CCFS expands operations

NEWBURYPORT, Mass.--The Center for Campus Fire Safety in November moved its headquarters across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from Amherst to here on the North Shore. It also expanded its staff, appointing a new executive director, Amy M. Hamel, and two new members to the board of directors. The non-profit organization raises awareness about campus fire safety through education and outreach programs. Hamel is a research and project specialist with a background in public safety, marketing, event management and fundraising. She was project manager for the Safe & Secure Schools program and also worked as a researcher in the Massachusetts Office of the State Fire Marshal. "Amy will be the new face of the center. She and president Mike Halligan will be the primary public figures for the center," said Tim Knisely, a member of the board of directors. The center named Alan Sactor and Gail Minger to the board of directors. Sactor is an assistant director with the University of Maryland Department of Environmental Safety and university fire marshal. Minger, a campus fire safety advocate, was formerly part of the CCFS's advisory panel. Among CCFS's tasks in the next year, said Knisely, are the continuation of the center's regional training seminars titled "Developing an Effective Campus Fire Safety Education Program," a program funded by a Department of Homeland Security grant that gives training and materials to campus fire-safety officers across the nation. The center worked with UL University and the National Association of State Fire Marshals to develop the program, which covers everything from the fire systems themselves to how to teach students about fire safety. For more information, visit www.firewisecampus.org.