The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced that Shawneri Guzman, fire and life safety educator for South County Fire in the state of Washington, has been named the 2025 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year.
Guzman will be formally recognized at the annual Stars at Night Awards gala during the NFPA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on Sunday, June 15.
Awarded annually, the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year award recognizes a dedicated educator who is employed by a local fire department or fire marshal’s office in the U.S. or Canada and consistently utilizes NFPA’s materials, demonstrating outstanding service and creativity in addressing the community’s evolving fire safety needs.
As a leader and advocate for safety across Washington State for more than 20 years, the NFPA has shared how Guzman has made a measurable difference at the state and local levels.
Since joining South County Fire in 2017, she has integrated numerous NFPA programs into her agency and community, including NFPA educational programs for school-aged children and Fire Prevention Week, while using NFPA resources to broaden public education on smoke alarms, escape planning, cooking safety, older adult safety and more.
She also uses CRAIG 1300, NFPA’s digital community risk assessment tool, to better understand community demographics and develop targeted outreach that helps change behaviors and increase safety.
Guzman has embraced many other injury prevention programs that impact her community, including child passenger safety.
In addition, she was involved in the passage of Gibby ACT, which helped ensure that homes have working smoke alarms when they are sold across the state of Washington. She has also been a champion for refugee populations.
The NFPA has announced that Shawneri Guzman has been named the 2025 Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year.
Guzman will be recognized at the Stars at Night gala during the NFPA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas on Sunday, 15 June 2025.
