A strategic partnership between the IAFC’s Safety, Health & Survival Section, the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) has established a new program that will continue to promote a culture of health and safety in the fire and emergency service. This program is a new podcast series, moderated by Broward County (Fla.) Assistant Chief Todd LeDuc.
This collaboration of well-established stakeholder groups that have demonstrated a strong passion for addressing issues of safety and wellness will bring a renewed focus to educate and inform not only their members and key constituents, but also the fire service from a grassroots knowledge-sharing campaign. The series focuses on enhancing communication of safety issues within the fire service.
The monthly series will provide timely and actionable topics of real concern for all members of the fire service, including the Rules of Engagement, rapid-intervention processes and scene safety, among others.
The topics will be aligned with the monthly focus topics of both the section’s monthly pocket planner and the Near-Miss calendar. The content will be delivered by leading fire service subject-matter experts who will share real issues confronted by real departments, along with recommendations and solutions that can be applied to any fire/EMS department.
The podcasts will be about 30 minutes in length and will be recorded, edited and distributed monthly. They’ll be available through the SHS Section, Near-Miss and ISFSI websites, allowing a broad audience to benefit from this important and informative series. This will also allow mobile devices to access and download the podcasts on the go.
The content experts will no doubt focus on the areas each and every chief and company officer must address when in command of safety both on and off the fireground. In addition, these podcasts will provide excellent in-service training opportunities for all personnel to hear the same message consistently and broaden their safety awareness. The podcast approach will provide flexibility for busy schedules that challenge us all in today’s dynamic environment by being timely and available for listening when our schedules permit.
This interactive series will provide valuable insight and experiential learning on the issues challenging the fire and emergency service with regards to health, safety and wellness. The series will also incorporate lessons learned from other departments that have tackled many of these challenging issues contributing to preventable injury, disability and death within the fire and emergency service.
Vicki Lee is the staff liaison to the Safety, Health and Survival Section.