~Tanja Tanner~
Community Education Coordinator
Goodyear Fire Department
Tanja Tanner
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Editing Note: I've said this for a long time, Goodyear is full of great people! I'm beyond thrilled to feature a person who goes out of her way to help families keep their children safe.
Tanja Tanner has been with the Goodyear Fire Department for 16 years: 4 years as a volunteer, 3 years paid part-time as an Education Specialist, and 9 years full-time as the Community Education Coordinator. Married to Keith Tanner, Tanja has two grown children and three adorable grandsons! Her daughter, LaShey, lives in Goodyear. Her son, Levi, is in the United States Coast Guard stationed on a cutter out of Key West, Florida. A professional through and through, Tanja has developed a strong rapport with her colleagues. We share a passion for child safety. And I especially enjoyed working with her... as she's a kind person. I first met Tanja Tanner while working with the City of Goodyear through my nonprofit, Arizona in ACTION. Tanja helped us coordinate community bike rodeos encouraging helmet use, car seat safety, and seat belt use. She does a lot more day to day. Odds are, your children have learned about fire and swimming safety at school from the "Fire Pals" staff working in her department. |
I hope you enjoy learning more about the woman committed to keeping our children safe through education and outreach.
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Current job position:
A. Community Education Coordinator. We are in the process of changing our titles to better reflect our function within the department. I am proposing our Division name be changed to Community Risk Reduction. So many companies have “Community Education” but what do they educate the community on? We want the residents to know what our programs are about. Career history... where you started and how you got into this line of business: A. After moving to Phoenix from Texas, I began working for APS at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in 1986 to 1996. The summer of 1996, APS offered a clown class to become a member of their volunteer clown troupe. I attended and enjoyed it, but after walking in several large parades I knew there had to be something else I could do with clowning. I knew I was not the birthday party type of clown. A firefighter from PVNGS attended the same clown class with me. He also knew that Goodyear/Avondale had a clown and puppet troupe that performed in the elementary schools teaching fire and life safety messages. He gave me the contact information so I inquired about the troupe and attended a meeting they were having and asked if I could volunteer with their group. So you could say, clowning around afforded me the career I have now. I have been given the opportunity to teach an entire generation of children fire and life safety messages in hopes they raise a safer generation. |
Tanja and her son at a Fiesta Bowl parade as Lucy and little Ricky. Circa 1998.
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Tanja receiving the FLSE award - 2013
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Q. In 2013, you were awarded the Arizona Life Safety Educator of the Year by Arizona Fire and Burn Educators Association. Tell me about your connection with this group.
A. Arizona Fire & Burn Educators Association, better known as AFBEA, has been a leading non-profit organization in Arizona for 27 years. Some of the founding members are still active with the organization. Fire and life safety becomes a passion rather than a job for so many people that AFBEA allows individuals to continue their passion after they retire from their departments. The organization is a group of individuals that offer training and networking opportunities to learn how to present safety programs and manage an education program. AFBEA hosts an Educational Characterization conference every year in Bullhead City, this coming year, 2015, will be the 28th conference. I became a member in 1999 and have been a paid member ever since. I have held many positions on the board from secretary, treasurer to currently the President since 2011. |
Tanja, her son Levi as Sparky, her grandson Corbin, and her husband Keith as Halligan the clown.
Q. What motivates you in this field?
A. Knowing that I possibly saved one life makes everything worth it. In this line of business we go into the schools and talk to hundreds of children at the same time. There is not a standardized test to know if a dangerous situation happened to a child at home and the child knew what to do. Those actions are usually not captured, but sometimes they are, when we receive notice that a 5 year old was able to call 9-1-1 in an emergency when their mom was sick. I especially love when I am out in the community and a parent informs me that their child made them check their smoke alarm and practice their escape plan because their child told them Fire Pal Tanja said to!
My position says "community". Well, the firefighters are part of that community. While I have never been a firefighter or first responder, I hear the stories of the calls they respond to, and some of those calls leave lasting impressions on them. If I can help prevent our responders from having to respond to a car crash where a child was not properly restrained and now the child died from injuries sustained from being thrown from the car. Or a child hiding from the firefighters during a fire and not able to escape, that also puts our firefighters life in danger. I want our firefighters to be able to go home safely and also without mental anguish from a preventable call.
