The National Volunteer Fire Council presented the 2007 Fire Prevention Award to Kimberly Herskowitz during an awards banquet on March 30. Herskowitz is the fire prevention officer for the Neffsville Volunteer Community Fire Company in Lancaster County, Pa., a position she has held since August 2006.

Sponsored by First Alert, the NVFC Fire Prevention Award is presented each spring to an individual whose outstanding achievements in the fire service and community exemplify the philosophy of fire prevention. It was established in the memory of volunteer firefighter Marc Mueller, who energetically promoted the causes of volunteer firefighters and supported all efforts to elevate the volunteer program to its highest level.

"It is an honor," Herskowitz said as she received the award from Allen Montgomery, vice chair of NVFC's Membership and Awards Committee, and Tom Russo, president and CEO of First Alert. After thanking her husband, Ben, "without whom I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this," she accepted the award on behalf of the fire company and her fire prevention team, with whom she said she shares the award.

Herskowitz began her involvement with the NVCFC's fire prevention program in June 2006. At that time, the department was having difficulty finding someone to lead their fire prevention program, and the program was suffering as a result. In 2005, fewer than 200 people had been reached through the NVCFC's fire prevention program. The 2006 program was also off to a slow start, with only 22 children reached as of May 31. Herskowitz not only accepted this challenge, but she hit the ground sprinting.

With a budget of only $3,000, Herskowitz developed a quality fire prevention program that reached more than 76,300 adults and children in her first six months.Herskowitz has created and revamped several major curriculums and programs for fire prevention at NVCFC. Among her accomplishments are creating a new adult fire extinguisher program, developing a new children's program, holding the first "live-fire" adult extinguisher training in nearly a decade, launching an NVCFC fire prevention ad at a local movie theater, and creating a mobile trade show–style video booth that allows video messaging to be shown at fairs and events.

Applications for the 2008 Fire Prevention Award are being accepted through Feb. 1, 2008. For more information, visit www.nvfc.org.