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Wilmington Fire Department and Wilmington Department of Elderly Services are selected for national training conference

Posted on: September 12, 2016 - 1:24pm

The Wilmington Fire Department and Wilmington Department of Elderly Services have been awarded a scholarship to attend the 2016 NFPA Remembering When™ Conference.  The team will participate in training to deliver the educational fire and falls prevention program sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The conference, Remembering When™: A Fire and Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults, will be held November 2016.  NFPA has selected teams from 30 communities across the United States and Canada to travel to San Antonio for the training. Teams are composed of at least one member of the fire department partnered with an individual from an agency within the community that serves older adult;  Lt. Cavanaugh from Wilmington Fire Department and Terri Marciello, director from Wilmington Elderly Services. 

Following the conference, the team will return to Wilmington and conduct group presentations and training sessions to prepare additional facilitators.  Team members will also bring the program to older adults during home visits where they will tailor the Remembering When messages and help older adults identify changes that will increase home safety. 

“We are excited to provide this important training to help fire departments and local agencies meet their goals related to older adult safety.  Many communities are seeing dramatic increases in the number of older adult residents and are strengthening resources to meet the needs stemming from this growth.  Reducing risks related to injury and death is key and the Remembering When program is a helpful tool in this endeavor.” said Karen Berard-Reed, NFPA senior project manager.  “The data provides a crystal clear picture of the fire and falls problem for older adults across North America.  Kudos to the professionals who are dedicated to the work of helping older adults live safely.” 

The Remembering When program has been implemented in communities throughout North America since 1999, to help thousands of older adults learn strategies to help them live safely at home for as long as possible.  Program materials are available online at no cost.

For more information about Remembering When, visit www.nfpa.org/rememberingwhen.