is in the spotlight. An interview with section Chair Pat Mieszala is featured in the March/April NFPA Journal “Section Spotlight” column. Code activity of special interest to the section, upcoming board elections, and ways in which members can become more involved in section activities are among... Continue reading

How do you know if the fire and life safety messages you provide to the public are effective? When should messages be reviewed and updated? Is it important to provide messaging that is positive? “Fire and Life Safety Messaging: What to Say and How to Say It,” an education session... Continue reading

Springfield Fire Department, Springfield, Massachusetts, is the winner of the 2013 Rolf H.Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant. The $5,000 grant will support the department’s “Multi-Language Public Education Fire Safety Initiative”concentrating on Springfield’s growing population of Somali, Russian, Nepali,Vietnamese, and Latino immigrants. The initiative will also reach out to residents over... Continue reading

For years, disabilities advocates have pushed for society to make better word choices when communicating about people with disabilities. While there are clear signs of progress, this headline, which appeared recently in The New York Times, provides an example of the work that still needs to be done: “Device Offers... Continue reading

Only one day remains before the deadline to apply for the 2013 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award. Applications must be received by the close of business on Friday, February 22. Applications can be sent by FAX, email, or traditional mail. Dayna Hilton, the 2009 Fire and... Continue reading

Gary Olsen (top) has a message to share with the public about the importance of making a home fire drill plan. Olsen, a member of the Public Education Division Fire Safety for People with Disabilities Task Force and president of the Nevada Association of the Deaf, has made a public... Continue reading

For Beverly Thompson, community education specialist for Dekalb County Fire and Rescue in Dekalb County, Georgia, being chosen the NFPA Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year in 2010 was, in her words, “like winning the Academy Award” of fire and life safety educators. “It was a huge benefit... Continue reading

This Friday, February 8th, is the deadline to apply for the Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant. The $5,000 grant is presented annually to a local fire department to support a community-wide fire and life safety education program or campaign. Funded by the RJA Group, the $5,000 grant is... Continue reading

Ernest Grant, first vice chair of the NFPA Board of Directors, says it is an honor to serve as chair of the board’s Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant committee. Each year, he and the other committee members screen the applications for the grant, which provides $5,000 to any... Continue reading

What happens when a community’s population grows, but budgeting for fire department public education programs remains the same so that staff no longer has time to make presentations in the schools because of additional responsibilities, causing public education programs to suffer? The Layton City Fire Department in Layton City, Utah,... Continue reading

Comments are now being accepted on NFPA’s fire safety education messages, which are used throughout NFPA’s educational programs, curricula, and handouts. The messages also provide fire and life safety educators with accurate and consistent language for use when presenting safety information to the public. The Educational Messages Advisory Committee, composed... Continue reading

Lieutenant Robert Hendrigan, Public Education Officer for the Brockton Fire Department in Brockton, Massachusetts says that since the department launched its High-Rise Apartment Safety and Emergency Preparedness Program in 2012 with the support of the Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant, there’s been a significant improvement in safety practices... Continue reading

The results are in on the 2012 implementation of Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults by the 29 teams of fire departments and home visit agencies awarded scholarships to participate in a training conference on the program in December 2011. By far, expectations were exceeded.... Continue reading

Marsha Giesler, public education officer with the Downers Grove Fire Department in Illinois said she felt humbled and honored when she was chosen the 2012 NFPA Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year. “This acknowledgment is one of the greatest validations for our public education efforts,” she said. “When... Continue reading

Fire departments in the United States and Canada that are introducing or maintaining a fire and life safety program or campaign can have their efforts supported by the Rolf H. Jensen Memorial Public Education Grant. Established in the name of Rolf H. Jensen, a leading authority on fire protection engineering... Continue reading