?The Home Safety Council awarded the inaugural
Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety
Education to Jim Dalton, Director of Public Fire Protection
for the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA). Dalton
received the award during the Congressional Fire Services
Institute’s (CFSI) National Fire and Emergency Services
Dinner in Washington, DC on Thursday, March 29, 2007.
Throughout his career, Dalton has been
a national leader committed to keeping people safe from
fire through his efforts to advance fire safety education.
Dalton rose through the ranks of the fire service in
Washington, DC and then Montgomery County, Maryland,
where he was named Assistant Chief and eventually Chief
Fire Marshal for Montgomery County. As the Fire Marshal
for the Montgomery County Fire Department, Dalton was
instrumental in passing and implementing the nation’s
first smoke alarm ordinance.
After retiring from active fire service duty,
he went on to manage influential public education and awareness
programs for the U.S Fire Administration and the International
Association of Fire Chiefs, including “Partnerships
against Fire” and “Operation Life Safety.”
“We are honored to recognize Jim Dalton for his lifetime
achievement in fire safety education with the first Dr.
Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education,” said
Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. “His
relentless efforts to promote fire safety education and
increase awareness for the importance of home fire sprinklers
have been instrumental in advancing the public education
movement and helping to reduce the toll of fire injures
and deaths in our country.”
Presently, as the Director of Public Fire
Protection for NFSA, Dalton supports community fire sprinkler
initiatives across the nation and has become the driving
force behind efforts to pass the Fire Sprinkler Incentive
Act. Under his leadership, NFSA has also developed a comprehensive
guide to help local fire officials adopt residential and
retrofit fire sprinkler ordinances. Dalton serves on the
Steering Committee of the nonprofit Home Fire Sprinkler
Coalition where he furthers his work to inform the public
about the importance of home fire sprinklers. He also remains
active with the National Fire Protection Association where
he serves on the Board of the NFPA Education Section.
Dr. Anne W. Phillips
Award
Named after Dr. Anne Wight Phillips, the award honors her
outstanding achievements as a champion of fire safety education
and celebrates her role as a leader whose exemplary work
in fire safety education has had a lasting impact on the
nation's safety. As a member of the National Commission
on Fire Prevention and Control, Phillips authored the 1973
Minority Report, an appendix to America Burning, pushing
the Commission to recognize the important role of prevention
in reducing fire injury and death. Throughout her life,
Dr. Phillips has demonstrated an unwavering dedication
to fire prevention and preparedness, as the basis to strengthening
fire safety education across the country. By naming the
award in her honor, the Home Safety Council aims to keep
the work and spirit of Dr. Phillips alive well beyond her
lifetime by celebrating those who follow her example to
move the field of fire safety forward.
HSC is member of HFSC’s Steering Committee. |
