Last month, Hazmat Nation and HazSim hosted a fundraising event for US HEAT Scholarships and the totals are in.
The event was held in conjunction with the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ hazmat conference in Baltimore and kicked off US HEAT’s fundraising campaign. While that campaign continues, the initial Hazmat Nation event raised more than $4,000 from the nearly 300 hazmat professionals who attended.
The money will help fund the US HEAT Scholarships. Each year, the US Hazardous Materials Education And Training Scholarships pay for two career or volunteer firefighters to attend IAFC’s Hazardous Materials Response Team Conference. US HEAT sold special challenge coins at the event as part of the fundraiser. The biggest funding draw came from US HEAT’s auctioning limited edition challenge coins, each with a unique number.
The more popular numbers, such as 1 and 343, garnered the largest bids, says Larry Jantzen. The largest single bid was $500 for coin number 1. When all was said and done, nearly $5,000 was raised that night to assist US HEAT, Texas HEAT and Maryland HEAT.
Jantzen and four other firefighters set up the scholarship in 2017. It has since grown from being based in Texas to nationwide with other states coming onboard with their own HEAT scholarships. US HEAT plans to continue selling the coins as part of its ongoing fundraising efforts.
“We are so grateful for our major corporate partner DuPont,” said Phil Ambrose, inventor and CEO of HazSim. “Without their support, there’s no way we would have had this much impact on such an important endeavor for hazmat education and training. We are also blown away by the generosity of those attending; this shows how much the hazmat community cares about its future.”
Jantzen echoed Ambrose’s gratitude toward the sponsors and donors.
“When we started the US HEAT Scholarship Foundation earlier this year we were unsure how quickly we would be financially able to fund our first, and subsequent, scholarships,” Janzen said. “Fundraising is always a concern for any charity or cause, especially when initially establishing one. But I have to say that the first responder community, particularly the hazmat group, can always be counted on to step up and come through when asked to.”
Following the education theme, this was the first year for the event’s Hazmat X Talks. Speakers were allowed to take the mic and discuss issues facing the hazmat industry, all in under 10 minutes. This quick-paced format kept speakers on track and attendees engaged.
Speakers unpacked lessons learned from major incidents, hazmat leadership challenges, and a humorous take (with a serious message) from Joe Pordash.
“This was our first time trying this out and we learned some valuable lessons,” Ambrose says. “We learned that attendees were hungry to learn, and that shorter presentation times led to better follow up conversations. We learned a few things we can do next year to improve the physical space to make these talks even more engaging.
“We are very eager to kick off planning with DuPont and US HEAT to make next year’s event even better,” Ambrose said. “We can raise even more scholarship money and bring a larger, more diverse lineup of Hazmat X Talks speakers.”
About HazSim
HazSim is a firefighter-developed training platform that teaches hazmat responders how to use gas detectors during hands-on training evolutions using real-time readings, without the use of actual hazardous materials. The software and handheld device can be configured to replicate most major gas detectors on the market.
About Hazmat Nation
Hazmat Nation is an online publication dedicated to providing critical information to help hazmat responders be safer and more effective during training and operations.
About US HEAT
Launched in 2017, US HEAT exists to support, strengthen, and recognize the hazardous materials response community through training, education, scholarships, and professional collaboration. US HEAT awards one $2,500 scholarship annually to an emergency response department, agency, or organization in the United States. The scholarship program is funded through donations.
