M.A.F.F. Fire Safety Programs a Success!

The Michigan Association of Fire Fighters makes available to all schools in Michigan a program called “Learn Not To Burn”. This fire safety program consists of 4 Volumes, kindergarten through 3rd grade and a special version designed for preschool. The "Learn Not To Burn" resource books aid in teaching children about fire safety and include evaluation forms to test children's fire safety knowledge. The books also encourage family involvement in fire safety by providing family fire safety activities, such as developing a home emergency escape plan, taking an inventory of home smoke detectors, holiday fire safety and more.

Michigan Association of Fire Fighters thus far has provided hundreds of schools with the "Learn Not To Burn" program. We encourage all schools to participate.

Stuffed Animals for Emergencies

Michigan's SAFE - (Stuffed Animals for Emergencies) volunteer and local chapter representative, Stephanie Herring contacted MAFF Program office to offer the SAFE program to interested police and fire departments.

SAFE (founded in 1997) accepts new and gently used stuffed animals (SAFE volunteers wash, clean, repair, and add bows and decorations to the stuffed animals to make them like new again) to redistribute to Police, Fire & Rescue, Ambulance Services, Children's Homes, Hospitals, Life Flight, and other emergency organizations. The emergency organizations use the stuffed animals to ease the children's nerves and calm their fears when they are caught in traumatic, emotional, and transitional situations.

Emergency personnel looking to receive gently used or new Stuffed Animals For Emergencies may obtain additional information by contacting the MAFF Office at 1-800-368-1159.

Those interested in donating stuffed animals may contact Suzanne Baker directly at the following email address: suzbaker@twmi.rr.com

You may visit the SAFE website at the following address: http://stuffedanimalsforemergencies.org/chapters.htm

Flashpoint
Spring 2006

MAFF Spotlight on MSDA

Michigan Search Dog Association

When you think of a search and rescue dog, what comes to mind? The devastation of the World Trade Center, the Oklahoma Bombing, Hurricane Katrina? Actually these four-legged heroes are utilized in a variety of circumstances every day. These include structural collapse, arson investigation, water recovery, locating missing hikers or even tracking Alzheimer's patients.

Fire departments are often called upon to assist with a search for a missing child. They will undoubtedly be called upon when there is a structural collapse where rescue of trapped victims is of top priority. These are only a few of the situations where The Michigan Search Dog Association can help. MSDA is a non-profit 501c3 corporation and recognized by the State of Michigan as a Charitable Organization.

The MSDA was formed by emergency service professionals for the purpose of providing highly trained canine search services free of charge to fire departments like yours. Consisting of police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics, the men and women of MSDA have the highest possible level of training, integrity and professionalism, and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.

Flashpoint
Summer 2008

Tips for Baby-sitters

When you go out for dinner or a movie and leave your children in the care of a baby-sitter, you would like to believe that everything will be o.k. In order for that to happen, be sure your baby-sitter has been through a class offered through your local community education program, a church or other community program which prepares them to take on those responsibilities. Always leave your pager and/or cell phone number as well as the restaurant or movie theater where you will be attending, so you can be notified if an emergency arises. Here are some tips regarding poison control to review with your baby-sitter before you leave:

Fire fighters know this unpleasant truth better than anyone else
possibly could: every day Americans experience the tragedy
of fire. The statistics are grim. Each year more than 5,000
Americans die in fires and more than 25,000 are injured.
Additional figures show that each year about 450 people
are killed and $300 million in property is destroyed in fires
attributed to children playing with fire.

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages parents to teach children at an early age about the dangers of playing with fire, in an effort to prevent child injuries, fire deaths and fire-setting behavior in the future. Here are some sobering facts about children and fires.

Practice Fire Safety in Your Home

The following is a list of important fire safety guidelines, courtesy of MAFF, for fire fighters to provide to schools and homes in their municipalities.

Finally, please emphasize that:

2008 Carl Parsell Scholarship Winners

The 2008 Carl Parsell Scholarship Selection Committee named three exceptional high school seniors as recipients of scholarships. These students will each receive a $1,000.00 scholarship. Every year the Carl Parsell Scholarship Fund receives a new group of promising scholarship applicants, and this year was no different. Our 2008 scholarship applicants were richly diverse, had multiple talents and accomplishments, and have given back by volunteering in their local communities. Each and every applicant was deserving and most worthy of the Carl Parsell Scholarship, making the scholarship selection a very difficult decision. We thank all of the 2008 applicants for the time they put into their application, and hope that those who did not receive a scholarship this year will reapply in 2009.

The 2008 Carl Parsell Scholarship recipients are:

Ryan Kaput
Ryan is a 2008 Graduate of Sterling Hts. High School. He graduates with a 4.315 Grade Point Average.

Ryan's mother and MAP member Michelle Kaput is employed as a Secretary for the City of Sterling Heights.

Ryan will attend the University of Michigan to major in Mathematics and Physics.

Patrick DeBottis
Patrick is a 2008 Graduate of Howell High School and is the son of MAP member Sergeant DeBottis.

Patrick says his interest in law enforcement comes from his family background. Both his mother and father are currently employed in law enforcement, and both of his grandfather's are retired from law enforcement.

Patrick will attend Saginaw Valley State University to major in Criminal Justice.

Kayleigh Essiambre
Kayleigh is a Graduate of Waterford Kettering High School and is the daughter of MAP member Joy Nick. Joy is a dispatcher for the Waterford Township Police Department.

Inspired to become a pediatrician, Kayleigh will attend Michigan State University - Lyman Briggs Pre-Med College to study medicine.

"Congratulations"
Past & Future
Scholarship Recipients