Two life safety educators, politicians and fire service groups were among those recognized by the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) on Thursday night at the 18th annual national fire and emergency services dinner.
The annual Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award was given to Meri-K Appy, for developing programs and establishing initiatives to keep people safe from fire and injuries. The recognition is co-sponsored by CFSI and Motorola.
Lt. Peggy Harrell, of the Plano, Texas Fire Department, received the Safety Educator's Hero Award for her tireless efforts to teach people how to make their lives safer.
CFSI officers said two were honored for their dedication to safety education, a job that typically takes a backseat to firefighting and rescue activities.
Ms. Appy, the president of the Home Safety Council, told the crowd of more than 1,200 that progress has been made to reduce the number of fire deaths. "But we can't be satisfied with the status quo when it comes to safety. We have to keep peering around the next bend and figuring out ways to do even better because every life we save is somebody's child."
While there are more tools in the arsenal, she said it's important that legislation be passed to "ensure widespread use of these life-saving devices."
The award was named in honor of the late Mason Lankford, a fire marshal, who promoted issues on the local, state and national levels. He also assisted Congressman Curt Weldon in the development of the Congressional Fire Caucus.
"..Mr. Lankford understood and embraced the multifaceted role of the fire service in responding to the needs of people in the community...I believe this award is a tribute to the thousands of fire and life safety educators out there who make such a difference in homes and communities across America every day."
Unintentional home injuries cause nearly 20,000 deaths annually, and require more than 21 million hospital visits, said Patricia Adkins, chief operating officer of the Home Safety Council.
Ms. Adkins said teaching people how to make their homes safer is invaluable, and praised Lt. Harrell for her commitment. "We recognize the challenges the fire service and emergency services face when reaching out to citizens of our communities with safety and prevention information especially to those individuals at greatest risk."
She said Lt. Harrell "skillfully manages programs that take root and have a measurable impact.
