Edwardsville Fire Department is hosting a St. Baldrick's fundraising event on March 13.  The St. Baldrick's Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government, more than $12 million in 2009 alone.  You can help by donating, volunteering, or even shaving your head.

Contact Firefighter Matt Sinnorak at (618) 578-8302 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to get involved!

To date, over 106,000 volunteers have shaved their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer at more than 2,400 emotional events in 50 states and 24 countries.

EVENT DATE: March 13, 2010

START TIME: 10:00 am

ADDRESS: 410 North Main Street, Edwardsville, IL 62025

You can use the website to donate, or make a donation by mail or phone. Click here for the event's website.

From Suburban Journals

By This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thursday, February 11, 2010 9:26 AM CST

Collinsville Assistant Fire Chief John Nichols will hang up his fire helmet after 33 years on the job in March. Not only will it be his last day on the job, it will be the first time in about 100 years that a Nichols family member will not be working for the department.

His father, Alvin Nichols, served as a volunteer firefighter for more than 44 years, retiring as volunteer assistant chief. John's grandfather, Ralph Nichols, served as a volunteer as did his grandfather's brothers, Joe and Artie Nichols.

Known for a legendary work ethic, Nichols - who's been known to show up at late night fires at all hours (he keeps a set of gear in his car) - is leaving to become southwest regional training coordinator with the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute, where he has worked as a part-time fire service educator for more than eight years.

Click here for the rest of the article

The International Association of Fire Fighters Media Awards Contest is conducted annually to honor reporting and photography that best portray the professional and and dangerous work of firefighters and emergency personnel in the United States and Canada.  The contest also recognizes outstanding work by IAFF affiliates in communicating with their members and the public.

Click here for the PDF entry form.

From the NFPA website

Resource tool kit aimed at reducing home fire deaths

January 15, 2010 - The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released new materials to help communities raise awareness about the life-saving benefits of smoke alarms. Keeping Your Community Safe and Sound is a free collection of educational resources that make up an online tool kit to be used by local fire departments and others interested in raising community awareness about the need for smoke alarms, and providing valuable information about them.

“The importance of having smoke alarms in the home is often overlooked even though the benefits of having them are often life saving,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communications. “The death rate in reported home fires without working smoke alarms is twice as high as homes with working smoke alarms. It is critical that people understand the need to install them and how to maintain them to better protect themselves.”

According to the NFPA report on smoke alarms, 40 percent of home fire deaths resulted from fires with no smoke alarms in the home. Twenty-three percent of home fire deaths resulted from homes where a smoke alarm was present, but did not sound. In over half of these cases, the alarm did not sound because of disconnected or missing batteries. Having a working smoke alarm reduces the risk of death in a home fire by nearly 50 percent.

The resource tool kit materials are available for fire departments, public educators, or the general public and can be found online for no cost at www.nfpa.org/safeandsound. Printable materials include:  facts and figures on smoke alarms, handouts, public service print ads, videos on the basics of smoke alarms and safety tips, and other tools for communication.

In addition to being a source for public education materials on smoke alarm awareness and research findings on home fire deaths involving smoke alarms, NFPA is committed to smoke alarm awareness as the developer and publisher of NFPA 72:  National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code.

Keeping Your Community Safe and Sound is one of seven free educational toolkits available from NFPA. Others include Keeping Your Community Safe with Home Fire Sprinklers, Keeping Your Community Safe and Energized, Keeping Your Community Cooking Safely, Keeping Your Community Safe and Warm, More Ways to Keep Your Community Safe and Warm, and Preparing Your Community for a Disaster.

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.