2026 Annual Conference: Public Education

Friday, October 16th, 12:30 pm- 4:00 pm 

Fire and Life Safety Education: Tips, Tools, and Thinking Outside the Box
Lisa George, Sugar RX/ SmARt Kids AR & Kellie Murphy-Ringate, Excelsior Fire District

Session Description

Add more tools to your fire and life safety educational toolbox with no extra cost to the fire department. There is no complicated technology, expensive props, or endless fundraising required. Learn how to use the resources your fire department already has, such as firefighter gear and apparatus to reinforce fire and life safety messages.

Fire and Life Safety Open House, how to start planning your fire departments first or enhance what is already in place. Students will get tips on promotions, organization, logistics, resources, and much more.

How to get back into the schools or into more classrooms. Fire departments that have not been able to get back into the schools after 2020 or want to teach more students or grades in the schools will be given tips and strategies and how to get the fire departments boot back in the door.

A demonstration on how to use the FREE SmARt Kids AR Experience that is at your fingertips to use during your fire departments open house, community events, MN Night to Unite, Truck or Treat events, or anytime you are teaching. The creator of SmARt Kids AR will also give firefighters tips and tools to create and manage social media.

Networking and sharing ideas will be a welcomed component in the session.

Lesson plans, curriculums, handouts, template letters, checklists, and other resources will be made available to students.

Lisa George is a public safety innovator helping fire departments educate, engage and connect with their communities. Her career began with Microsoft’s internet launch, where she learned to use emerging technology to reach people at scale. She is the founder of SugarXR and creator of SmARt Kids, a free Community Risk Reduction tool used across Minnesota and nationwide. SmARt Kids brings fire safety, drowning prevention, distracted driving and other lifesaving education to life.

Lisa also created For The 343, a National Fallen Firefighters Foundation campaign honoring the 343 FDNY firefighters lost on 9/11 and all fallen firefighters. Named MSFCA’s 2025 Community Partner of the Year, she has collaborated with NFPA, HFSC, NDPA and other public safety leaders. In this seminar, Lisa will share innovative ways to turn public education into community action. She will also explore how better communication can expand reach, build trust and save lives.

Kellie Murphy Ringate Fire Marshal for the Excelsior Fire District has been in the fire service for 33 years. Kellie has been a member of the Minnesota State Fire Chief Public Education Committee for over 16 years.

Kellie has a contagious passion for Fire and Life Safety Education. As a MSFCA Committee member Kellie was on the committee that designed and created the educational materials for the two Kitchen Fire Safety Live Demonstration Units, which she has also managed since they were built in 2011. Kellie plans educational activities and is in charge of volunteers for educational booth at the annual conference, she serves as the liaison on the Governor’s Fire Prevention Day at the Minnesota State Fair and coordinates the MSFCA Interactive Kitchen Fire Safety Booth and the Kitchen Fire Safety Live Demonstration Unit at the fair.

One of the many hats Kelie wears for the Excelsior Fire District is the Public Educator. Kellie writes curriculums, creates programs for all ages, and has expanded the outreach for public education well beyond the schools. In 2020 she thought outside the box to continue fire and Ife safety in the schools by creating outdoor curriculums and classrooms.

When Kellie began teaching public education shortly after she joined in 1993, the budget for public educations was limited. She was able to grow the Fire Prevention Open House and educational programs with free resources, creative funding, and some crazy ideas.