The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) have selected the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) as the recipient of the 2017 Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award.
The award will be presented at the 29th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner on April 6, 2017, in Washington, DC. Named after retired-Senator Paul S. Sarbanes of Maryland, a strong advocate for our nation’s firefighters and rescue personnel during his 36-year career in Congress, the award recognizes organizations for outstanding contributions to firefighter health and safety. State Farm Insurance and VFIS serve as the corporate supporters of the award program.
Publisher of the most widely-used Validated Training Manuals in the North American fire service, IFSTA has been a longtime supporter of both CFSI and NFFF in their missions to make the fire service a safer profession for all. In 2004, IFSTA representatives participated in the first Firefighter Safety Summit in Tampa, Florida. Since then, the organization has made significant contributions to the advancement of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. The organization provided facilitators and issue-related materials at two subsequent summit meetings in 2007 and 2014, and has incorporated the initiatives into many of the more than 30 separate IFSTA training manuals. This has been an important step in linking the initiatives to fire service training materials and institutionalizing these initiatives into the culture of fire departments nationwide.
IFSTA has also been a key contributor to the Fire Service Occupational Cancer Alliance which was formed in 2015 following meetings in Washington, DC. An active member of the FSOC Alliance Steering Committee, IFSTA continues to incorporate cancer prevention and awareness into its training manuals and provides staff support and resources at alliance meetings.
CFSI President Bill Jenaway and NFFF Chairman Dennis Compton issued a joint statement recognizing IFSTA for its work. “The International Fire Service Training Association continues to look beyond its core mission to find ways of addressing the health and safety of our nation’s firefighters and emergency services personnel. Our two organizations appreciate the support they have provided on so many levels throughout the years. It has made us stronger, and as a result, made the fire service stronger and safer. Both CFSI and NFFF look forward to honoring the International Fire Service Training Association on April 6th.”
Please click here for additional information about the 29th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars Program. Approximately 1,500 fire and emergency services leaders throughout the nation are expected to attend the annual program. In addition to the dinner and seminars, attendees will schedule meetings with their members of Congress to discuss important fire and life safety issues.
