Firehouse Renames Famed Awards Program
Firehouse is honored to announce that its famed Heroism Award will hereafter be known as the Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor. The Heroism Award was part of Firehouse’s larger awards program, the Heroism & Community Service Awards, which will now be known as the Firehouse Valor & Community Service Awards, still the largest awards program of its kind in the fire service.
The name change is part of a larger mission to change firefighters’ perspectives about what it means to be brave in the face of danger.
“It goes without saying that the actions taken by firefighters in the performance of their duties are in many cases courageous and heroic,” explained Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach. “The term hero has rightfully been used by the general public and many outside our profession to describe firefighters, but I believe that the word valor more appropriately describes the actions of a humble public servant.”
Sendelbach chose to name the award after Worcester, MA, Fire Department District Chief (ret.) Mike McNamee because of the courage he displayed at the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire in December 1999, when he made the bold decision to stop additional Worcester firefighters from entering the building when there were already six lost inside. Although firefighters were eager to get inside to rescue their lost brothers, McNamee knew that if he allowed the firefighters to enter, they too would likely become victims, so he braced his feet on the doorjamb and put his hands over his head to more fully block the entrance.
“It is important for us to acknowledge that in some cases, the critical decisions and/or preventative actions taken by an individual are equally deserving of recognition,” Sendelbach says. “As such, the goal of the Firehouse Valor and Community Service Awards program is to recognize actions based on the circumstances and the ultimate outcome.”
The 2015 Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor will be presented to the winner during the opening ceremonies of Firehouse Expo in October 2016 in Nashville, TN.
Further, starting in 2016, the Firehouse Valor & Community Service Award winners will be featured in the October issue of Firehouse Magazine, to align with Firehouse Expo.
Nominations for the 2015 Firehouse Valor & Community Service Awards will open in January. To have your department’s acts of valor or community service considered for an award, please e-mail [email protected].
NVFC Awarded Grant to Address First Responder Health and Safety
FEMA has awarded the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) a $786,580 Fire Prevention and Safety grant to conduct a series of health and safety initiatives over the next year. The grant will allow the NVFC to offer training through its Virtual Classroom, develop a handbook on how and why to make a cultural shift to safety, and develop a standards implementation guide. In addition, the NVFC will hold its second Training Summit and roll-out an awareness campaign addressing key health and safety issues facing the volunteer fire service, including behavioral health concerns such as depression, PTSD, and substance abuse.
“By educating personnel on their risks and manageable steps they can take to lessen these risks, we empower the volunteer fire service to do better,” said NVFC Chairman Kevin D. Quinn. “The NVFC has created a lot of positive changes in the fire service through its health and safety programs and initiatives. We thank FEMA for providing this grant to help us continue and expand on these initiatives to further increase the health and safety of our nation’s firefighters and emergency responders.”
Learn more about the grants at www.fema.gov/fire-prevention-safety-grants.
Line-of-Duty-Deaths
8 U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Five deaths were health related and three were the results of firefighting operations. This edition of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
FIRE CHIEF JAMES “JD” ROBINSON, 59, of the Brasstown, NC, Fire Department, died Aug. 14. Robinson was on a standby with his department when he fell ill. He was treated at the scene and transported to a local hospital where he later died.
LT. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS, 40, of the Pine Level, NC, Fire Department, was found unresponsive in the dayroom when he failed to respond to an emergency. Daniels died on Aug. 17.
FIREFIGHTER RICHARD WHEELER, 31, FIREFIGHTER ANDREW ZAJAC, 26, and FIREFIGHTER TOM ZBYSZEWSKI, 20, of the U.S. Forest Service, died on Aug. 19 when the Twisp wildfire trapped them in their apparatus on state forest land. The firefighters, members of an engine crew from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, were involved in initial attack operations on the fire near Woods Canyon and Twisp River Roads in Washington State when their vehicle crashed and fire overtook it.
FIREFIGHTER LAWRENCE G. SESSO, 40, of the Sayville, NY, Fire Department, died on Aug. 22. An hour after responding to a commercial structure fire, Sesso participated in a fire department parade. On his way home, he suffered a cardiac arrest. He was transported to a local hospital but did not survive.
