Senator Paul S. Sarbanes
Fire Service Safety Leadership Award
Congratulations to the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition who was selected for the 2011 award.
Click Here to download the 2012 Application Form.
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The Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award is co-sponsored by the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The award recognizes organizations for their outstanding contributions to firefighter health and safety. It is named in honor of former Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland who retired from the U.S. Senate in 2006 following a distinguished 36-year career in Congress.
Senator Sarbanes served as a co-Chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus from 1993 to 2006. Between 2001 and 2002, he provided leadership, as caucus chairman, on a broad range of issues benefiting our nation's first responders. Even prior to his emergence as a caucus leader, the Senator was actively involved in fire service issues. In 1990, Senator Sarbanes introduced the legislation that created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. For the next 16 years, he was the Foundation's staunchest supporter in Congress, ensuring that the Foundation and those served by the Foundation had a voice on Capitol Hill. For his contributions to public safety, the Congressional Fire Services Institute presented Senator Sarbanes its 1997 Legislator of the Year Award, the highest legislative award presented on behalf of our nation's one million firefighters.
The Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award was created to encourage fire departments and associations across the nation to help reduce the number of firefighter deaths and injuries. The goal of this award embodies the goals of both CFSI and NFFF to ensure that EVERYONE GOES HOME at the end of every call for service.
Both CFSI and NFFF extend their thanks and appreciation to State Farm Insurance and VFIS for serving as corporate co-sponsors of the awards program.
Organizations nominated for the award should exemplify one or more of the following goals:
- Recognition of the Life Safety Initiatives originally developed by the American fire service during the 2004 National Fire Service Summit hosted by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
- Recognizing the need to address firefighter health and safety and becoming an advocate for this cause.
- Leadership in promoting and supporting firefighter health and safety initiatives at the local, state or national level.
- Reaching out to other organizations and developing partnerships to further the cause of firefighter health and safety.
- Engaging government leaders at all levels to work together for positive changes in firefighter health and safety, and for the establishment of government programs that can enhance the personal safety of firefighters.
- A candidate organization can be, but is not limited to, a fire department or other government agency, trade association, labor organization, non-profit organization, foundation or other deserving organization or company. An organization can nominate itself.
- The actions or achievements for which the candidate is being considered must have made a positive impact in promoting firefighter health and safety at the local, state or national level.
- The nomination must include at least two letters of support from elected officials who are familiar with the organization's leadership. It is not imperative that the elected officials serve at the same level (i.e., local, state or federal).
The Selection Committee is comprised of three Board Members each from the Congressional Fire Services Institute and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and the Chairperson of the CFSI National Advisory Committee, who will serve as Chair of the Selection Committee. The award recipient will be the sole decision of the Selection Committee.
- All nominations must be received by March 4, 2012.
- The recipient of the Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award will be honored at the annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner held each spring in Washington, D.C.
- The winning organization will receive a trip for two representatives to Washington, DC to attend the dinner. This includes airfare and hotel accommodations.