USCM Champions SALF in DC

February 15, 2006

From left to right - Mayor Rita Mullins, U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, Mayor Manny Diaz, Carol Spizzirri

SALF is continually grateful to the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and its members. At its winter meeting in D.C., SALF President and Founder Carol Spizzirri joined Mayor Rita Mullins, Palatine, IL, U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, former mayor of St. Paul, MN, Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, Burnsville, MN and Mayor Manny Diaz, Miami, FL, who have been instrumental in spearheading SALF to emergency-prepare American children.

Mullins has served as mayor of Palatine for twenty-three years and as SALF’s national director of governmental affairs since the mid 90’s when she informed her colleagues that their citizens were “YOYOs” (You’re On Your Own) in any catastrophic disaster. She suggested that they should incorporate the training of children, who tend to bring their skills home to their families, as part of their emergency preparedness plans.

With the numerous disasters that face the state of Florida yearly, Mayor Diaz brought SALF into Miami schools through his fire and rescue department as part of his Mayor’s Mentoring Program early last year. Mayor Kautz is taking aggressive measures to follow Mayor Diaz’s plan for the children in and around her city of Burnsville, while Senator Coleman takes leadership to bring this message nationwide with bi-partisan support.