LT. CHRIS PHILLIPS, 41, of the Locke Township, NC, Fire Department, died on Aug. 27, several hours after responding to a fatal motor vehicle accident.
FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC SHANE CLIFTON, 38, of the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department, collapsed and died on Aug. 31 following a workout in the station.
Nominations Open for EVT of the Year Award
Did your apparatus or ambulance start last night? Did you respond and return safely this morning? Take a few minutes and recognize the effort of a technician that maintains your vehicles. Nominate your emergency vehicle technician for the 2015 EVT of the Year Award.
Firehouse, in partnership with the Fire Department Safety Officers Association, is pleased to announce the Call for Nominations for the 2015 Emergency Vehicle Technician of the Year Award. The award is sponsored by Smeal Fire Apparatus Co., based in Snyder, NE.
“We’re so pleased to be sponsoring the EVT of the Year program,” said Jeff Wegner, Smeal’s senior vice president of global sales. “EVTs keep North America’s fire fleets on the road and able to respond. Their jobs are often round-the-clock, and they deserve to be acknowledged for their vital contributions to the fire service. Smeal is proud to play a small role in recognizing the best of the best.”
The award selection criteria focus on leadership, professional development, integrity and a commitment to the safe operation of emergency vehicles for the responders and the community. Criteria also include a nominee’s implementation of safe procedures, advanced education in the field and service above and beyond.
For information about how to nominate an EVT, visit firehouse.com/evt.
The annual award will be presented at the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s 28th Annual Apparatus Specification and Safety Symposium, Jan. 18–20, 2016.
FAMA Awards Scholarship to OSU Student
The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) has awarded its 2015 Phillip L. Turner Fire Protection Scholarship to Tyler Lambert, a senior at Oklahoma State University who plans to graduate this year from the School of Fire Protection and Safety in the College of Engineering and Technology. He currently serves as a volunteer firefighter for Ingalls, OK, Fire Department while maintaining a 3.25 GPA.
Lambert received the $5,000 scholarship in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements and commitment to the fire service. The award is given annually by FAMA and has been sponsored since 2009 by FAMA member Akron Brass Co., a worldwide marketer and manufacturer of life-safety, firefighting and emergency rescue equipment. A presentation was made at the FAMA Technical Committee meeting held in conjunction with the Fire-Rescue International conference in Atlanta.
"We feel it is our responsibility to provide individuals like Tyler an opportunity to build the critical skills and knowledge to be successful in life and as leaders within the fire and emergency service industry,” said David Durstine, vice president for Akron Brass. “On behalf of FAMA, we wish Tyler much success in his future endeavors.”
For more information, visit www.fama.org.
Exciting New Topics at Firehouse World
Join us to train without barriers or borders
The upcoming Firehouse World will be held Jan. 31–Feb. 4, 2016, in San Diego.
The conference will kick off with an executive level Staff Ride, which will include a field study at the site of the fatal 2006 Esperanza Fire. We’ll also feature a Leaders Recon program that will be held at the site of the historic Southern California Cedar Fire of 2003.
On Feb. 1, Firehouse will host an all-new Hands-on Equipment Demo Day, which will provide attendees with an opportunity to witness first-hand the latest tools and technologies in the fire service. Those interested will also have the opportunity to use the tools in real-life scenarios, including live-fire scenarios, vehicle extrication, urban search and rescue operations and much more.
The main conference and exhibit floor will open on Feb. 2, with an all new, high-energy Opening Ceremony, featuring an opening presentation by Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach and our 2016 keynote speaker.
Following the Opening Ceremony, we will be providing more than 100 educational classroom sessions, including “Big Room” sessions covering topics such as the remarkable story of Fresno Captain Pete Dern; Houston’s Darkest Day—Lessons Learned from the Fatal Southwest Inn Fire; Civil Unrest: A Real Threat to Public Safety (Lessons Learned from the Baltimore Riots); and a Firehouse Exclusive—a moderated panel of international instructors discussing fire dynamics of the modern fireground and the pros and cons of U.S. and international tactics.
Firehouse World 2016 will feature some of the most notable U.S. and international speakers who will be presenting on topics for all ranks and experience levels. Register today for what will certainly be one of the most educational and rewarding conferences of the year.