A. Knowing that I possibly saved one life makes everything worth it. In this line of business we go into the schools and talk to hundreds of children at the same time. There is not a standardized test to know if a dangerous situation happened to a child at home and the child knew what to do. Those actions are usually not captured, but sometimes they are, when we receive notice that a 5 year old was able to call 9-1-1 in an emergency when their mom was sick. I especially love when I am out in the community and a parent informs me that their child made them check their smoke alarm and practice their escape plan because their child told them Fire Pal Tanja said to!
My position says "community". Well, the firefighters are part of that community. While I have never been a firefighter or first responder, I hear the stories of the calls they respond to, and some of those calls leave lasting impressions on them. If I can help prevent our responders from having to respond to a car crash where a child was not properly restrained and now the child died from injuries sustained from being thrown from the car. Or a child hiding from the firefighters during a fire and not able to escape, that also puts our firefighters life in danger. I want our firefighters to be able to go home safely and also without mental anguish from a preventable call.
Just because you survived without a helmet, not sitting in a booster seat or never having smoke alarms in your home does not mean that your children will. Please be a parent and practice every safety measure when possible. ~Tanja Tanner, Goodyear Fire Department
Sweetart and Halligan at the Fiesta Bowl Parade 2012. (Tanja and her husband, Keith)
Q. When we worked together on helmet use and bike safety through Arizona in ACTION, I truly understood the importance of community. How do you pull together community resources to make your programs so successful? Who are some of your biggest supporters?
A. There are many organizations in the valley that also promote safety and injury prevention like Safe Kids Worldwide with their chapter here in AZ. Hospitals also have large injury prevention divisions that work with local fire departments to collaborate efforts to keep our residents safer. The old saying of “it takes a village” is also true with injury prevention. Goodyear Fire Department has been very proactive with their educational efforts by supporting dedicated staff just for community risk reduction. The leaders in the City of Goodyear are dedicated to the quality of life for their residents and that also includes their safety. My husband Keith is one of my biggest fans, we actually met at “fire clown school”. He is just as dedicated to helping others. Keith is the Fire Marshal at Sun City West so our conversations usually consist of ways we can save the world.
A. There are many organizations in the valley that also promote safety and injury prevention like Safe Kids Worldwide with their chapter here in AZ. Hospitals also have large injury prevention divisions that work with local fire departments to collaborate efforts to keep our residents safer. The old saying of “it takes a village” is also true with injury prevention. Goodyear Fire Department has been very proactive with their educational efforts by supporting dedicated staff just for community risk reduction. The leaders in the City of Goodyear are dedicated to the quality of life for their residents and that also includes their safety. My husband Keith is one of my biggest fans, we actually met at “fire clown school”. He is just as dedicated to helping others. Keith is the Fire Marshal at Sun City West so our conversations usually consist of ways we can save the world.
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Q. What are your future goals in your current position and in your own career?
A. I would like to expand our outreach efforts to include more adult and senior audiences. I would also love to see the staffing levels of our risk reduction division be consistent with that of our population growth. We have not even begun to reach our largest population with limited staff and budget restrictions. I would like to become the Risk Reduction Supervisor or Manager of full time staff members that are dedicated and just as passionate as I am about others and their safety. Q. What is one word of advice you'd give a new parent about safety as their children grow up? A. Just because you survived without a helmet, not sitting in a booster seat or never having smoke alarms in your home does not mean that your children will. Please be a parent and practice every safety measure when possible. Do not leave your children to chance, lead by example - wear a helmet and your seat belt every time. |
Tanja's son and daughter, Levi and LaShey
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CONNECT WITH THE GOODYEAR FIRE DEPARTMENT
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Schedule a fire safety clown to come to your school!Terry Ricketts with APS creative communications has created a new character, Benjamin FranKlown whoteaches energy conservation programs. He has partnered with AFBEA to promote fire and life safety during these presentations. He teaches with a Fire Pal to give presentations to schools located within APS service areas for Kindergarten through 4th grade students. If interested in having this program, please contact Tanja Tanner to schedule.
Contact: tanja.tanner@goodyearaz.gov |
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ARIZONA FIRE AND BURN EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION LINK
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION LINK
THE SAFE KIDS COALITION MARICOPA COUNTY LINK
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION LINK
THE SAFE KIDS COALITION MARICOPA COUNTY LINK