Retired Stillwater Assistant Fire Chief Honored with Public Fire Education Award

In February 2008 a 7-year-old Stillwater girl saved her family from a devastating house fire.

When investigators asked the girl how she knew what to do when she discovered the fire, she said: “Because I learned it when firefighters came to my school.”

That’s what fire prevention and life-safety education is all about.

Last weekend, the Minnesota Fire Chiefs Association honored Robert F. Zoller—a retired Assistant Fire Chief of the Stillwater Fire Department who developed many of the educational tools used by firefighters— for his efforts.

Zoller was recognized with the Public Fire Education award for 30 years in the fire service, and specifically, his contributions to fire prevention and life-safety education in the Stillwater area.

As a result of the award, the Stillwater Fire Department will receive a $1,200 grant to be used for the department’s fire prevention project.

“Assistant Fire Chief Zoller has a passion and dedication for fire prevention and life-safety education,” Stillwater Fire Chief Stu Glaser said, “and it shows through his devotion and commitment throughout his career.”

During his 30-year career, Zoller developed and presented:

• A Bert and Ernie puppet show teaching kindergarten-aged kids not to play with matches;
• Fabricated and developed a portable play house used to teach first graders how to test a smoke alarm, stay low in smoke, learn two ways out, develop a family meeting place and how to properly dial and use 911 for help;
• Fabricated a fire extinguisher training prop used to teach thousands of  people the proper way to use a fire extinguisher;
• Fabricated and developed a kitchen grease fire demonstration prop used to teach people the danger of adding water to a kitchen grease fire.

The 7-year-old girl who saved her family in the midst of house fire understood how to call 911 and had a plan to meet at the family meeting place once she was outside the house, Glaser said. “This is one of the rare occurrences where you can directly relate your fire prevention education efforts to an actual incident, which saved lives.”

Conservatively speaking, Zoller has educated more than 30,000 people on fire prevention and life-safety education throughout his career.

“His untiring commitment to public safety should be commended,” Glaser said. “Rob was truly ahead of his time and a leader in fire prevention and life-safety education. The Stillwater Fire Department is extremely proud of Rob’s accomplishments. This recognition is well-deserved.”