National Volunteer Fire Council

Webinar: Recruiting Exceptional Crew Members in Competitive Times
2020-11-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Using data driven tactics to draw in and keep qualified candidates is essential to the future of the fire service. Join ESO for this free webinar to discuss current recruitment trends and how to change recruitment tactics using risk reduction impacts in the community and a data-driven development program. This session will provide tools and information that can be used in fire departments across the nation to recruit and retain qualified candidates.

Webinar - Hostile Events: Preparing Your Emergency Services Organization for an ASHER Incident
2020-11-05 14:00 - 15:00
As active shooter incidents become more prevalent, fire and EMS departments need to be ready so they can respond in the safest and most effective way. Join the National Volunteer Fire Council and International Association of Fire Chiefs for this free webinar on best practices to plan and prepare for an active shooter/hostile event response (ASHER) incident. Attendees will learn key principles from NFPA 3000 and the IAFC’s Active Shooter Toolkit, the steps to conduct a risk assessment, and resources and guidance available to develop a plan of action in your community.

Wildland Urban Interface Conference
2020-11-04 - 2020-11-05
This virtual conference focuses on education and resources for preparing communities in the wildland-urban interface before the next wildfire strikes.

Protecting the Protectors: Emergency Responders & Traffic Incident Response
2020-10-27 14:00 - 15:00
Every day, firefighters and EMS providers nationwide respond to thousands of traffic incidents. Yet while they’re working to save lives, their own safety is often put at risk. National Traffic Incident Response Awareness Week (November 9-15) aims to raise awareness of this issue and reduce responder fatalities, and every emergency responder, driver, and passenger has a role to play. Join NVFC Maryland director David Lewis, Joseph Tebo of the Federal Highway Administration, and Stephen Austin of the Emergency Responder Safety Institute for a Facebook Live discussion on October 27 at 2pm ET that will focus on raising awareness of the threats posed to emergency responders during roadway incident response, the role firefighters and EMS providers play in roadway incident scene safety, and available training opportunities.

ReIGNITE Virtual Conference
2020-10-20 - 2020-10-22
In place of Fire-Rescue International this year, the IAFC is holding this virtual conference focused on training, education, and best practices, as well as new technologies, apparatus, and equipment.

Fire-Rescue Med
2020-10-19
This virtual conference focuses on fire-based EMS education and issues.

Webinar: Professional Development for the Volunteer Fire Officer
2020-10-14 18:00 - 19:00
Officers have an important role and immense responsibility in taking care of their organization. New volunteer fire officers face unique challenges on both the operations and administrative sides of the organization as they try to navigate their new position. Join Tom Merrill for this free webinar to understand how aspiring, newly promoted, and veteran officers alike can help bring members home safely, earn credibility and respect, and competently handle the numerous tasks and details needed to keep the department operationally ready and organizationally compliant. The presentation will also discuss leadership traits that all fire department members can use to create and maintain more unified and harmonious operations.

NVFC Fall Meeting
2020-10-14 - 2020-10-16
Annual fall meeting of the NVFC board of directors. This meeting will be held virtually.

Fire Prevention Week: Engaging Audiences During a Pandemic
2020-09-22 14:00 - 15:00
Sponsored by California Casualty. Learn more about insurance options for firefighters and EMS providers at www.calcas.com/firefighters.
Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 4-10) is typically a time for fire departments to connect with their communities, hold open houses, and distribute fire prevention and recruitment messages. So how do you engage with the community during a pandemic? Join us for this Facebook Live discussion on the NVFC’s page: National Volunteer Fire Council. Lt. Michael O. McLeieer, past president of the Michigan State Firemen’s Association, will be joined by Andrea Vastis, senior director of public education at the National Fire Protection Association, Teresa Neal, fire program specialist at the U.S. Fire Administration, and Blaise Harris, fire and life safety educator at the Rocky Mount (NC) Fire Department.

Webinar: Staffing the Fire Station: A Data-Driven Approach to Recruiting Millennials
2020-09-16 14:00 - 15:00
Fire department leaders have a long history of following practices handed down through generations, but when it comes to recruiting millennials, a data-driven approach may prove to be more successful. Join Scott Wilber of the Bronson (MI) Fire Department for this free webinar that will offer suggestions for recruiting the next generation based on research about millennials and current practices in fire departments. Attendees will identify what motivates young adults, what they find most rewarding about serving in the fire service, and how this information can be used effectively to revitalize recruitment efforts.

