NVFC to Offer Equipment Management Training

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), through a Fire Prevention and Safety grant, is developing four equipment management training webinars for firefighters and emergency service personnel. These training opportunities will educate first responders on the full life cycle of funding, maintaining, using, and retiring equipment. Stay tuned to the NVFC’s Dispatch newsletter and web site for more information.

The webinars, which will be available this summer, supplement the NVFC’s Volunteer Firefighter Health and Safety Priorities. Set forth in a series of B.E.S.T. Practices for the volunteer fire and emergency services, the priorities are divided into four main focus areas: Behavior, Equipment, Standards and Codes, and Training. This series focusing on equipment will be taught by industry leaders from NVFC partner companies Globe, Rosenbauer America, Scott Safety, and W. S. Darley. Each course will last one hour.

The four workshops focus on different aspects of the fire department equipment life cycle. Whether you are a veteran department leader or a new recruit, the courses will offer the latest information on today’s equipment. Topics include Proper Equipment Management, Equipment Use and Maintenance, Retiring Equipment, and Funding Equipment Needs.

In addition, the NVFC will be releasing an equipment management template. Built into a user-friendly spreadsheet format, the template can be downloaded and customized for your department. The template will include information on recommended maintenance and replacement dates and a list of additional resources on equipment management.

More information will be announced soon in the Dispatch and at www.nvfc.org. Find more free training opportunities for you and your department at http://www.nvfc.org/trainingeducation/nvfc-academy-online-training/.