Fire Services Training Institute Casino Night

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Fire Services Training Institute

The Fire Services Training Institute (FSTI) is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to work with federal, state, local, tribal, industrial and private fire departments to train firefighters with a focus on firefighter safety.  FSTI is the training arm of the California State Firefighters' Association (CSFA), and receives some of its funding from the CSFA; however, they must rely on grants and corporate sponsorships for a significant portion of its subsidization.  Because of this, members work hard to put together fundraisers, one of which was the First Annual FSTI Casino Night at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.

First Annual FSTI Casino Night

Describing the vision that FSTI's members had for the Casino Night, Michael Williams, President and Executive Director for the Fire Services Training Institute, says, "We're trying to build one of the quintessential fundraising events for the fire service.  Something that has a fixed location where other subsidiary organizations can come to and we can collectively raise money in a clean, neat, organized fashion that has a high degree of accountability and little bit of class with it at the same time."

The First Annual FSTI Casino Night met that goal and quickly became one of the most talked-about fundraising events in 2010.  In the week before the event, the number of guests requesting attendance grew significantly as news of it spread.  Kevin Nida, President of the California State Firefighters' Association explains, "When people look at an event to go to they look at it and then they see who is putting it on, then they see where it is going to be, and then they see who is going to be there.  And so in one week, we actually doubled the number of attendees here."

Raising Money for Firefighter Training Programs

The event was extremely successful raising $85,000 for firefighter training programs which will benefit federal, state, local, and tribal firefighters.  Another program that it will go towards is a successful international training exchange they have developed with Mexico.

Marco Omos, Director of Government Relations and Training for the Asociacion de Bomberos del Estados de Baja California (ABEBC), explains, "So far we've been able to train firefighters from Mexico here in the United States and also in Mexico as well with these different fire departments.  We can always look south of the boarder and ask for their assistance because they've been trained at our level here in the United States."

Celebrity Guests

Those who attended the FSTI Casino Night were treated to dinner, a silent auction, a live auction, and casino games, including poker, craps, roulette and Black Jack.  Many celebrities were in attendance, including Jerry Matthers and Tony Dow from "Leave It to Beaver", Christopher Knight from "The Brady Bunch", Chris Rich from "Reba", soap opera stars McKenzie Westmore, Kevin Dobson, and Patrika Darbo, and television stars Chad Everett, Lyle Waggoner, Brian Krause, and Stephanie Schaeffer.  The celebrities participated in the casino games alongside the guests.

Tony Dow, who played "Wally Cleaver" on "Leave It to Beaver", was a call-firefighter for several years, and his son is a career firefighter.  Dow says, "He's a firefighter in Fresno, Fresno City Fire Department, and from the time he was 16 that's all he ever wanted to do.  I understand the job.  I think it's the greatest job in the world.  Anytime I can do anything that has any kind of impact on the fire department, I'm happy to show up."

Christopher Knight, who is famous for his role as "Peter Brady" on "The Brady Bunch" and has had a successful career in reality television, also attended the event and participated because he recognizes that all homeowners benefit from the services of firefighters.  He says, "It's very clear to me how important the firefighters are for our very existence.  They have a lot to do with our way of life, so I'm very supportive of their efforts and their training."

Retired Fire Chief Paul Stein

Another special guest was Retired Fire Chief Paul Stein, who was awarded the Howard W. Rayon Distinguished Service Award by FSTI in 2010, for his many contributions to the fire service.  Chief Stein spent an illustrious career with both the Santa Monica Fire Department and the Lakeside Fire Department, and now travels throughout the United States teaching classes on leadership, management, fire incident mitigation, and fire department promotions.

A good friend of Howard Rayon, who was the Corporate Secretary for the FSTI since its inception in 2006, Chief Stein says, "I've known Howard for 30 years, so it's a tribute to Howard, and it's an honor and humbling for me to get the first Howard Rayon Distinguished Service Award."

Corporate Sponsors

Corporate sponsors played a large role in the event's success, including the California Independent Petroleum Association and its member companies, who raised a significant amount of money for the event.  The Farmers' Insurance Group also donated $25,000 to the Fire Services Training Institute.  Jerry Davies, Farmers' Insurance Group's Assistant Vice President for Media and Public Relations in North America, explains his company's commitment to the non-profit training organization, saying, "The FSTI does such a great job in their training area, and also in spreading out in communities doing community education."

Additional Information

Pleased with the results of the Casino Night, the Fire Services Training Institute plans on holding the event again in 2011 with the goal of doubling their fundraising.  For more information about the Fire Services Training Institute and the training programs they offer, visit www.cafsti.org.

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