The STOP (Safety Tops Our Priorities) campaign works to educate first responders about the importance of vehicle safety through a four-part webinar series and outreach campaign. To access these trainings, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.Two webinars in the series are currently available:

• Seatbelts Top Our Response Priority: This 30-minute session educates participants on the importance of using a seatbelt. The course examines how to encourage safety when responding to emergencies and how seatbelt use and safe vehicle operations can be enforced at the department level. The training is provided using an online platform from McNeil and Company’s Emergency Services Insurance Program (ESIP). Course materials and certificates of completion are provided.
• STOP at Intersections: The largest percentage of major accidents involving emergency vehicles happens at intersections. Even with the use of warning devices, intersections pose a serious threat to the safety of both emergency service personnel as well as the public. This half-hour program explores why intersection safety TOPS our priorities.

The NVFC’s Incident Safety Officer (ISO) training gives students an overview of the role of an ISO and covers communications and safety, as well as the practical application of this information. The course was made possible through a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation. This is not an Incident Safety Officer certification program.

• Module 1: Overview: After completion of this module, the student will have an overview of the roles, responsibilities, qualifications and standards applicable to the Incident Safety Officer. View webinar.
• Module 2: Communication: This module covers pre-incident, incident, and allied communications issues for the ISO. View webinar.
• Module 3: Safety and Incident Response Management: This module presents students with an overview of the key response considerations that Safety Officers must deal with in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities. View webinar.
• Module 4: Application: This module takes the lessons learned in Modules 1-3 and gives the student the opportunity to apply key concepts to practical scenarios. The goal is for the student to take away an experiential understanding of fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of an ISO. View webinar.

The NVFC, through a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant, has developed four equipment management training webinars to educate first responders on the full life cycle of funding, maintaining, using, and retiring equipment.

• Proper Equipment Management: Instructed by Mike Harstad, Aerial Product Manager, Rosenbauer America, this 25-minute webinar outlines a plan for fire department equipment management, including audit, inspection, schedule, record keeping, and maintenance and replacement planning. View webinar.
• Funding Equipment Needs: Instructed by Paul Darley, President and CEO, W.S. Darley, this 20-minute webinar reviews methods for securing funding to pay for equipment replacement and maintenance, including grant writing, fundraising, and other revenue sources. View webinar. For more information, view supplemental slides here.
• Retiring Equipment: Instructed by Pat Freeman, Technical Services Manager, Globe Manufacturing Company, this 45-minute webinar reviews the standards for retiring equipment. View webinar.
• Equipment Use and Maintenance: Developing an Effective Respiratory Protection Program: Instructed by Hugh Stott, Deputy Chief of the West Chicago (IL) Fire District and University of Illinois Fire Service Institute Instructor, this 1 hour 15 minute webinar covers proper respiratory equipment management, including training, standards, and maintenance. View webinar.

The NVFC teamed up with Hale Products Inc. to offer this free online training course. The course provides a general pump operations overview and offers guidelines for pump maintenance, including weekly, monthly, and annual maintenance activities. The training is available online, courtesy of McNeil and Company’s Emergency Services Insurance Program (ESIP). Certificates of completion are provided. To access, go to http://training.mcneilandcompany.com/ and register as a student using access code 6832.

The NVFC partnered with TECGEN on this webinar, which explains the physiology of heat stress and how the total heat loss rating of your PPE applies to real world situations. View webinar.

The NVFC has adapted curriculum from its popular Health and Wellness Advocate Workshop into five webinars. This innovative training gives first responders the foundation they need to live healthy, reduce heart disease risk factors, and implement successful department health and fitness programs. The courses are taught by ACE-certified instructors from L&T Health and Fitness, an award-winning fitness and health management company. To access these training webinars, click here and sign-in if you have an existing account, or register as a student using access code 6832.

Johns Hopkins University and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have collaborated on a three-year research project to study health interventions in firefighters in Maryland.  Participate in a one-hour webinar that will provide insight into the focus group feedback, barriers to wellness and fitness in the fire service and how some departments have developed creative solutions to their wellness and fitness challenges. View webinar.

This webinar provides an overview of behavioral health issues facing the fire service, with a focus on firefighter suicide warning signs and prevention. Additionally, the results of the NVFC's recent behavioral health survey are analyzed. View webinar.

This webinar discusses the history of how behavioral health is woven into the fire, emergency, and rescue services, what it means to you and others, cultural progress, and future potential. Taught by Jeff Dill, founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, this webinar delves into some of the many concerns for firefighters, EMS personnel, and their families that are impacted by the job. To access this webinar, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.

The NVFC partnered with Masimo to provide the following three webinars.

• Rehab and You: NFPA 1584
  NFPA 1584 "Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises” took effect in 2008, yet gaps in full implementation remain.  This presentation will provide you with an overview of what's required and practical tools for implementation of a successful rehab program in your fire department. View webinar.
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – Implications for the Fire Service
  Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the world, and firefighters are most at risk of exposure to this deadly poison, often referred to as “The Silent Killer.” Even low-level and moderate CO exposure can lead to serious short- and long-term health problems, including heart disease, neurological disorders, and life-long disability. This course will review the pathophysiology, sources of exposure, and health issues associated with CO exposure, and its implications for the fire service. View webinar.
• Monitoring CO on the Fireground
  Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a frequent killer of fire victims and the most common toxicant found on the fireground.  CO is also a marker for other lethal poisons that injure, disable, and kill firefighters.  This presentation will explain the behaviors of CO, tools for measuring the presence of CO on the fireground and practical ways to avoid exposure during and after firefighting operations. View webinar.

• Functional Exercise: This webinar explains how to improve your on-duty performance through targeted workouts. Download webinar. 
• Nutrition: Learn how to use the nutrition facts label, smart snacking tips, and how to eat healthfully when dining out. Download webinar.
• Program Design: Find out about safe and effective training and exercise programs to implement at the station. View webinar.
• Heart Health: Find out more about the anatomy of the heart, how a heart attack happens, and the unique risk factors of a first responder. Download webinar.
• Smoking Cessation: Listen to the Know Your Health: Why I Smoke and How to Quit presentation, which describes the obstacles to quitting smoking and how to overcome them. Download webinar.
• Obesity in the Fire Service: The NVFC partnered with the HOPE Health Research Institute to study obesity in the fire service. This webinar outlines the findings of the study and provides recommendations to combat obesity and improve overall health. View webinar.
• The Insulin Connection: Learn about insulin’s diverse role in our bodies, beginning with  with a brief explanation of the physiology of insulin, then moving to behaviors that can improve insulin sensitivity and control blood sugar. Nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress can all affect blood sugar levels and insulin production. This webinar shows how small changes in our everyday lives can improve our health and reduce the risk of diabetes, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and obesity. To access this webinar, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.
• The Impact of Stress on Firefighter Heart Health: This webinar explains the causes of stress and discusses the physiological, emotional, and behavioral affects stress can have on the mind and body. It identifies factors that can increase the risk of suffering from stress and how to manage, prevent, and reduce stress within the fire department. To access this webinar, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.
• Basic Nutrition: This webinar will provide an easy-to-follow, comprehensive guide to basic firefighter nutrition and explain the "how, what, why, and when" of nutrition to maintain peak fitness throughout a fire service career. To access this webinar, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.
• Functional Fitness for Firefighters: This webinar is a continuing education course designed for physical fitness professionals desiring to increase their knowledge and skills in the area of functional movements and coaching proper movement while maintaining stability and mobility. To access this webinar, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.