The National Fire Protection Association’s Fire Safety Educational Memorial Fund Committee has selected the hazardous materials response team from the Madison (Wis.) Fire Department as the recipient of the 2008 Warren E. Isman Grant.

Award recipients select a conference where they can attend specialized hazardous materials training and education sessions. Funds from the 2008 Isman Grant will make it possible for five members of the team to attend the 2008 Hotzone Conference in Houston, Texas in October.

“Madison’s hazmat team commitment to hazardous materials safety has been clearly demonstrated through their on-going support of the local community," said Ken Isman, chair of the NFPA Scholarship Committee and son of the late Warren Isman. "In addition, the team has expanded their outreach activities as the response team for Wisconsin’s Dane County and the nine county southwest region. The team was extremely honored to receive this award and plans to share their experiences and knowledge with other members of the department,”

The $5,000 grant is available to any established incident-response team from a fire department, police department or other public-funded program. Qualified applicants are evaluated on leadership qualities, communication abilities and must have been trained in accordance with NFPA 472, Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents, and NFPA 473, Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials/WMD Incidents. The closing date for 2009 applications is Sept. 15, 2008.

To make a contribution to the Fire Safety Educational Memorial Fund or for more information regarding the application process, visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org or contact Christine Ellis at 617-984-7244 or by e-mail at cellis@nfpa.org