Webinar: It Could Never Happen Here: Suicide and the Volunteer Fire Department
2020-09-10 14:00 - 15:00
We lose more firefighters each year to suicide than in the line of duty. Yet while every fire department’s calendar is full of training for safety on the fireground, how much time is focused on mental and emotional health? In this free webinar, Hersch Wilson, volunteer firefighter/EMT with the Hondo Fire Department in Santa Fe County, NM, will discuss the impact of the firefighter’s world on mental and emotional health and the risk of suicide among first responders. Attendees will be given ideas and advice to help build a more resilient culture within their department and learn why ignoring mental health is not an option.

Webinar: Grants Program Update: What's Changing and What Do I Need to Know?
2020-09-02 14:00 - 15:00
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released updates related to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, and Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) grant programs. In this free webinar, David Lewis, the NVFC’s Maryland Director and the NVFC representative to the AFG, SAFER, and FP&S criteria development process, will discuss these updates in detail. Attendees will also learn about FEMA’s plan for rolling out the FY 2020 grant application periods, the second round of AFG-S funding for volunteer and combination fire departments, frequently asked questions related to the FEMA GO grants management system, and FEMA’s decision to extend the period of performance for FY 2018 AFG and other grants.

Webinar: Fundraising Strategies for Fire and EMS Departments
2020-08-27 14:00 - 15:00
Creative and strategic fundraising for volunteer fire and EMS organizations has never been more important. Having a clear plan, specific goals, and precise execution are keys to ensuring you make the most of those valuable hours donated by your members. Join David Denniston of McNeil & Co. for this free webinar on how to achieve success with your fundraising efforts, especially in these unusual times. Whether you have been fundraising for decades or just started to feel the pinch, this webinar will explore how to determine your fundraising needs, what options are available, and how to maximize your results.

Fire-Rescue International: Virtual Experience
2020-08-19 - 2020-08-21
In place of the usual FRI conference this year, the IAFC will hold a virtual event for the fire service.

NVFC Virtual Leadership Symposium
2020-08-14 13:00 - 17:30
The NVFC is pleased to announce an afternoon of live, virtual training providing a condensed version of our popular in-person full-day course offerings focused on leading successful departments. This free training event, sponsored by the Motorola Solutions Foundation, is composed of two courses: Leadership for the Fire and Emergency Services (1-3pm ET) and Volunteer Fire Service Culture: Essential Strategies for Success (3:30-5:30pm ET). Attendees can chose to attend one or both courses, and registration is required.

Webinar: Surviving the Job - Cancer from a Survivor's Perspective
2020-08-11 14:00 - 15:00
Hear about the impact of cancer from the perspective of a survivor, and learn about the importance of prevention and early detection. This is one of a six-part cancer risk reduction webinar series from the IAFC-VCOS and NVFC. Register here.

Webinar: Leadership for the Fire and Emergency Services
2020-07-16 14:00 - 15:00
Quality leadership is essential for the fire and emergency services to accomplish your mission and improve your department. Join Steve Hirsch, NVFC Chair, for this free webinar that will examine leadership styles, qualities, and best practices to help your department function at a high level and avoid fire and emergency services leadership pitfalls. Register here.

Webinar: Public Safety Solutions for First Responders Using Mobile Devices
2020-07-09 14:00 - 15:00
Verizon recognizes the critical role first responders play in emergencies. Access to quality applications and the ability to use your personal device to communicate are paramount to the success and outcome of any mission. Join the NVFC and Verizon for this free webinar that will review two of Verizon’s first responder priority services for personal wireless devices, at no additional cost: Verizon Mobile Broadband Priority and Wireless Priority Service. The presenters will also highlight available apps that first responders can use to assist in response activities.

NVFC Training Summit: Virtual Preview
2020-06-26 - 2020-06-27 | Embassy Suites by Hilton Lake Buena Vista Resort, 8100 Lake St, Orlando, FL, 32836, United States
This virtual preview of the 2021 in-person conference will feature webinars on critical fire service issues.

Webinar: COVID-19 Cost Recovery for Fire and EMS
2020-06-25 11:00 - 12:00
Join the NVFC and Federal Emergency Management Agency for this free webinar that will review the delivery of the Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program to support fire and EMS departments in their response to COVID-19.

