Running a patient who has special needs is not a matter of “if” but “when.” Ignoring the problem creates anxiety for the responder, tension for the patient, and frustration for others on scene including family members and care givers. Ultimately, this could result in poor patient care or undesirable citizen service. A responder who is in this situation may have the best intentions but may not be aware that his or her actions are having an adverse impact on the community.



As… Continue

The IAFC and the International Association of Fire Fighters are asking you to Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility. We’re calling on all fire/EMS departments and all IAFF affiliates to participate in the 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week, scheduled for June 14-20.



Fire chiefs should develop situational awareness of their own organizations and ensure firefighters and company officers are… Continue

Joe Sommers, Director of HR Services for ZERORISK, has some great interviewing tips to help you in finding new candidates that fit with your team.



Q. Joe, what interviewing tips do you have to help departments find appropriate candidates that will “fit” in their department?



A. The success when interviewing for ‘fit’ is “knowing where you’re going.” By that I’m referring to – what does ‘fit’ mean to you and your department? Is it the ability to understand others,… Continue

The Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) will award two $1,500 scholarships to attend Fire Rescue International (FRI), being held August 25-29, 2009 in Dallas. This scholarship program was developed to promote leadership through learning among volunteer and combination officers.



Scholarships will be awarded based on the applicant’s description of how the department or the… Continue

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) has approved a total of 43 sessions and workshops at the upcoming Fire-Rescue International (FRI) conference for CEUs towards recertification for ISOs and HSOs.

Visit FDSOA for a complete listing of approved sessions and workshops.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) 1st Vice President Jeff Johnson, chief of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, yesterday called for improved national preparedness for the response to hazmat incidents in his testimony before Congress.



During his testimony, Chief Johnson noted that among the nearly million daily shipments of hazardous material each year, there are about 250,000 incidents. When those incidents occur, he assured Congress that “the local fire and… Continue

The International Association of Fire Chiefs Foundation (IAFCF) is accepting applications for its educational scholarships from qualified first responders until June 1, 2009.



Any person is eligible to apply if he or she is an active member with a minimum of three years’ volunteer, two years’ paid or a combination of paid and volunteer of three years with a state, county, provincial, municipal, community, industrial, or federal fire department.



Scholarships provided by the… Continue

“I don’t know what to do,” said the senior officer. “My firefighter talks on his personal cell phone on the way to emergency calls and texts during group meals. When told to do something around the station, the first thing he says is, ‘Why?’ or ‘Right now?’ The kid is strong and smart, and you couldn’t ask for a better firefighter on emergency scenes. But this other stuff is a real problem.”



“I don’t get it,” responds the younger firefighter. “How can you become a leader… Continue

One of the most difficult and challenging transitions in the fire service is going from “us to the them,” particularly the jump from company officer to battalion chief. One day you’re riding shotgun in the engine supervising a crew of typically one to four personnel, and the next day, you’re most likely driving the SUV or Crown Victoria, riding by yourself, and supervising anywhere from five to thirty personnel, or even more.



Becoming a chief officer should not be taken as… Continue

The IAFC's 26th annual International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Confernece is May 27-31 in Hunt Valley, MD. Sign up now to take advantage of the early-bird deadline and to make sure that you and your department get the latest in hazmat education and training.



The conference offers essential training on topics such as:



Prevention and… Continue

The IAFC and the Federal Communications Commission are partnering to create a voluntary program to help meet the June 12 deadline for the public transition to digital television (DTV) and ultimately aid the expansion of the national public-safety communication network.



The IAFC seeks fire and rescue departments interested in participating in this program. The program links community members who are having technical difficulties installing or using DTV converter boxes with… Continue

The IAFC has issued the findings of an expert panel convened by the organization through the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section. The panel found a recently released report challenging cancer presumption laws for firefighters used flawed research methodology that produce predetermined outcomes.



The National League of Cities’ (NLC) report under review, Assessing State Firefighter Cancer… Continue

We recently spoke with Billy D. Hayes, about his upcoming presentation "Courage To Be Safe" at FRI 2009. Here’s what he had to say:



Q. Director Hayes, What are the top three take aways from your presentation?

A. The first and most important is to re-enforce the message of firefighter safety. Everyday, our first responders take risks to protect the public. However, some of the risks can be significantly reduced by merely… Continue