Harford County, Md. – The Harford County Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services Association (HCVFA) is proud to announce that their Miss Fire Prevention for 2023 has been invited to present her research on lithium-ion batteries at the Public Fire and Life Safety Educator Seminar hosted by the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) at the University of Maryland, College Park campus.

The invitation to the event in March came as a result of Kaylee Norstrand’s highly regarded presentation at the Maryland State Firemen’s Association (MSFA) Annual Convention and Conference in Ocean City in June.

Norstrand said she is looking forward to the opportunity to further spread safety information around this increasingly prevalent technology, which she first researched as part of her bid for the title of Miss Fire Prevention for Harford County and then presented again when she ran for the state title at the MSFA convention.

“You can cover anything that relates back to fire prevention or life safety for your project,” Norstrand explained, and the topic of lithium-ion batteries caught her attention when she kept hearing headlines on social media about fires caused by devices such as laptops and e-scooters.

“I always hear the term ‘lithium-ion battery’ being thrown around, so I decided it would be something I’d be extremely interested in looking into,” she said. “So that’s what I decided to do my project on. I covered lithium-ion battery fire prevention and safety for the state of Maryland.”

Norstrand’s choice was a welcome surprise to the HCVFA, said Fire Prevention Ambassador Chair Heather Ely, because so few people are aware of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries and how they work.

“When she said she was going to do it for her state project in Ocean City, my only concern to her was, if you’re going to do it, you need to make sure that you hit all the key points, and she did,” Ely said.

The association is now extremely proud to have Norstrand invited as a 17 year-old high school student to the Public Fire and Life Safety Educator Seminar to speak alongside officials from MFRI, the MSFA, and more, to an audience of Maryland health and safety advocates, community risk reduction coordinators, and first responders. The annual seminar is hosted by MFRI with financial support from the MSFA and MSFALA Fire & Injury Prevention and Life Safety Committee, and Maryland EMS for Children’s State Partnership Grant from HRSA/ MCHB / EMSC Program.

Norstrand said she began her research with a Google search that led her to information posted by the Fire Department of New York that included safety tips and additional resources, and took off from there. She presented her key points on a large tri-fold poster, and prepared a packet with background information including the chemical process that occurs in lithium-ion batteries, information about the fires themselves, what you do when you see one, the warning signs, and how to prevent them.

After earning her title as Miss Fire Prevention for Harford County, Norstrand began sharing her research through her role, including her presentation at the Maryland State Firemen’s Association in June.

“It was an awesome experience,” she said. “It’s something I feel like people my age don’t really get to experience until they’re older… I’m only 17 and in high school, and I feel like having to go through an interview and public speaking isn’t something that a lot of 17 year-olds do – and I think it’s an amazing experience that not only is it fire prevention information that I can spread around and help saves, but I also I know I get a step ahead by being able to speak in front of a group.”

Norstrand, who is going into her senior year of high school, is already deeply involved in the fire service. “I’m also a member of Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company’s auxiliary and a member of the Judy Hinch Benevolent committee,” she said. “A lot of my family has been in the fire department and I’m a fifth generation member, so I really got into it from family, and have continued since. I enjoy every moment of it.”

Prior to earning the title of Miss Fire Prevention, Norstrand tried out for the younger roles which include Little Miss, Little Fire Chief, Junior Miss, and then Miss, she said.

“Little Miss was luck of the draw and I never got it,” she said, “but starting at Junior Miss you could compete for the title.” The first year she could compete, she won the title of Junior Miss, and after that she moved on to the Miss contest for the county level. “The first year I got first runner-up,” she said, which allowed her to participate in many of the same activities as the title-holder, “and then I ran again the following year and I got it.”

“Having the title is just a great opportunity and opens a lot of doorways,” she added.

Though Norstrand won’t be eligible to run for the Miss Fire Prevention role again when her reign for Harford County ends in November, she foresees her involvement in the fire service to be ongoing, from her upcoming presentation in March and into the future.

Ely said she is beyond proud of Norstrand and all of the HCVFA’s fire prevention ambassadors. “These girls and boys have blown me away with their knowledge and ability to spread the word about fire safety,” she said.

For those who would like to run for an ambassador title in the next round, applications will be available at the end of August, Ely said, and are open to children ages 4-10 for Little Miss and Little Fire Chief; ages 11-15 for Junior Miss; and ages 16-23 for Miss.

“I did it when I was younger and it’s one of my passions,” Ely said. “It’s wonderful to see how many young ones, even for the Little Miss and Little Fire Chief, come out for that.”

The full list of 2023 Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association Fire Prevention Ambassadors includes:

• Miss Fire Prevention – Kaylee Norstrand
• Miss Fire Prevention 1st runner up – Alyssa Johnson
• Junior Miss Fire Prevention – Bristol Bostic
• 1st Runner up – Abigail Hadding
• Little Miss Fire Prevention – Payton Cockerham
• Little Fire Chief – Liam Hadding

Those interested in learning more about the HCVFA and its programs can visit the association’s website at HCVFA.org. If any group would like to request to host one of the HCVFA Fire Prevention Ambassadors, they may contact the Miss Fire Prevention Coordinator, Heather Ely, through the association’s contact page.