The National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research and Education Foundation (NASFM Foundation) and Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company are pleased to announce that 142 fire departments from 33 states earned the Life Safety Achievement Award for their fire prevention accomplishments in 2013. See list of award-winning departments below.
For over 20 years, this award has nationally recognized fire departments for actively promoting fire prevention in the pursuit of saving lives. To qualify for the award, fire departments recorded zero fire deaths in residential structures or a 10 percent reduction of fire deaths from the prior year.
In addition, award recipients documented active and effective fire prevention programs as well as a commitment to reducing the number of house fires in the community.
“The heroic efforts of our local fire service aren’t limited to rushing into burning buildings to save families. They also present educational information to local schools and other community groups to make sure people know how to respond to fires and how to prevent them in the first place,” said Alan Clark, assistant vice president of Special Investigations for Grinnell Mutual. “The Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes fire departments for their fire prevention programs that have proven to save lives year after year.”
More than 1.3 million fires were reported in the United States in 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the National Fire Protection Association. These fires caused 2,855 civilian deaths, 16,500 civilian injuries, and more than $12 billion in property damage.
To reduce those statistics, this year’s award recipients organized educational programs targeted to specific age and at-risk groups, conducted fire safety inspections, checked and installed free smoke detectors, provided fire extinguisher training, offered multi-lingual fire prevention resources, and promoted fire safety messages at a variety of community events. Many educational programs, including school visits, fire station tours, and summer camps, were designed to teach kids basic evacuation skills, how to call 9-1-1, and about firefighter equipment and gear.
In addition, fire departments led the charge to incorporate sprinkler systems into building ordinances and to inform residents about how these systems can save lives and property. In wildfire-prone areas, firefighters promoted the importance of fuel-reduction around homes.
Firefighters also conducted additional life-saving programs, including first-aid and CPR courses, fire safety classes for young babysitters, and drunk driving demonstrations as well as promoted disaster preparedness and the installation of carbon monoxide detectors.
“Experience tells us that fire prevention activity and public education can significantly reduce life and property loss from residential fires,” said President Butch Browning. “Prevention and education are very cost effective compared to the traditional approach of relying on fire suppression. The Life Safety Achievement Award recognizes fire departments for their fire prevention efforts and encourages them to continually improve upon those efforts.”
The 2013 Life Safety Achievement Award recipients named in 2014 include:
Alabama: Center Point Fire District, Center Point City of Dora Fire and Rescue, Dora Cullman Fire Rescue, Cullman Spanish Fort Fire Rescue, Spanish Fort Springville Fire and Rescue, Springville Sumiton Fire and Rescue, Sumiton Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service, Tuscaloosa
Arizona: MCAS Yuma Fire Department, MCAS Yuma
California: Morgan Hill Fire Department, Morgan Hill North Tahoe Fire Protection District, Tahoe City NRSW China Lake Federal Fire Department, China Lake The University of California, Irvine's Fire Extinguisher Safety Training, Irvine
Connecticut: Cheshire Fire Department, Cheshire East Great Plain Volunteer Fire Co., Norwich Mansfield Fire Department, Mansfield Naugatuck Fire Department, Naugatuck Newington Volunteer Fire Department, Newington Southbury Training School Fire Department, Southbury Town of Glastonbury Fire Marshal's Office, Glastonbury Watertown Fire Department, Watertown Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department, Woodbridge
Florida: Casselberry Fire Rescue, Casselberry Clermont Fire Department, Clermont Immokalee Fire Control District, Immokalee Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, West Palm Beach
Idaho: Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, Coeur d'Alene Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Post Falls Nampa Fire Department, Nampa Illinois Bedford Township Fire Department, Cisne Bourbonnais Fire Protection District, Bourbonnais Countryside Fire Protection District, Vernon Hills Darien-Woodridge Fire District, Darien Gurnee Fire Rescue, Gurnee River Forest Fire Department, River Forest Tuscola Fire Department, Tuscola Wheeling Fire Department, Wheeling Indiana Vincennes Township Fire Department, Vincennes Iowa Alburnett Fire Department, Alburnett Bettendorf Fire Department, Bettendorf Clive Fire Department, Clive Deep River Volunteer Fire Co. Inc., Deep River Grinnell Fire Department, Grinnell Le Mars Fire Department, Le Mars Marion Fire Department, Marion Spencer Fire Department, Spencer West Burlington Fire Department, West Burlington
