[Archived] City of Alexandria Fire Department Awarded NFPA Scholarship

 November 9, 2010

The City of Alexandria Fire Department and Alexandria Office of Aging and Adult Services 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 November 14-16 2010, in Boston, Massachusetts. NFPA has selected two-member teams from 41 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 Manager, 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.”    

Patsieann T. Misiti of the Alexandria Fire Department and  Bonita Copeland of the Alexandria Office of Aging and Adult Services ( a part of City of Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services) will travel to Boston for the workshop.  Following the workshop, the Alexandria Fire Department will conduct a minimum of five group presentations and at least two train-the-trainer sessions for Office of Aging and Adult Services.   The Office of Aging and Adult Services will integrate materials from the Remembering When program into its outreach through home visits.

For more information, contact Robert Rodriguez, Chief Fire Marshal / Community Services Officer, Alexandria Fire Department, at 703.746.5217 or robert.rodriguez@alexandriava.gov.