MU Fire and Rescue Training Institute Annual Report 2019

Editor’s note
The following abstract describes a publication that is only available as a downloadable PDF.

From the director

As the fiscal year began, faculty and staff of the Institute felt this year was going to be a great year for the fire service in the state. Funding levels were forecasted to increase which would allow more training opportunities for first responders throughout the state, which in turn would provide for safer communities and safer responders.

This year also marks the end of a decade. As we look back in retrospect, many things have changed. As we look forward into the future we continue to have an eye in the rear-view mirror to ensure we learn from the lessons of the past. Within this report we have provided statistics for a decade in review that I hope you will find interesting.

Effective Sept. 1, 2018, the MU Extension administration removed the “interim” from my title and named myself as the Director of the Fire and Rescue Training Institute. To become the eighth director in the 87-year history of the Institute is humbling and I am honored to serve.

We saw growth in funding from our public and private partners, which directly impacted the number of courses delivered and student enrollments. Because of this, the Institute realized an 8% increase in the number of students over the previous fiscal year.

Our success is directly related to our continued ability to provide training and education that will help ensure our fire and emergency response personnel return home to their families after every incident. The more opportunities we have to interact and expand our reach to them, the better the chance to achieve that goal.

In presenting this annual report, we continue to demonstrate our role as a leader in fire and emergency services training and education statewide, as well as a nationally. We are proud of our accomplishments, not only this year, but throughout our history. We are one of the oldest state training systems in the country and continue to rank high among them in courses delivered, student enrollments and customer satisfaction.

On behalf of the faculty and staff of MU FRTI, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our partner agencies, the University, host agencies and our students for your support of the Institute and its mission. Since 1933, the University and the Institute has served first responders of the state of Missouri and beyond, fulfilling our mission to take the knowledge and research from the campus to provide education and training throughout the state, to better protect themselves and the citizens they serve.

I hope you find the information included in this Annual Report to be informational and provide an understanding of the breadth of our program. Please feel free to contact myself or the Institute with any questions.

Kevin D. Zumwalt
Director

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