Kansas: McPherson Fire Department, McPherson Mulvane Fire Rescue, Mulvane Ottawa Fire Department, Ottawa
Kentucky: City of Shelbyville Fire and Rescue, Shelbyville Milton Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Milton Owensboro Fire Department, Owensboro
Louisiana: Beauregard Parish Fire District #2, Longville Gonzales Fire/Rescue, Gonzales Lafitte Barataria Crown Point Volunteer Fire Department, Lafitte Paulina Grand Point Belmont Volunteer Fire Department, Paulina Schriever Volunteer Fire Department, Schriever Sulphur Fire Department, Sulphur
Massachusetts: Bellingham Fire Department, Bellingham Lynnfield Fire Department, Lynnfield Malden Fire Department, Malden Manchester Fire Rescue, Manchester Merrimac Fire Department, Merrimac Town of Phillipston Fire Department, Phillipston Michigan Bethany Fire Department, Bethany Bloomfield Township Fire Department, Bloomfield Township Elsie Area Fire Department, Elsie Lyon Township Fire Department, New Hudson Olivet Fire Department, Olivet South Lyon Fire Department, South Lyon Tittabawassee Township Fire Department, Freeland
Minnesota: Alexandria Fire Department, Alexandria Brainerd Fire/Rescue, Brainerd Chaska Fire Department, Chaska City of Hastings Fire Department, Hastings Eden Prairie Fire Department, Eden Prairie Excelsior Fire District, Shorewood Maple Grove Fire-Rescue, Maple Grove Minnetonka Fire Department, Minnetonka Moorhead Fire Department, Moorhead Roseville Fire Department, Roseville Spring Lake Park Fire Department, Spring Lake Park White Bear Lake Fire Department, White Bear Lake
Missouri: Bethany Fire Department, Bethany Branson Fire and Rescue, Branson City of Republic Fire Department, Republic Columbia Fire Department, Columbia Eureka Fire Protection District, Eureka Harrisonville Emergency Services, Harrisonville Kearney Fire and Rescue Protection District, Kearney Riverside Fire, Riverside Southern Platte Fire Protection District, Kansas City Sullivan Fire Protection District, Sullivan
Nebraska Gibbon: Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, Gibbon
North Carolina: Boonville Community Fire Department, Boonville Buckhead Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Bolton City of Henderson Fire Department, Henderson City of Laurinburg Fire Department, Laurinburg City of Mount Airy Fire Department, Mount Airy Forbush Volunteer Fire Department, Yadkinville Hopkins Rural Fire Department, Zebulon Icard Township Fire and Rescue, Hildebran Kannapolis Fire Department, Kannapolis Morehead City Fire and EMS Department, Morehead City Pinehurst Fire Department, Pinehurst Rockingham Fire Department, Rockingham West Iredell Volunteer Fire Department, Statesville Williamston Fire Rescue and EMS, Williamston
North Dakota: Casselton Fire Department, Casselton
Nevada: Elko Fire Department, Elko
New Hampshire: Hooksett Fire Rescue, Hooksett
New Jersey: Raritan Township Bureau of Fire Safety, Flemington Robertsville Volunteer Fire Co. 1, Morganville Westampton Township Emergency Services, Westampton
New York: Cold Spring Fire Company No.1, Cold Spring Whitesboro Volunteer Fire Department, Whitesboro
Ohio: Concord Township Fire Department, Concord Township Delaware Fire Department, Delaware West Licking Joint Fire District, Pataskala
Pennsylvania: Hazleton Fire Department, Hazleton Lake City Fire Company, Lake City Montgomery Township Department of Fire Services, Montgomeryville Ridley Park Fire Department, Ridley Park Union Fire Co. No. 1, Manchester
South Carolina: Georgetown City Fire Department, Georgetown
Tennessee: Germantown Fire Department, Germantown Henderson Fire Department, Henderson Pigeon Forge Fire Department, Pigeon Forge Sharps Chapel Volunteer Fire Department, Sharps Chapel
Texas: Ben Bolt Fire Department, Ben Bolt Highland Village Fire Department, Highland Village
Utah: Layton City Fire Department, Layton Lehi Fire Department, Lehi
Virginia: City of Staunton Fire and Rescue, Staunton
Washington: Marysville Fire District, Marysville
Wisconsin: Ashippun Fire Department, Ashippun City of Janesville Fire Department, Janesville Darien Fire Department, Darien Middleton Fire District, Middleton Stanley Fire Department, Stanley Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department, Sun Prairie
Wyoming: Riverton Volunteer Fire Department, Riverton
About NASFM Foundation
The NASFM Foundation is a public interest group whose mission is to reduce residential fire deaths and injuries. The Foundation advocates the use of residential fire sprinklers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and teaching people fire-safe behavior. The Foundation assists fire departments with implementing residential sprinkler/smoke alarm programs on a local basis.
The Foundation’s partners include the United States Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals and private industry/associations with an interest in and commitment to residential fire safety.
About Grinnell Mutual
Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, in business since 1909, provides reinsurance for farm mutual insurance companies and property and casualty insurance products through more than 1,600 independent agents in 12 Midwestern states.
Grinnell Mutual is the 120th largest property-casualty insurance company in the United States and the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutual companies in North America. ###
