Remembering When

Martin County Fire Rescue and the Council on Aging have been awarded scholarships to participate in a training conference dedicated to Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, developed by the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA. The awarded scholarships provide for travel expenses for two participants, Remembering When curriculum materials and all training.

The conference will be held December 4-6, 2011, in Boston, Massachusetts. NFPA has selected two-member teams from 29 communities across the country to participate. Teams are comprised of one fire department member partnered with an individual from an agency within the community that serves older adults through home visits, such as visiting nurses associations, home health care agencies, and places of worship.

“Adults 65 years and older are more than twice as likely to be killed in a home fire compared to the population at large, and falls are the leading cause of death from injuries in this group,” said Sharon Gamache, Program Director of High-Risk Outreach Programs, “This training offers strategies that participants can bring back to share with their communities to help prevent fires and falls among older adults that live there.”

The Remembering When program focuses on 16 key fire and fall prevention messages. Some of the messages include the following: To prevent fires, space heaters should be kept at least 3 feet (1 meter) from anything that can burn and unplugged when no one’s home or at bedtime. While cooking, older adults should wear tight fitting clothing or short sleeves so clothes don’t ignite from the stove. People should never leave cooking unattended or cook if drowsy from medicine or alcohol.

To prevent falls, older adults should exercise to improve balance and build strength. Consulting a doctor first about ability-appropriate exercise is best. To prevent falls in the home, it’s important to clear stairs and hallways of electrical cords, shoes, books, magazines, clothing and any other things that can be tripped over.

Aaron Johnson of Martin County Fire Rescue and Mindy McCombs of the Council on Aging will travel to Boston for the workshop. Following the workshop, Martin County Fire Rescue will conduct a minimum of five group presentations and at least two train-the-trainer sessions for the Council on Aging. The Council on Aging will integrate materials from the Remembering When program into its outreach through home visits.

NFPA is committed to helping communities reduce fire and fall injuries and deaths among older adults. The Remembering When program has been implemented in communities throughout North American since 1999, reaching thousands of older adults. For more information about Remembering When, visit www.nfpa.org/rememberingwhen.

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Martin County Receives "Remembering When" Award



Receiving Awards

This past weekend I was honored to be awarded the Martin County Fire Rescue Employee of the Year award.  As I graciously received this award I had several thoughts regarding the accolades, rewards, and awards that we are given throughout our lives and careers.

Awards offer two things, value and validation.

1.  Value

In these economic times, finances are tight, raises are not as freely given out as they once were, we need something else that shows an employee's value to the organization or department.  As employees we enjoy the value that we feel from monetary gain and raises.  But, many of us would also say that money is low on our list of reasons to work.  However, we all want to know that we play a valuable part in our organization, and that our hard work and effort is noticed and valued.  Awards show that we, and the work we do, has value.

2.  Validation

As employees we should never wait for validation to make something happen.  We  do not need somebody else to tell us that we are good enough, smart enough, or capable enough to start and pursue the work we love.  However, awards from our bosses/chiefs/employers/peers validate us, not by giving us permission, but by confirming that we are on the right track, were headed in the right direction.

The most meaningful awards to receive meet three criteria:

1. They are in line with our passions and natural abilities.

The most meaningful awards seem to come as a surprise.  They are not awards that we have specifically worked toward achieving.  These awards come easily as we have worked toward a greater goal, the greater good, and it feels as though we have not had to work extremely hard or perform unrealistically to achieve them.  These awards come as a natural by-product of simply following our passions and doing the work we love.

2.  They are not won alone.

The most meaningful awards are not achieved by the work of one single person.  These awards only come as a result of the leadership that we have worked under, and the people we have surrounded our self with.  Leadership expert, Dr. John Maxwell, says everything rises and falls on leadership. All leaders know that they are only as successful as the teams they surround themselves with.

3.  They do not come as a result of positioning.

The most meaningful awards are not gained by political positioning, status, or eating lunch with the right people.  They are gained by the people experiencing the impact of the work you do.