Billy D. Hayes
Advocacy Manager

It is truly an honor to have been asked to return and serve as the Advocacy Manager for year five of the Everyone Goes Home® program. Back by my side to help lead us through is the Assistant Advocate Manager Steve Kimple, as well as, Dan McDonough, who will serve in a special projects and advisory role for the Advocacy program.

Our goal for this year is clear: Communication! Many of the initiatives that will be implemented will require just that, communication. Through the success of the Advocacy Outreach Pilot Project conducted in Region V last year, we saw that communication was the key to success. From the coordinator setting up meetings, to the advocate meeting with local departments, to the completion of surveys to track data, and to the summary report that was published, continuous communication was the prevailing factor. This year, we will replicate that same project in all regions, but more importantly, replicate that communication model for all that we do.

In addition, regional advocates will be tasked with communicating more with the state advocates for coordination of activities, and state advocates will be tasked with the responsibility of becoming more involved at a larger state level, rather than a more local jurisdictional level. We know many advocates have been very successful in their endeavors, therefore, we will also be offering best practice webinars throughout the year for advocates to not only have a forum to share their experiences and seek assistance, but to offer training to make us all more proficient.

Communication with departments, firefighters, state agencies and associations, Courage to Be Safe® instructors, conferences, and among the Advocacy Program team...no doubt, this will be quite the challenge. We ask you to make this commitment to yourself and the Everyone Goes Home® Program. If we all do this, then I know this will be the best year ever.

With that, I look forward to working with each of you in year five. We will soon be meeting to formulate all the goals and objectives, and that information will be forthcoming to all of you. Please know that you are the heart and soul of the Everyone Goes Home® program. Without you, we cannot be successful, and our mission of reducing firefighter injuries and line- of-duty deaths will be in jeopardy. As we operate year to year on grant funding, I will close by challenging you to identify ways that this program can continue on successfully long after grant funding has come to an end. As always, please feel free to contact me at BillyDHayes@aol.com. Be safe and best wishes!