March 18, 2019 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has named Barry Brickey, public education and information officer for the Kingsport (TN) Fire Department and voice of Sparky the Fire Dog, as the 2019 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award.
“Fire safety education is critical to saving lives and reducing loss from fire,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. “Barry’s commitment and passion for sharing safety messages is a tremendous service to his community and a model for others.”
Annually, NFPA confers the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award on a dedicated educator who works for a local fire department of fire marshal’s office in the U.S. or Canada and uses NFPA’s materials in consistent creative educational ways. The recipient demonstrates excellence and innovation in reaching out to the community. Brickey is being awarded a $1,000 honorarium, travel to NFPA Conference & Expo in San Antonio, Texas, in June, and an engraved Sparky statutette. The Kingsport Fire Department will receive a $1,000 donation to support public education activities.
To elevate awareness in the city’s elementary schools, Brickey has been using NFPA’s Learn Not to Burn® preschool program since 2006 and NFPA’s Remembering When program for older adults since 2010.
In 2006, he developed a billboard campaign themed with Fire Prevention Week slogans and home fire sprinkler messaging. The Kingsport Fire Department partnered with the state fire marshal’s office for a smoke alarm billboard in October 2018.
In 2011, Brickey won a national contest to become the voice of Sparky for NFPA’s “Sparky the Runaway Robot” and to celebrate Sparky’s 60th birthday. For the Fire Prevention Week that year, Brickey participated in a national radio media tour as the voice of Sparky.
Brickey worked with the Holsten Valley Trauma Center Injury Prevention, the Kingsport police and Contact 211 of Northeast Tennessee, to help reduce call numbers at a high-volume apartment complex.
He was the recipient of the 2006 Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office Fire Educator of the Year Award and the 2018 Tennessee Public Fire Educators Association Bruce Womack Fire Educator of the Year award.
For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
