Three local representatives are off to Tennessee to take part in a unique training opportunity.
Donna Noble with Ponoka County Regional Fire Services along with Rimbey Family and Community Support Services members Christine Simpson and Pam Elliott were recently selected to receive a scholarship to attend the 2017 NFPA Remembering When conference.
The conference, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), will take place in Nashville on Nov. 1 to 3 and will bring together teams from 21 selected communities in Canada and the U.S. to learn more on delivering fire and fall prevention education to older adults.
The teams will be composed of at least one member of a fire department and partnered with individuals from a local community agency that serves older adults. The scholarship award, valued at more than $4,000, will cover travel expenses, materials and training.
Upon completion, the three member team be able to come back and provide group presentations and training sessions for other individuals in order to train more program facilitators in the area. In addition, the team will take the program to older adults, where they will be able to tailor the program messaging to help these individuals identify what changes can be made to increase their safety at home.
“The Remembering When program is a fabulous tool to assist fire departments and local agencies who are focused on older adult fire and falls prevention. As the number of older adult residents rise in many communities, agencies are working together to meet the needs of a changing demographic. The empowers older adults to work alongside the fire department and other senior-focused agencies to promote a safer home environment,” said Karen Berard-Reed, NFPA senior project manager.
The program has been operating throughout North American since 1999 and materials are available online at no cost. More information can be found at www.nfpa.org/rememberingwhen.