NVFC Offers Health & Wellness Train-the-Trainer Workshop May 31-June 1

April 22, 2013

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) will offer its Health and Wellness Advocate Train-the-Trainer workshop at the National Professional Development Symposium on May 30-June 1 at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD. Click here for information about the Symposium and how to register. The deadline to apply for the Symposium is May 1. Please do not book your travel plans until you receive confirmation of your acceptance from their Admissions Office.

The NVFC’s Health & Wellness Advocate workshop teaches first responders the importance of health and wellness and motivates them to start a department-wide health and wellness program. Participants in this train-the-trainer course will be given the tools and resources they need to teach this valuable information to others. By becoming an approved instructor of this course, you will assist your fire service peers in acquiring the following life-saving skills:

  • Understand the health importance of starting a health and wellness program
  • Identify and understand the major risk factors of heart disease and be able to discuss their effects on an individual’s health
  • Develop and demonstrate listening skills that will help encourage discussion of a wellness program in the firehouse.
  • Learn to communicate effectively with the administration and fellow firefighters the importance of wellness programming in the firehouse
  • Identify the overall “health behavior mood” of the station and determine the appropriate action to take to facilitate wellness discussions and activities
  • Understand and discuss the purpose and benefit of functional exercise training for injury prevention and increased efficiency in firefighting
  • Utilize surveys for the initial start-up aspect of the wellness program
  • Lead the startup phases of a wellness program and be an advocate of wellness


The Health & Wellness Advocate Train-the-Trainer workshop is funded through a Fire Prevention and Safety grant with a goal to bring this valuable and potentially life-saving training to front line responders by providing state training agencies and fire service educators with the tools they need to incorporate this curriculum into their course offerings.  Learn more about the NVFC’s health and safety initiatives at www.nvfc.org.