The 3rd annual Fire Service Women of New York State Training Weekend will be held September 24-26 at the NYS Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls. The announcement was made by State Fire Administrator James A. Burns, head of the NYS Department of State's Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC).

Burns said that participation in the training has grown rapidly since its inception in 2002 when 142 women firefighters from 101 departments attended. In 2003, the numbers were up to 218 attendees from 133 departments. "This unique weekend acquaints the attendees with a wide range of fire topics and gives them an opportunity to try various hands-on skills. Our hope is that this exposure to the importance of fire service education will encourage greater participation in outreach and regional training and enrollment in additional courses at the Academy and Camp Smith."

In response to requests for courses that earn training credit and a certificate, on Friday, Sept. 24, OFPC is offering four courses from the standard fire curriculum: Domestic Preparedness: Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness (4 hours); Decontamination (4 hours); Confined Space Awareness (6 hours) and Basic Structural Collapse Operations (8 hours). Friday's non-credit training (6 hours) is the basics of safety gear, CPAT and the SCBA Maze.

"In addition," Burns said, "we have joined with the NYS Department of Health, Bureau of EMS, to provide workshops for the many women on the EMS side of the firehouse. Pre-Hospital Pediatrics (4 hours) will be presented Friday afternoon and Geriatric Emergencies is part of the Saturday and Sunday programming. Both earn Continuing Medical Education credit for EMS Pilot Re-Certification."

The keynote speaker, Nancy Burks Worcester, is a highly acclaimed actress, story teller and ventriloquist who travels the world with her troupe of "mannequin-Americans". Through her experiences with thousands of performances in nearly every state, letters from children around the country, the early death of her firefighter husband and her own inimitable wit, she will present "You Might As Well Laugh", a hilarious and heartbreaking view of the world as seen through the eyes of a young widow forging her way in an unconventional career.

The 2004 program includes many new topics. Among them are: Critical Incident Stress, Brains Not Brawn: Body Mechanics, Forcible Entry Training, Handling Horses in Emergencies, Extrication: Air Bag Workshop, Small Motorized Equipment Training, EMS Stations: The Most Often Failed, Healthy Firehouse Cooking, Up Through the Ranks: Lessons Learned, and seminars on communication with Nancy Burks Worcester. The Saturday hands-on training will be Engine/Truck Operations Combo, directed by Syracuse Firefighter Beth Cousins and Deputy Chief Paul Melfi of Olean.

Everyone is in for a special treat Friday evening after dinner, as actress Paulette Schlotman and Academy Director Richard Nagle, who is also a professional actor, perform the critically acclaimed play, "The Guys" - the true story of a New York City writer who helped an FDNY captain write eulogies about the eight men he lost on 9/11. "The Guys" was made into a film by Sigourney Weaver, starring herself and Anthony LaPaglia.

Playwright Anne Nelson, author of "The Guys", will share with the audience the stories of how she came to assist with the eulogies, and to write the play... her appreciation for and bonds of friendship with the Captain and other New York City firefighters... how the process affected her own emotions about September 11th... the changes in her life... and her ongoing personal commitment to help educate the public and support the missions of the FDNY and the American fire service.

Anne and FDNY Battalion Chief Rochelle T. "Rocky" Jones will team up for an audience participation chat about the unique perspective women bring to the firehouse. As Anne has traveled around the country with her play, she has had the opportunity to visit many different firehouses and learn about the experiences of women firefighters in different communities. She has also taken a special interest in how various fire departments have approached support and counseling services for the special needs of their members. "Rocky" will draw on her 22 years of experience on the job, rising from firefighter to battalion chief (the first woman in the 138-year history of the FDNY), to share her experience in working with and talking to "the guys."

"If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Burns said, "then OFPC surely is flattered that Pennsylvania and Maryland are following our lead. We encourage other states to follow suit and will gladly share our experience and information to help them get started." The Pennsylvania State Fire Academy's first training weekend for female firefighters was held in August, 2003, and Maryland fire service women are organizing for a 2004 event.

Additional information and registration forms are available on the OFPC website:
www.dos.state.ny.us/fire/pdfs/women/pdf