September 10, 2015 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) announced it has received a $5,000 fire prevention grant from FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers, to support scholarships for public and fire service participation at NFPA’s Backyards & Beyond Wildland Fire Education Conference, being held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, October 22 – 24, 2015.
NFPA accepts a $5,000 fire prevention grant from
FM Global to help support scholarships for
residents and firefighters at NFPA’s wildland fire
conference in October. From left: NFPA President
Jim Pauley; Gary Keith, vice president, Engineering
Standards manager, FM Global; Michele Steinberg,
NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division manager;
Ronnie Gibson, vice president, chief engineer, FM
Global. |
FM Global representatives presented the award to Michele Steinberg, NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division manager at NFPA Headquarters in Quincy, Mass., yesterday. While conference registration is open to all, members of the fire service and homeowners at risk from wildfire are often unable to participate due to limited budgets for such educational opportunities. The grant from FM Global enables NFPA to provide homeowners and fire service professionals in high-risk areas the chance to join the wildfire discussion with industry experts and peers, exchange valuable information, and share lessons learned.
The grant will support up to eight scholarships to the conference.
“At FM Global, we strongly believe the majority of property damage is preventable, not inevitable,” said Michael Spaziani, manager of the fire prevention grant program. “Far too often, inadequate budgets prevent those organizations working to prevent fire from being as proactive as they would like to be. With additional financial support, grant recipients are actively helping to improve property risk in the communities they serve."
The Backyards & Beyond conference brings together leading wildland fire experts, community leaders, researchers, insurance professionals, emergency responders, homeowners and others involved in wildfire safety and preparedness to share knowledge and best practices on key wildfire issues that they can then take back to their communities and start implementing immediately.
“NFPA values the contributions that residents and fire service professionals make to the Backyards & Beyond conference,” said Michele Steinberg, NFPA’s Wildland Fire Operations Division manager. “We are grateful to FM Global for providing this scholarship opportunity to homeowners and firefighters, who would otherwise not be able to attend, and join other wildfire stakeholders in an effort to make our communities safer places to live.”
Through its Fire Prevention Grant Program, FM Global awards grant money quarterly to fire departments—as well as national, state, regional, local and community organizations worldwide—that best demonstrate a need for funding where dollars can have the most demonstrable impact on preventing fire or mitigating damage.
Because fire continues to be the leading cause of property damage worldwide, over the past 35 years FM Global has contributed millions of dollars in fire prevention grants to fire service organizations around the globe.
To learn more about FM Global’s Fire Prevention Grant Program, or to apply for a grant, please visit www.fmglobal.com/grants.
More information about NFPA’s Backyards & Beyond Wildland Fire Education Conference including registration, sessions, pre-conference workshops, and exhibit sponsorship can be found at www.nfpa.org/backyardsandbeyond.
About FM Global
For nearly two centuries, many of the world’s largest organizations have turned to FM Global to develop cost-effective property insurance and engineering solutions to protect their business operations from fire, natural disasters and other types of property risk. With clients in more than 130 countries, FM Global ranks #576 among FORTUNE magazine’s largest companies in America and is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best and AA (Very Strong) by Fitch Ratings. The company was named “World’s Best Supply Chain Risk Insurance Provider” in 2014 by Global Finance magazine and was voted “Best Commercial Property Insurer” in Business Insurance’s 2013 Buyers Choice Awards.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
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Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1 617 984-7275