March 25, 2019
Dr. Ernest Grant to be honored with the Award at the 31st Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington, DC, April 25, 2019.
The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and the International Fire Service Training Association at Fire Protection Publications, Oklahoma State University (IFSTA/FPP/OSU) are pleased to announce that Dr. Ernest Grant has been selected as the recipient of the 2019 Dr. Anne W. Phillips Award for Leadership in Fire Safety Education. Dr. Grant was the Outreach Nurse Clinician, North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center (retired) responsible for burn prevention. He is the Past Chair of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Board of Directors, and the current elected President of the American Nurses Association.
Ernest has dedicated his life to fire safety education as a national and international burn prevention expert and policy advocate. For more than 30 years, he has advised, coordinated, delivered and evaluated nationally acclaimed burn prevention programs. Ernest combines his passion and leadership in burn prevention with a strong commitment to obtain results. He used his personal higher education studies as a platform to extend burn prevention knowledge. His master’s thesis and PhD dissertation involved burn prevention education and fire prevention behavior change in older adults after a burn injury.
While Ernest still maintains his home and his rural roots in North Carolina, his contributions in burn prevention and treatment have propelled him into national and international leadership roles. Perhaps his greatest contribution is the manner in which he used his clinical experience to build a reputation as a respected leader and burn prevention advocate within the American Burn Association (ABA). In this role he moved burn prevention into the spotlight within the ABA.
The magnitude and reach of his publications are impressive. In a book chapter titled, “Burn Prevention for the Surgeon,” he describes for surgeons the essential tools and ideas to promote fire and burn safety. In an article for healthcare professionals he shares methods for the medical community to instruct older adults to prevent burns. And his article “The Effectiveness of Burn Center Legislative Lobbying: Passing the Fire-safe Cigarette Act in a Tobacco Producing State,” recounts how he lead the efforts to pass fire-safe cigarette legislation in North Carolina. Through this prolific work, he fulfills the spirit of Dr. Phillips’ minority report to America Burning by inspiring others in the medical community to prevent fires as the best method to reduce burn injuries and fire loss.
Ernest is the current Chairperson for NFPA’s Educational Messages Advisory Committee, the immediate past chair of the NFPA 1035: Fire and Life Safety Educator Professional Qualifications Standard, and the Burn Prevention Committee Chair for the American Burn Association.
Bill Jenaway, CFSI President; Craig Hannan, Director of Fire Protection Publications at OSU; and Mike Wieder, IFSTA Executive Director issued a joint statement honoring the 2019 recipient. “Dr. Ernest Grant embodies the spirit, determination and drive of Dr. Anne W. Phillips. His experiences treating patients with burn injuries incited his passion for prevention. Like Dr. Phillips, he recognizes that our fundamental role in public safety needs to begin with prevention and education. This is the first year a lifelong burn prevention educator and clinician within a burn center has received the national recognition of the Dr. Anne Phillips Award.”
Recognizing the support of IFSTA, Jenaway extended his thanks to IFSTA/FPP and Oklahoma State University. "On behalf of my fellow board members, I extend my personal thanks to IFSTA for the continued support of this award which elevates the value of fire safety education throughout our nation. Our former board member, the late Louis J. Amabili, took tremendous pride in the Phillips Award because of his respect and admiration for Dr. Phillips and her contributions to American Burning. With his passing, the award takes on greater meaning for CFSI preserving the legacies of Dr. Phillips and our dear friend and former colleague, Lou Amabili."
The award will be presented on April 25 at the 31th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington, DC.
For more information, contact Bill Webb at CFSI 202 371-1277 or Nancy Trench at FPP 405-744-8100.
Please visit the Congressional Fire Services Institute's website for additional information about the 31st Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Symposium and Dinner. Approximately 1,500 fire and emergency services leaders throughout the nation are expected to attend the annual program. In addition to the dinner and seminars, attendees will schedule meetings on Capitol Hill to discuss important fire and life safety issues.
