MAYNARD — Chief Angela Lawless is pleased to announce that Captain Mike Parr was awarded the 2023 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year Award from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.
Capt. Parr was recognized during a ceremony hosted by the Department of Fire Services. Parr was promoted to Captain in 2018.
The Fire & Life Safety Educator of the Year Award honors an individual or a team for their involvement and commitment to making our world safer from fire and other preventable injuries. It recognizes those who have shown excellence in educating their community and demonstrated outstanding leadership, teamwork, creativity, and perseverance.
Capt. Parr was nominated by Chief Lawless and the Maynard Fire Department for his dedication to the department’s public safety division. In his time as Captain, Parr has restructured how the department distributes messaging and interacts with the public.
During the pandemic, Capt. Parr started a department YouTube page to help distribute fire prevention and life safety information to residents. He created and published videos on life safety tips, introductions to fire operations, and requirements for smoke and CO detectors in homes.
Each year, as part of fire prevention month, Maynard Fire Department regularly visits elementary schools and provides a school-wide presentation for students. In recent years, Capt. Parr restructured the presentation to help meet the needs of the school–aged children by switching from a large-group format to smaller classroom-based formats and creating interactive lessons and fire safety games for students.
Additionally, Capt. Parr has increased the department’s presence in senior housing in Maynard. By partnering with Maynard Council on Aging, Capt. Parr created an age-appropriate presentation which encompassed fire and life safety information, as well as health and wellness tips to help prevent accidents and injuries.
“We as a department are extremely proud of Capt. Parr and his commitment to our department and the safety of the residents of Maynard,” said Chief Lawless. “Capt. Parr prioritizes proactive fire service messaging to not only meet but surpass the needs of our community despite funding restrictions. Our department is fortunate enough to have such driven and caring individuals on our staff who go above and beyond for the safety and education of our residents.”
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