The 2025 CO Safety Summit: A Must-Attend Event for Public Health and Safety Professionals

Hi, I’m Jessica Waddell, and when I received my master of public health degree in 2015, I

Jessica M. Waddell, MPS, MPH

never dreamed of the opportunity to work with organizations like NCOAA. It’s been a public health professional’s dream. 

NCOAA is an evidence-based public health and safety organization that directly addresses every sphere of influence in the public health and safety realm. Our vision is an end to injury and death due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, we’ve made major strides in this fight. 

Perhaps our most important endeavor, however, is the CO Safety Summit. Now in its 3rd year, we anticipate more than 100 advocates, experts, public health professionals, government representatives, survivors, and public safety professionals to join us August 11-13 in Biloxi, MS. 

Learn more: The 3rd Annual CO Safety Summit

Why should public health and safety professionals attend?

With more than 20 hours of programming, you’ll expand both your expertise and your network. While some information will be specific to carbon monoxide (CO) research, most topics are applicable to a broad variety of public health and safety professionals, akin to those you’d find at an APHA, NSC, NEHA, ASSP, IPSA, or PSTA.

Here are some topics you’ll learn about:

• Learn about a new CO Safety Scorecard from UL (Underwriters Laboratories) Standards & Engagement office, an important tool applicable to many public health and safety topics. The discussion will cover key report findings, emerging trends, and actionable steps that can be taken to reduce injuries and fatalities from CO poisoning.

• Hear from medical experts in our “Ask the Doctor” panel discussion

• Understand how to better partner with private industry 

• Learn how to influence building codes and product standards development, complex topics that impact millions of Americans

• Get an in-depth look at public health and safety data surveillance methods and epidemiology efforts 

Here are just some of the organizations that were present at the CO Safety Summit in the last 2 years:

• Public Health & Safety Professionals: 

  • National Center for Healthy Housing

  • Safe Kids Worldwide

  • Chapin Hall

  • National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

  • UL Standards & Engagement / Underwriters Laboratory (UL)

  • KDHE - Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Heath Informatics

  • Delaware Emergency Management Agency

  • Texas Department of Licensing and Registration

  • CO Research Trust

  • CO Safe Schools

  • Gas Safe Europe, Ltd

  • ESO

  • Charlie’s House

• Federal agencies: CDC, CPSC, FEMA

• Higher Education: University of Michigan - Trauma Burn Center, Milwaukee School of Engineering, The University of Alabama, Sheffield Hallam University

• Industry Associations: Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI), Portable Generator Manufacturers' Association (PGMA), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA)

• Foundations: The Lauren Project, The Lindsey O’Brien Kesling Wishing Tree Foundation, The Richard Battle Foundation

• Private Industry: NASCAR, Consumer Reports, Motorola Solutions, ExxonMobil, Safer VRs (Vacation Rentals), Brain Injury Law Group, Honeywell, Crowcon, REM Risk Consultants, Jensen Hughes, Inc., Global Health & Safety, LLC

• Fire Safety: Hundreds of fire safety professionals, including state fire marshals, training directors, and community risk reduction specialists. 

REGISTER NOW: 2025 CO SAFETY SUMMIT

If you’re not familiar with NCOAA, here are a few ways we’ve made a difference in recent years:

• Successfully advocating for the passage of the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2022, which included congressional funding for grants providing CO alarms and poisoning prevention education to vulnerable populations. Our current federal advocacy efforts focus on protecting first responders and requiring CO detection systems in hotels and resorts. 

• Partnering with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and 20 other organizations to launch a free CO Safety training for firefighters. You can learn more about our process and subject matter experts or access the training here. 

• Growing our CO Safety Coalition to more than 200 advocates and experts who work together across 3 Work Groups: Data/Surveillance; Codes, Standards, and Regulations; and Emergency & Trade Response. Join the Coalition for free.

• Shaping regulations, codes and standards, like UL 2034, to improve consumer protections. We’ve led and participated in committee calls, have submitted letters and recommendations, and fought against corporate pushback. 

• Promoted health equity efforts through the CPSC and other federal agencies. In 2023, we traveled to DC to speak at a CPSC hearing on health equity and advocated for systemic, policy-based changes over the current trend of placing the responsibility for consumer safety on the consumer themselves.

We also provide interviews to national news organizations (like this recent New York Post story), conduct research, undertake health promotion and education, speak at industry conferences, consult with companies who want to improve their safety practices, and partner with national organizations. In fact, the executive directors of both the National Coalition for Healthy Housing and Safe Kids Worldwide currently serve on our board of directors.

Join Us in Biloxi in August

We would love to see you at the 2025 CO Safety Summit. 

Registration is just $445 through April 30.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Thank you,

Jessica Waddell, MPS, MPH

jessica@nonprofitconsulting.me