The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has named Lt. Annmarie Pickett, public education officer for the Worcester Fire Department in Worcester, Mass., as the 2015 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year.
NFPA recognizes that educators like Pickett are instrumental in the distribution of NFPA materials and messages, and in keeping their communities safe. Along with the award, she has also earned a $1,000 honorarium and free travel to Chicago for an award presentation at the general session of the NFPA Conference. The Worcester Fire Department will also receive a $1,000 donation to support public education activities.
Pickett is known for her steadfast commitment to bringing fire and life safety messages to as many people as possible. Under her leadership, the public education division in 2014 conducted more than 700 workshops reaching 40,000 residents compared to 10 workshops reaching 161 residents in 2008, just before she joined the division.
Because of her dedication to education and awareness, she has fostered a partnership between two groups at high-risk of fire: older adults and young children. Pickett formed an inter-generational partnership between the city’s senior center and a nearby elementary school. One of the many highlights from this collaboration occurred at the senior center when older adults worked with third grade students to create home escape plans using NFPA materials.
Either she or an instructor she designates visits each of the 37 Worcester Head Start classrooms three times a year, presenting lessons on the Learn Not to Burn (LNTB) program to more than 600 children. In order to deliver the message to the largest audience possible, Pickett teaches others how to present the lessons and has conducted numerous train-the-trainer sessions with pre-K teachers. She gained the assistance of the entire fire department in teaching preschool-aged children fire safety by creating a department guideline for conducting fire station tours. The guideline relies heavily on the LNTB program.
Based on referrals from the fire department, follow-up visits are conducted in which older adults’ homes are evaluated based on the lessons of the Remembering When™ program. Pickett made 86 home visits in 2014 and followed up with 10-year lithium battery smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and other safety devices.
NFPA’s 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.
