 
Public Safety Language Training
Speaking Spanish can help you save lives and be safer. PSLT offers Tactical
Spanish for Firefighters and EMS a self study Spanish language program for
firefighters and EMS personnel. You will learn the essentials of Spanish
enabling you to handle the most common situations you encounter on the job.
Fire Prevention & Education
NAHF has officially listed public education as the number one strategic goal
and priority. That is an amazing accomplishment for the organization, but moreover
for the fire service. There is a great need for a model in delivering effective
public education programs. It is our sincere hope that you join us in developing
the premier safety site aimed at reaching the Hispanic community. The challenges
are many, the work is heavy, and there is a great need for your participation. We
urge you to contact the NAHF Executive Board directly to achieve this goal together.
Strategic Vision
NAHF will improve the quality of fire protection afforded communities and regions
throughout the nation by developing and conducting fire prevention programs that
educate and reduce the loss of life and property with special emphasis on serving
Latino neighborhoods. We will do this by delivering proven existing material and
developing original and culturally relevant programs targeted at those specific
audiences.
Mis Primeros Pasos
Sol y CantoThe National Fire Protection Association's Learn Not to Burn®
Preschool Program, Mis Primeros Pasos, teaches eight key fire safety behaviors
and includes a teacher's guide, lesson plans, and original artwork. (BRK Brands
Inc. & First Alert funded the writing and production of the new music, artwork,
and teacher guide revisions.)
A unique feature of the new program is that its fire safety songs are available
on either cassette or CD. The new songs were written and performed by Sol y Canto,
a music group based in Cambridge, MA. Mis Primeros Pasos en Prevención Contra
Incendios™ is endorsed by the NAHF.
For more information about Mis Primeros Pasos, contact Minerva Rodriguez at 214-824-7495 or
click here
to visit the NFPA website to learn more about the program.
Los Buenos Recuerdos
Los buenos recuerdos, un nuevo programa desarrollado por el Centro de Educación
Preventiva para los Más Vulnerables (Center for High-Risk Outreach) de la NFPA
Internacional, conocida previamente como la Asociación Nacional de Protección
contra Incendios (National Fire Protection Association) y los Centros para el
Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, o CDC). Esta guía contiene todo lo que usted va a necesitar para
llevar a cabo un programa completo de prevención contra incendios y caídas para
adultos mayores en su comunidad. Para visitar este sitio web, haz
clic aquí.
NFPA and NAHF Join Forces
Lieutenant Rene Alaniz of the McAllen, TX fire department is spending a lot of time
on the road these days. Sponsored by the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters
(NAHF) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Alaniz travels the U.S.
and Mexico, spreading the word about fire prevention to Spanish-speaking communities.
And nearly everywhere he goes, he has a partner: a Hispanic firefighter from the local
area. "Wherever I'm going, NAHF calls the city to let them know that we're presenting
the Spanish version of the Learn Not to Burn® Preschool Program - Mis Primeros Pasos en
Prevención Contra Incendios®. It's a great opportunity for NAHF and NFPA to reach out
to the community."
"It's a real joint partnership. Our outreach work is helping NFPA get Mis Primeros Pasos
off the ground. NAHF is building its membership, getting its name out there and training
Latino firefighters in fire prevention," said Sharon Gamache, executive director of NFPA's
Center for High-Risk Outreach and developer of Mis Primeros Pasos.
It's also a fitting example of what has become a unique partnership. NAHF and NFPA have
been working together since 1997, when the NFPA Center for High-Risk Outreach released Mis
Primeros Pasos and held the first-ever Latino Fire Safety Summit in Los Angeles. Participating
in the summit were members of NAHF. Led by Sal Morales, a memorandum of agreement was signed
by both groups with goals to work together to outreach to the Latino community. Two years
before, Latino firefighters in East Los Angeles lobbied for a Spanish-language version of
NFPA's LNTB program.
"They wanted to implement the program, but there was a language barrier," says Alaniz. Later
that year NAHF and NFPA unveiled Mis Primeros Pasos. The new version including songs like ¡Cuidado!
Puede Estar Caliente and El Bombero Es Tu Amigo written by Brian Amador (and tested in Spanish-speaking
childcare centers in communities throughout the U.S.). "When people hear songs, they respond really
well whether it is older adults, preschoolers, firefighters; it doesn't matter. The songs have the
Latin rhythm," says Alaniz.
Mis Primeros Pasos is also a perfect fit for one of NAHF's main missions: developing and
conducting fire prevention programs that educate and reduce the loss of life and property
with a special emphasis on serving Latino neighborhoods. Last year, with the support of a
FEMA grant, NAHF was able to implement Mis Primeros Pasos in 16 cities including Dallas,
TX; Camden, NJ; Nashville, TN; and New York City. As a part of the implementation, NAHF and
NFPA have teamed up to offer "train-the-trainer" events, teaching educators, firefighters and
community leaders about the Spanish-language program.
Most events, notes Alaniz, averaged some 100 teachers and firefighters. "Whenever we train
the trainers we invite local fire departments to attend the workshop. That way, when a teacher
invites firefighters into the classroom, they know what program the teacher is working with.
It reinforces the lessons being taught," says Alaniz. For more information on the Mis Primeros Pasos
program contact the NAHF at nahf@nahf.org.
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