The National Fire Protection Association has named Maria V. Pelchar, Fire & Life Safety Educator for the Holyoke Fire Department, Holyoke, Massachusetts, as the 2011 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year.
The Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award recognizes a fire and life safety educator who works for a local fire department, uses NFPA's materials in consistent and creative ways, demonstrates excellence and innovation in reaching out to the community, and views NFPA as the source for safety information.
Pelchar visited 21 schools in Holyoke to teach kindergarten and preschool students about fire prevention and safety, using NFPA materials. In Holyoke’s public schools, where 85 percent of students are Hispanic and many speak English as a second language, Pelchar recognized that a change in the program was required in order to spread the message of fire and life safety in a way that all of the students could understand. She reinvented a puppet show for kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students, using Sparky the Fire Dog and his friends, to offer a bilingual show. Pelchar also conducts home visits to the elderly, providing one-on-one fire prevention education.
NFPA presented Pelchar with a $1,000 honorarium and a Steuben crystal award at the NFPA Conference & Expo. The Holyoke Fire Department is also receiving a $1,000 award to enhance its fire and life safety efforts.
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National Fire Protection Association
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