Webinar: Fire Chief Authority Under NFPA Standards
2020-06-10 14:00 - 15:00
Many volunteer and small-town fire chiefs often find it challenging to fully implement NFPA standards in their departments. What you may not realize is that fire chiefs have the power to decide which NFPA standards to use and how to use them (except when state law requires otherwise). Join Chief Joe Maruca of West Barnstable (MA) Fire Department for this free NVFC webinar to learn how small-town fire chiefs can use their power to modify and adapt NFPA standards to fit your situation and provide the most benefit to your department. Register here.

Webinar: Surviving the Job - Decon Procedures
2020-06-09 14:00 - 15:00
What do you do as a fire chief when your firefighter tells you they have cancer? How do you prevent this conversation from happening? This free webinar explores decon procedure options for your department to lessen the risks of occupational cancer. This is one of a six-part cancer risk reduction webinar series from the IAFC-VCOS and NVFC. Register here.

Webinar: Personal Protective Equipment Preservation and N95 Respirator Decontamination and Reuse
2020-06-04 14:00 - 15:00
Join the NVFC, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for this free webinar that will review current research and best practices on preserving and decontaminating personal protective equipment and use of the Battelle Decontamination System to extend the lifespan of N95 respirators.

Facebook Live Discussion: Fundraising Ideas for Vol Fire/EMS Departments
2020-06-03 19:00 - 20:00
The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures have created funding challenges for volunteer fire and EMS departments, especially those that rely on in-person fundraising events. Join the NVFC on June 3 at 7pm ET for a live discussion with panelists Ed Tase, second vice president at the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, and Dave Denniston, director of risk management at McNeil and Company. They will discuss funding challenges facing volunteer departments and creative fundraising ideas that can be implemented to help bridge funding shortfalls.

Webinar: Strategies to Increase Behavioral Health Support for Your Fire/EMS Department
2020-05-20 14:00 - 15:00
The spread of COVID-19 has more than just physical health implications. It also creates uncertainty and changes in lifestyle that can have an emotional impact. Firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers may be feeling the impact especially hard as they navigate the new realities of responding and maintaining operations during this crisis. Join Jeff Dill, founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, for this free NVFC webinar to discuss strategies and resources your department can implement to reduce your first responders’ stress and anxiety and proactively address other behavioral health concerns.

Webinar: Why Everyday Health Decisions are Important in Reducing Cancer Risks for Firefighters
2020-05-13 14:00 - 15:00
Improving firefighter health and lessening the risks for critical illness such as cancer takes a multi-pronged approach. While operational considerations such as decon are necessary, research increasingly suggests that personal modifiable risk factors, such as nutrition, fitness, tobacco use, and sleep, are key predictors of injury, loss, and developing cancer. Join the NVFC and Sara Jahnke, PhD, Director of the Center for Fire, Rescue, and EMS Health Research for a discussion current research of these modifiable risk factors and why preventing cancer requires not only individual, but system level changes.

Webinar: The Past, Present, and Future of the Fire Service
2020-05-01 18:00 - 19:00
Where is the fire service now and where is it headed? Looking to the past can help us predict the future. Ed Mann, training & education director at Provident and a well-known figure in the fire service, will share his thoughts on where the fire service was in the 1970s when he first became active with the Logan and Undine Fire Companies in Bellefonte, PA. Moving to the present, you will then hear his views on where the volunteer fire service is today and where he thinks the volunteer fire service is going.

NVFC Spring Meeting
2020-04-30 - 2020-05-02 | VA, United States
Annual spring meeting of the NVFC board of directors. Learn more and register here. UPDATE: The meeting will be held virtually instead of in-person.

Webinar: How to Protect Your Nonprofit Organization from Financial Fraud
2020-04-22 14:00 - 15:00
Stories of financial fraud are on the rise, but there are steps nonprofit organizations can take to protect themselves. In this free NVFC webinar, Chris Rauch of Vault Consulting will explain why nonprofit organizations may be at risk for fraud, whether from employees or through cyber-attacks and phishing schemes. He will then provide a practical approach to help attendees learn how to safeguard their organization from both internal and external threats of fraud. Register here.

Webinar: Surviving the Job - Annual Physicals
2020-04-14 14:00 - 15:00
This free webinar discusses the importance of annual physicals and options available to you and your department. This is one of a six-part cancer risk reduction webinar series from the IAFC-VCOS and NVFC. Register here.
