Robin Ross

Robin has been a volunteer firefighter for 15 years with our department. She has completed training in the areas of State Certification in Firefighting Levels I and II, National and State Certificates as Safety Officer, Pennsylvania Department of Health Certification as a Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, State Certification as a Hazardous Materials Technician along with numerous other certificates in firefighting, rescue operations, hazardous materials and fire department administration.

Robin has served as the department’s Safety Officer for the last 5 years and she is a member of the Fire Department Safety Officer Association since 2001. In addition, Robin also serves as the departments Fire Prevention and Public Safety Education Director. She has held this position for the last 7 years.

Fire Prevention and Public Education are the process of teaching others to prevent fires, injuries and other emergencies from occurring. Robin's Fire Safety and Public Education program promotes this message to a population in excess of 29,000 people in Upper Merion Township. The young are most impressionable and Robin is always eager to educate an individual or group of youngsters or adults in fire safety. Whether they are cub scouts, nursery school students, a class field trip, a child with a parent or grandparent or a citizen, Robin is always prepared to discuss fire safety and injury prevention, the department’s operations, equipment and facilities. The inquisitive person or persons will always receive a message on how to prevent fires, injures and other emergencies at the conclusion of each meeting with Robin.

Annually, Robin makes visits to all schools and nursery schools within our community school system. Fire Safety Educational Seminars are held in every elementary school. These seminars include apparatus displays, demonstrations and explanations of fire and injury prevention tools and techniques. Upon request Robin will also meet with small groups from organizations and children birthday parties to promote fire safety. Throughout Robin's career, she has taught in excess of 1,200 fire safety and educational programs. These programs have reach out to an excess of 29,000 people and distributed an excess of 100,000 educational brochures on fire safety and injury prevention.

Robin annually manages and coordinates home safety demonstrations at the local Home Depot and Community Day held at the Upper Merion Township Building Park also. These two events can have approximately in excess of 3,000 to 5,000 people attending.

In 2002, Robin designed and implemented the departments Fire Safety Education Award. This award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the department’s fire safety and educational program activities for the previous year. As the director of the program Robin will present this award at the annual department banquet held in November.

In the same year, Robin served on the committee to purchase a vehicle exhaust system for the Allendale Road Fire Station. This exhaust system was proposed and implemented solely by her to prevent her fellow firefighters from breathing in hazardous exhaust fumes from the department’s apparatus. She successfully acquired FEMA grant money to fund this project.