NFFF Memorial Weekend
Every October, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. The 38th Annual NFFF Memorial Weekend will be held October 5–6.
The public ceremony will begin Oct. 6 at 10:00 a.m. at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, the official national monument to all fallen firefighters, located in Emmitsburg, MD.
Thousands will attend the national tribute remembering America’s bravest who died in the line of duty in 2018 and several who died in previous years. The national service will celebrate the lives of these dedicated men and women.
The ceremony, rich in fire service traditions, will begin with an Honor Guard and bagpipe band processional. Families will receive American flags flown over the U.S. Capitol and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The tribute will conclude with the unveiling of the memorial plaques listing the names of the 2018 fallen heroes and those who died in previous years.
Families and coworkers of the fallen firefighters will receive priority seating for the Memorial Service, as will the survivors of firefighters honored in earlier years.
The NFFF will broadcast the service live on the web and via satellite. DVDs of the service will be available after the Memorial Weekend.
For more information, visit firehero.org.
NVFC Announces Dates for 2020 Training Summit
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) will be holding its next NVFC Training Summit June 26–27, 2020, in Orlando, FL. Preregistration is open now at nvfc.org.
Launched in 2014, the Training Summit provides an opportunity for first responders from across the country to participate in valuable classroom training as well as exchange ideas and best practices with their peers. The NVFC’s signature annual conference is open to all volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, department leadership, and other fire department personnel. General and breakout sessions will address critical issues in first responder health and safety, recruitment and retention, and fire prevention.
Updated details, including a call for presentations, stipend program, travel information and registration are available at nvfc.org/nvfc-training-summit.
Firefighter Health & Wellness Conference
Brothers Helping Brothers and Firefighter Cancer Consultants will present the 2nd Annual Firefighter Health & Wellness Conference, taking place at Soin Medical Center in Beavercreek, OH, from Oct. 24–26, 2019, featuring national speakers all focused on the health and wellness of first responders.
The conference will cover some of the hottest topics in the realm of health and wellness in first responders. The conference presenters will be covering topics such as occupational cancer research & prevention methods, nutrition, sleep deprivation & recovery, PTSD, suicide, work life balance, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, personal protective equipment care & maintenance, wellness exams, and workers’ compensation.
The conference features many speakers familiar to Firehouse Magazine readers. Chief Billy Goldfeder, who writes the Close Calls column, will give the keynote address, “Sizing Up Disciplined Tactical Wellness: The Fire Officer’s Responsibility in Our Insane World.” Other speakers include Dr. David Griffin, Chief Todd LeDuc, Dr. Sara Jahnke and Jennifer Keir.
For more information, visit events.brothershelpingbrothers.org/ffhw2019.
More Globe Gear Giveaway Winners
MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have awarded new turnout gear to two additional departments through MSA’s Globe Gear Giveaway. A total of 13 departments will each receive four new sets of state-of-the-art turnouts in 2019 to help them increase the safety of their firefighters.
To be eligible to apply, departments had to be all-volunteer or mostly-volunteer, serve a population of 25,000 or less, be legally organized in the U.S. or Canada, demonstrate a need for the gear, and be a member of the NVFC. To help departments meet this last requirement, MSA sponsored NVFC memberships for the first 500 applicants.
The latest recipients to receive the gear are Salcha, AK, Fire & Rescue and Kenduskeag, ME, Fire Rescue.
Salcha Fire & Rescue is located about 40 miles south of Fairbanks, AK, next to the Salcha and Tanana Rivers. The department prides itself in being “professionally staffed by volunteers since 1982.” Volunteers are trained at both Firefighter I and Emergency Medical Technician II, protecting 2,400 people over 350 square miles. A tight budget, along with care and maintenance costs of hand-me-down equipment and gear, leaves no room to purchase new turnouts for its crew.
While all 35 of the department’s responders have gear, it has been donated from other departments, most of which are over 15 years old. Gear that is over 10 years old is considered noncompliant with recommended safety standards. The department uses this gear for primary response.
“Our goal is to provide safe gear for our volunteer responders,” said Chief Ernest Misewicz. This donation will help them to achieve that goal.
Kenduskeag Fire Rescue protects a population of 1,338 over nearly 17 miles in Penobscot County, ME. Its 11 active volunteers are trained at First Aid/CPR and Basic Firefighter and respond to an estimated 160 calls each year. The department has been striving to improve its operations, ensuring its fleet is equipped properly and operating safely, which leaves no funding to outfit their firefighters with compliant and efficient gear. Only three sets of their gear are less than 10 years old and meet national safety standards. The department strives to ensure the safety of its responders, particularly mitigating cancer risks by properly cleaning gear after each call. However, this often leaves the department out of service after a fire until the gear is again ready for response. Additionally, the department has had to turn potential recruits away because of the lack of gear and the inability to purchase new gear that will keep them safe on a call.
“These four sets of gear [will] go a long way to cement morale and make the best use of all who apply to our department, ergo creating a more safe and efficient public service,” said Deputy Chief Matthew Nadeau.
Additional awards in MSA’s 2019 Globe Gear Giveaway will be made monthly through December.
For more information visit MSA’s web site at MSAsafety.com.
This Month in Fire History
October 2, 1922—First national Fire Prevention Week proclaimed by President Warren Harding
October 5, 1858, New York, NY—Crystal Palace destroyed by fire
October 7, 1979—First Firefighters Memorial Sunday is held
October 8, 1871, Peshtigo, WI—Forest fire kills 1,152 people
October 8, 1871, Chicago, IL—Great Chicago fire kills 250
October 15, 1984, Washington, DC—U.S. Postal Service headquarters fire causes $100 million in damage and injures at least 25 firefighters
October 16, 1966, New York City—Wonder Drug store fire kills 12 firefighters
October 19, 1991, Oakland/Berkeley, CA—The Tunnel Fire/Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and injures 150
October 20, 1873, Baltimore, MD—International Association of Fire Chiefs founded
October 23, 1989, Pasadena, TX—Phillips Petroleum plant fire kills 23 employees and injures 314.
October 29, 1974—Federal Fire Prevention & Control Act of 1974 creates U.S. Fire Administration
Courtesy of NFPA
