NANTUCKET MA: The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) will present the “Nantucket Fire Department: Rich in History and Tradition While Embracing Technology,” featuring Nantucket Fire Prevention Officer Elizabeth Shannon, at the Food for Thought series, on Thursday, March 10, in the Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, at noon. Free admission; bring your lunch.
Lights and sirens may be what the public sees and hears when fire trucks or ambulances pass by, but the complete picture of the services the Nantucket Fire Department (NFD) provides may not be so clear. After an overview of the history of the department, Fire Prevention Officer Shannon will discuss the programs and services it offers and its response to emergencies and advances in fire service technology and equipment. The fire service in general is rich in history and tradition — but with the added challenge of being located on an island thirty miles at sea — Nantucket’s fire history and even modern-day responses are unique in their challenges.
After completing an EMT course in 1993, Shannon joined the Nantucket Fire Department as a call firefighter and EMT in 1994. In 1998, she was hired as a full-time firefighter and EMT. In 2004, she was promoted to captain and in 2009 to the position of fire prevention officer. Prior to beginning her career in the fire service, she spent five years as a consulting associate and, ultimately, as vice president at Educational Management Network, a recruitment firm for higher-education administration.
The Thursday, March 17, Food for Thought will feature Robert Gardner, who will discuss “The Wannacomet Water Company.”
Talks are free to the public and are given by notable Nantucketers on a range of topics. The Food for Thought programs are supported by a grant from the M. S. Worthington Foundation.
Each talk begins at noon; bring your brown-bag lunch to the Whaling Museum. For additional information about the 2011 Food for Thought series, please call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or visit the calendar.
