Last week, various CSU staff met with more than 70 ecstatic students, alumni and guests at a special CSU/Waldorf College alumni and student reception at the 2014 Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis.
The reception, held April 9, featured comedian Mike Maxwell of Chicago and Olympic biathlete and CSU student Tracy Barnes and CSU Vice President Chantell Cooley.
“It was a night full of interaction, networking and building of relationships within the CSU and Waldorf community,” said CSU Alumni Relations Coordinator Andie Bills, one of the event organizers.
Also attending the event was Chad Carey, who received the DETC Outstanding Graduate award last week. The Indiana fire chief chatted with fellow grads and Cooley about his DETC award.
“It was so nice to meet Chad and hear his CSU story,” said Cooley. “This reception offered all of us as CSU employees a great chance to meet and bond with alumni. The FDIC conference, which is one of the major conferences in the fire industry, is a wonderful backdrop for us, too.”
CSU Admissions, Marketing and Outreach Vice President Billy H. Hayes, a veteran fire officer, gave intriguing presentation at FDIC on “Fire Prevention Paradox: Is Our Culture Killing Us?”
He spoke about the importance of protecting lives – civilian and firefighters — and property on the front end.
“A bulk of our training, operations and budgeting goes to events that occur after the fact. We spend very little efforts working on what we should be focusing on and that is preventing fires. When you look at some of the root causes of firefighters lost in the line of duty, in many cases, they were in events that could have been prevented through effective public education or injury prevention,” added Hayes.
The next CSU/Waldorf Alumni Reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., July 17 in Baltimore, Md., at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, Pisces Room.
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