Public Fire Safety Educators’ Conference Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Nearly 200 students participated in this year’s Public Fire Safety Educators’ Conference, some traveling from as far away as Canada and Maine to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the popular event.

The goal of the conference is to bring together fire and life safety educators from across the Northeast, so they can share program ideas and learn about new methods for delivering programs to educate the citizens they protect concerning fire and other hazards.

This year’s program kicked-off on Friday with two "pre-program sessions" on autism awareness and "Changing American Families at Risk." The night concluded with an icebreaker reception that allowed students, instructors, and staff to network.

Saturday began with the opening ceremony, where NYSAFC 1st Vice President John Tighe welcomed attendees. Highlights of the ceremony included the presentation of the  2013 "James W. Wright Public Education Award" to the Cobleskill Fire Department. Cobleskill President/Fire Prevention Coordinator Bill Johnson, Firefighter Daniel Johnson, and Chaplain John Copland accepted the award on behalf of the department. The ceremony was followed by the Keynote Address, "Instructors Work Too Hard, Get ‘Em Involved," delivered by Donna Forgy. The day also included classroom sessions and demonstrations of the fire safety products available from BullEx, including fire extinguisher training props and a BullEx fire safety trailer. Saturday ended with a special 40th anniversary barbecue and clam steam at the academy. Special thanks to Charlie Hungerford, Carolyn Hungerford, and Dave Walker, who brought the Walker Fire Department’s special fire truck clam steamer back to the conference this year.

The conference continued on Sunday morning with additional classroom presentations. This year’s classroom sessions addressed many important and timely topics in fire and life safety, including "Campus Chemical Suicides," "Using Social Media to Enhance Your Fire Safety Messages," "Hoarding: An Emerging Danger," and "Fire Safety for Parents of Children with Disabilities."

Thank you to all that participated in the 40th Annual Pub-Ed Conference! Click here to view more pictures from the event.