Muscle Memory
What a great time of year to get out and enjoy some of the spectacular colors Missouri has to offer before we drift off into the frigid white abyss some people seem to enjoy and refer to as winter. Hopefully, each of you are prepared for the upcoming changes in our weather and remember to take the necessary precautions to keep yourselves and your equipment well cared for during the colder events.
I saw many of you at the Memorial Services in Kingdom City in October as we honored our fellow personnel who have passed away. Again this year the services were well done and very memorable. The work done by the Foundation and a few “extra” volunteers makes the ceremonies respectful and fitting for recognizing the sacrifices made by not only the deceased fire personnel, but also their families. I know it is a way out, but mark your calendars now for October 3rd and 4th next year and plan to join us as we gather again to honor our brothers and sisters.
Remember, each of our agencies has a statutory requirement (RSMo 320.271) to register with the Fire Marshal’s Office. Your registration is due at the first of each year, so take a few moments and make sure to get your department registered if this is your responsibility, or make sure you remind whomever may have this responsibility. The information gathered is useful during activations of the State-Wide Mutual Aid system, and registration is often tied to being able to receive certain financial grants. Get started on the registration TODAY!
Keep an eye out for the announcement for classes at the MU FRTI Winter Fire School, which will be coming up in February in Columbia. What an excellent opportunity to receive outstanding training at little to no expense for you. In addition to the knowledge you can gain in the formal classroom setting, you can also stop in the vendor expo on Friday and gain additional valuable information as you network with vendors and fire personnel from across our state.
Scholarships and awards are available through our organization, but awards or recognition can not be made if you don’t apply for funds or nominate someone for an award. The criteria for the scholarships and the various awards are available on the FFAM website and the applications or nominations are due February 28th. Each year we hear about many good things done by FFAM members, but without a nomination many may go without the extra recognition they deserve. Submit your request for a scholarship or award nomination on time to be considered.
By now, most of you are likely recovering from the backlog of public relations/fire safety events in your area. Although the month of October tends to be the busiest time for these activities, I urge you to stay engaged with your outreach partners all through the year to continue getting a safety message in front of the public. We learn “muscle memory” from repeating our training over and over to help us perform in emergencies without hesitation and this same concept can be applied to the public. So if we want them to understand what to do in fire and other emergency events, we need to make sure we are first educating them and then reinforcing that education more than once a year. Be creative in how you get your message out and be creative on where you deliver the message. We tend to focus on elementary age folks for many of our interactions, but remember there is a completely other end of the age spectrum that can benefit from gentle reminders about fire safety. Don’t wait for your community to come to you for education or even worse, never see you until possibly the worst day of their lives. Be proactive, be involved, be a community leader every chance you or your agency has an opportunity.
If any of the Board can be of assistance to you, please never hesitate in reaching out. Be Safe!
FFAM
