We recently talked with Terry Flanagan, NIFAST’s Director of Education and Certification. With more than 32 years of experience in the fire protection and safety field, Flanagan boasts a lengthy list of credentials and certifications that are too numerous to mention in their entirety. Nevertheless, you should know that Flanagan is a graduate of the Air Force Technical Training Instructor Course; he served as a U.S. Air Force firefighter for more than 22 years; and throughout his career, he has hosted a large number of fire safety training sessions, classes and demonstrations. He is also responsible for the development of the first wartime firefighter training course.
Knowing all this, it’s not surprising to learn that Flanagan now spends a great deal of his time conducting fire safety training for businesses. We asked him what topics he’s most concerned about at this time. Here’s what he shared with us.
• Businesses need to conduct annual fire safety training, and all fire safety plans in the workplace must be OSHA compliant.
• Because over 50 percent of all fires occur in one- and two-family dwellings, families need to devise an escape plan—at least verbally. NIFAST’s Home Occupancy course teaches people how to prevent and survive a fire.
• Students who live in off-campus housing are more vulnerable to fire hazards. That’s why Terry strongly urges parents to enroll their college student in NIFAST’s college fire safety program. It is designed to educate students about fire prevention both on and off campus. Most college students are new to working in the kitchen, which increases their risk of being involved in a kitchen fire. At the same time, they lack basic fire awareness, including how to prevent fires, devise an escape plan, and make sure that smoke detectors are in good working condition.
Learn more about Terry Flanagan and NIFAST’s fire education classes at www.NIFAST.org.
