SOUTHBRIDGE — A Hanover firefighter was named the 2022 Fire & Life Safety Educator of the year at the 27th annual Massachusetts Fire & Life Safety Education Conference, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey announced today.

Firefighter-Paramedic Eric Johnson was one of more than a dozen fire safety educators nominated for the award, which was presented by State Fire Marshal Ostroskey and members of the Department of Fire Services. He manages the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) and Senior SAFE programs for the Hanover Fire Department, teaching fire and life safety to the town’s third-graders, to seniors at the Council on Aging and senior living facilities, and to residents of all ages at community events and health fairs.

S.A.F.E. and Senior SAFE programs across Massachusetts are funded by grants through the Executive Office of the Public Safety & Security to local fire departments. Earlier this year, local fire departments received nearly $2 million to support fire safety education programs like the ones in Hanover.

Starting in 2019, Johnson started a home safety visit program that includes smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm installation for vulnerable Hanover residents, along with information on fire safety, home escape planning, burn awareness, fall prevention, and other tips. The program has conducted more than 250 visits– including one that may have saved a resident’s life. In December of 2021 a kitchen fire broke out at a home in Hanover. The fire activated a nearby smoke alarm. The resident heard the alarm, safely left the home, and called 9-1-1. Crews responded and extinguished the fire. The smoke alarm was installed after a home visit by Firefighter Johnson in 2019.

The Fire & Life Safety Educator of the Year Award honors an individual or a team for their involvement and commitment to making our world safer from fire and other preventable injuries. It recognizes those who have shown excellence in educating their community and demonstrated outstanding leadership, teamwork, creativity, and perseverance. This year’s nominees also included:

•           Firefighter Kelsey Bisio of the Norton Fire Department;
•           Firefighter-EMT Christopher Kowal of the Milford Fire Department;
•           Firefighter Anthony Leite of the Lowell Fire Department;
•           Firefighter Matthew Morin of the Sunderland Fire Department;
•           Firefighter Jessica Murray of the Wales Fire Department;
•           Lieutenant Hank Perkins of the Boston Fire Department;
•           Firefighter Michelle Sacco of the Chelmsford Fire Department;
•           Lieutenant Dan Santry of the Belmont Fire Department;
•           Lieutenant Michael Shulman of the Gloucester Fire Department;
•           Captain-Paramedic Brian Tyson of the Barnstable Fire Department;
•           Firefighter Ross Vona of the Brookline Fire Department; and
•           Firefighter Jason “Otis” Wilson of the Millis Fire Department.

The award ceremony capped off two days that included 40 hours of workshops that covered topics from safety for older adults to identifying potential active shooter threats. Attendees heard from featured speakers including Capt. Brian Tyson of the Barnstable Fire Department; Karla Klas, who manages the University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center’s prevention programs; and Jessica Sondgeroth, Community Risk Reduction outreach program coordinator for South Carolina State Fire.

The Massachusetts Fire & Life Safety Education Conference brings fire educators, prevention officers, teachers, care specialists, and others together to share knowledge, build partnerships, and recognize the Fire & Life Safety Educator of the Year. This year’s conference was held at the Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center in Southbridge.

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