News

Next week is Fire/EMS Safety, Health, and Survival Week (or Safety Week), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has partnered with Firehouse.com to promote healthy living to firefighters across the nation. In two 5-minute podcasts, the NVFC provides tips on eating a healthy diet and getting regular health screenings. The podcasts will be available at www.healthy-firefighter.org and on Firehouse.com starting June 14.

 

The theme of this year’s Safety Week, which will be held from June 14-20, is “Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health, and Survival Are Your Responsibility.” The week will incorporate four key areas: Safety – Emergency Driving; Health – Firefighter Heart Disease and Cancer Education Prevention; Survival – Structural Size-Up and Situational Awareness; and Chiefs – Be the Leader in Safety.

 

Firehouse.com has recorded a series of podcasts to coincide with Safety Week. In a podcast on healthy diet habits, NVFC Health and Safety Coordinator Lillian Ricardo explains why healthy eating is important for firefighters, offers ideas for quick snacks and healthier food substitutions, and provides additional tips and advice to make healthy eating achievable. The second NVFC podcast features Gail Fast of L&T Health and Fitness in a discussion about the importance of regular health screenings and the types of screenings recommended for various age groups. L&T Health and Fitness provides the health screenings at the NVFC’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter trade show booth.

 

The NVFC provides many tools and resources to help you and your department members stay healthy and safe. These include the NVFC Health and Safety Priorities, the Health and Wellness Guide for the Emergency Services, and the Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer & Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations. Find these resources and more at www.nvfc.org/Health_Safety. The NVFC also administers the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, which helps first responders get healthy and keep their hearts strong. Learn more and adopt the program at www.healthy-firefighter.org.

 

Learn more about Safety Week. Stay tuned to the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program web site at www.healthy-firefighter.org and the NVFC E-update for information regarding the third annual National Firefighter Health Week, to be held from August 17-21.