Firefighting is a dangerous and hazardous job.  Every day firefighters risk their lives protecting people and property in their communities.  While some hazards are unavoidable, there is much that can be done to make firefighting safer.

Here you will find information, resources and tools to be a safer, healthier firefighter.  Topics rotate monthly so come back and visit often.  
 

 
Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, accounting for approximately one out of every five deaths (440,000 people) each year. More deaths are caused by tobacco use than by HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murder combined. First responders already face increased risks to their health, and yet many further increase their risk of disease and death by smoking or even breathing in second-hand smoke from fellow firefighters. Many firefighters may want to quit but simply don’t know where to start.
 
To answer this need, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), with support from Pfizer, has launched a new web site to help first responders quit smoking and stay quit. The Put It Out campaign web site is now available at www.healthy-firefighter.org/putitout. The site provides tools and resources for firefighters and emergency personnel who are ready to take the steps to stop smoking and lead a healthier, smoke-free lifestyle.
 
The Put It Out site contains sections to assist individuals in quitting smoking, family members in supporting first responders who are quitting, departments in establishing a no-smoking policy and smoking cessation program, and state associations in encouraging their members to adopt a smoke-free lifestyle. Tools and resources include a ‘quit calendar,’ steps for how to quit, statistics and facts about smoking, sample documents such as press releases and no-smoking policies, outreach letters, motivational tools, and more.

Make yourself, your department, and your state’s fire service healthier by taking the first step toward a smoke-free lifestyle. Visit www.healthy-firefighter.org/putitout today and find out what you can do to stop smoking or help your fellow first responders Put It Out.

(Courtesy of the National Volunteer Fire Council)

More Topics and Sites

Everyone Goes Home 
Recognizing the need to do more to prevent line-of-duty deaths and injuries, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has developed a national program to bring prevention efforts to the forefront.

NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program
This site is dedicated to saving firefighters and EMS personnel from their leading cause of death:  heart disease. Tools included are for firefighters, departments and families.

Fired Up for Fitness
As a firefighter, it's important that you can meet the physical demands of being on duty. The NVFC has designed this program to help you meet your fitness goals. 

Fit to Survive
Created by the IAFF, here you can find advice and practical information on staying fit and healthy, as well as healthy recipes and nutrition tips.

Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative
Almost 25% of yearly firefighter fatalities result from motor vehicle crashes.  The U.S. Fire Administration created this report to identify practices that have the potential to decrease risk, as  well as to reduce the number of injuries and deaths that occur while responding to and returning from incidents (PDF format).

Infectious Disease
This document by the IAFF sheds light on infectious disease exposure and risk among firefighters and what can be done about it (PDF format).