From the YouTube narrative:
I will never forget Vina sharing this idea with me…the idea being to make us think about how simple it is to install fire sprinklers and the tongue in cheek reference to allowing firefighters be “like firefighters in your home that work 24/7, 365 days a year.” Vina is a different kind of advocate—she has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about firefighter safety and LODD issues since her husbands’ death in 1994. She is always willing to go out on a limb and be innovative with concepts of how to raise awareness regarding our nation’s fire problem.
There is a twinkle in her eye when she envisions the “beautiful lady” who is proud to sleep with a firefighter, the college student who points to the firefighter who her parents told her to sleep with, and the elderly gentleman who joins in to remind listeners that he too knows who is like a firefighter in his assisted living facility.
The main point to remember is that Vina’s goal is to make you think, and to get you talking….about fire sprinklers. Her somber reminder about losing her husband brings us all to realize the important role that firefighter safety has on our nation’s fire service. Make the connection between fire sprinklers and the Everyone Goes Home Initiatives…pay special attention to Life Safety Initiative #15. Lives can be saved if we work to connect the dots and educate firefighters and citizens alike.
Who is Vina Drennan?
Vina Drennan is the widow of a fire captain who died 40 days after suffering third- and fourth-degree burns. Capt. John Drennan, FDNY Ladder 5, and two other firefighters were killed after battling flames in a SoHo building March 28, 1994.
Since her husband’s death, Mrs. Drennan has testified at national, state, and local government forums on behalf of fire safety awareness. She has appeared on national television and radio shows and has published articles in several national magazines and fire trade publications.
She has been involved with the FDNY Fire Foundation and worked with the New York State Task Force on Fire Safety Teacher Training Curriculum. She was a New York City public school teacher for ten years.
Mrs. Drennan received the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation Humanitarian Award in 1997. In 1995, Mayor Rudy Guiliani appointed her to the New York City Committee on the Status of Women, a position she still holds.
A founding member of the Foundation’s Fire Service Survivors Network, Mrs. Drennan has been a speaker during many National Memorial Weekends.
She is significantly involved with the National Fallen FireFighters Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors (HERE).
The video was first posted on FirefighterNation (HERE)
Also on FireGeezer…
- Chief Siarnicki to Receive Fire Service Leadership Award – April 3, 2013
- Massachusetts Nixes Home Sprinklers – February 24, 2012
- A Night of Heros – October 30, 2012
- DOT Releases New Emergency Response Guidebook – June 2, 2012
