FLORIDA FIRE SERVICE July 2017 42 Claudia Faiola Receives NFPA Scholarship Award By Claudia Faiola, Public Education Officer Claudia Faiola, Public Education Officer for East Lake Fire Rescue in Pinellas County has been selected by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to receive a Star Scholarship Award for her dedication to effectively reaching the public with fire safety education. As an award recipient, Faiola will attend NFPA’s Conference & Expo in Boston, MA, which serves as the premier, annual event for fire, electrical, and building safety. “Claudia has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to reducing East Lake residents’ risk to fire and related hazards and stood out by her desire to save lives across Florida,” said Kelly Ransdell, regional education specialist for NFPA’s Public Education Division. “She is truly deserving of this award, and we’re thrilled to have her attend this year’s conference.” NFPA chose 12 scholarship recipients from the United States and Canada who provide consistent and innovative outreach to their community; actively use and implement NFPA resources and programs; promote NFPA in their community, state or province; and/or are new fire and life safety educators interested in learning about NFPA programs and materials. East Lake Assistant Chief George Bessler, stated “It is very impressive to see all the improvements and innovative approaches Claudia has made in the area of Public Education for the East Lake community and Pinellas County. In a very short time she built upon an existing comprehensive public education program and assembled a coordinated and collaborative team approach with valued involvement from all department members. I am very pleased that NFPA recognized Claudia with the Star Scholarship award to recognize her contributions to date; with many more exciting public education programs to come”. Uniting Broward Showcases Sheriff’s Office By Mike Jachles, Public Information Officer Uniting Broward, an annual community showcase, brought out all facets of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, including, of course, the Department of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services for the fun, interactive day of events April 29. The event was held at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, smack-dab in the middle of the county. Hundreds of Broward families came out to see and meet the faces behind BSO and get an up-close look at many of the agency’s vehicles, vessels and aircraft. The free event was made possible through the partnership between BSO and Broward County Parks and Recreation. A kids fun zone featured bounce houses, music and paint the fire truck. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue’s Technical Rescue Team performed a vehicle extrication demonstration and BSO’s K-9, Bomb and Arson units and SWAT team also showed off their skills. Local school band performances by Blanche Ely, Boyd Anderson and Dillard high schools provided live entertainment in addition to a DJ. Photo: Sheriff Scott Israel, (back row, center) spends time with the fire rescue cadets at Uniting Broward, along with Asst. Chief Greg Holness (back row, far left) and Div. Chief Eric Busenbarrick (back row, far right). FEMA Phin for the Win! By Janel Vasallo, MPH, Public Information/Education Officer The Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) is proud to share that Lakeland is now home to not one, but two FEMA 1 certified live search and rescue dogs, Cabela (top picture)and Phinnegan (Phin). This directly impacts public safety in Lakeland and surrounding communities because in the event of a structural collapse or natural disaster these two highly-trained dogs can find missing and entrapped victims. The dogs are trained and handled by Lt. Vince Hazelbaker, who has been with the department since 1982. He has long been passionate about search and rescue and became interested in being a rescue dog handler as a way to help his community while providing an outlet for his free time. Disaster dog handling, as it’s informally known in the canine handling community, began for Hazelbaker in 2006. He independently began working with area rescue teams based in Tampa. In 2007, he acquired Cabela from Maranatha Kennels of Maine who specialize in working dogs. Cabela quickly proved herself and received her FEMA I certification soon after. Today, Cabela is nearly 11 years old and will soon be retiring. In preparation for that transition, Lt. Hazelbaker acquired Phinnegan over a year ago so Phin could learn the ropes and eventually take Cabela’s place. Lt. Hazlebaker worked diligently with Phin to get him certified at the highest level and Phin proved himself at his certification trials in Ft. Lauderdale on January 21, 2017, where he passed and was awarded the Type I certification. What is Type I Certification: Type I certification, awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is the highest level of certification for an urban search and rescue dog. The FEMA certification requires the search animal to perform search and rescue standards outside the direct supervision and guidance, independently of its handler. The grueling assessment process looks to see if the dog can avoid distractions, think for itself, and repeatedly find its target with a minimal margin for error. Because of the difficult standards, it takes dedicated handlers and bright dogs like Cabela and Phinnegan to achieve this level of certification. This level of certification allows the team to deploy anywhere in the nation during a time of disaster and internationally through FEMAsponsored relief efforts. HCFR Engine Crew Helps Celebrate Community By Vivian McIlrath, Public Education Technician Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Engine 25-A, serving the Plant City/Springhead area of Hillsborough County, educated families and members of the St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church. The church was honoring the pastor who has been leading his congregation for 21 years. Children and families were able to speak to the firefighters, ask questions, learn about fire safety and became junior firefighters by using the booster line to knock down the cones. Great job by Captain Anita Blackmon, Driver/Engineer Ryan Stevens, and Firefighter Jarrod Smith. July 2017 FFS.QXD 6/29/17 9:54 AM Page 42