First responders are routinely exposed to traumatic events, and many are still suffering from the psychological toll of frontline work during the pandemic. Experiencing these traumas and situations that go against a person’s deeply held beliefs and expectations can result in post-traumatic stress or a moral injury. In this webinar, presented by Wendy Norris, discover how moral distress and survivor guilt impact the mental well-being of first responders and learn practical strategies to overcome these challenges. This session will also offer insights into coping with traumatic events and reconnecting with our values. This webinar was sponsored by ESO.

Utility-scale battery energy storage is a critical component to achieving decarbonization objectives while maintaining a reliable and resilient power grid. Deployment of utility-scale battery energy storage capacity is accelerating dramatically in the U.S. However, both local firefighters and people living near proposed energy storage project sites have questions about the safety of these facilities. This presentation by Mike Simpson of AES will address the characteristics of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS), potential hazards such as thermal runaway, and new approaches to mitigate those risks. These advancements encompass equipment safety approaches; a four-stage approach to effective protection against thermal runaway; advancements in enclosure design; monitoring systems; standardized testing; codes and standards; safety evaluation processes; and passive and active safety measures. The presentation will also provide examples of how clean energy project developers can work together most effectively with local fire departments on hazard mitigation analyses, project site design refinements, and emergency response planning to further enhance energy storage safety.

Leading a combination department with both career and volunteer personnel can bring unique challenges for officers. This webinar will provide an overview of challenging issues and considerations facing emergency service leaders and chief officers in combination department settings. Topics covered will include administration, delegation, setting expectations, mentoring, and human resource issues, among others. Presenter Quentin Cash will also provide tips and tools to produce success around communications, leadership, and supervision. This webinar is sponsored by Amazon. For NVFC members who are always on the move, Amazon Business brings convenience and efficiency right to your fingertips. As a dedicated first responder, you can access a wide range of supplies and equipment essential for your work, enjoy exclusive discounts, use an invoicing credit line, and benefit from fast, free shipping on vital items. Leveraging Amazon's vast selection, including a specialized First Responder Storefront, you get the flexibility and resources to focus on what you do best: saving lives and serving your community. This partnership is tailored to meet the unique demands of your role, ensuring that you have everything you need, whenever you need it.

Warehouses utilizing robotics and other high challenge facilities bring a set of difficulties for volunteer fire departments, who may not be used to dealing with these technologies. While responding to emergency incidents in these types of facilities is not common, when they do happen the risk is high. This webinar will introduce participants to some of the high challenge facilities that they may encounter. Join speaker Michael Spaziani of FM Global as he helps participants better understand the challenges and how to prepare for an emergency response to the facility. This webinar is sponsored by Stonehouse Media. Established in 1995, Stonehouse Media Incorporated is an award-winning digital media company focused on producing credible, vetted, engaging training for the fire service and first responders through creating and maintaining online training networks, interactive programs, and websites in partnership with leading fire service and emergency response organizations. Our proprietary online learning network powers CFITrainer.Net (International Association of Arson Investigators), FHLN.Net (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation), RSLN.org (Emergency Responder Safety Institute), and FMGlobalFireServiceResources.com (FM Global). The training and professional development tools we produce are delivered and measured with the latest technology, integrated with social media, and distributed on multiple platforms. To learn more visit: www.stonehousemedia.com

On February 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a proposed rule revising its emergency response standard. This is the first time OSHA revised this standard since 1980, and the public has until June 21 to provide comments. If enacted as is, this proposed rule would bring immense challenges to volunteer departments, and some may even be forced to shut down. It is important that the volunteer fire service understand how this rule would impact them and provide their comments to OSHA before June 21. This NVFC Roundtable Talk will highlight some of the biggest concerns with the proposed revised emergency standard, discuss which volunteers will be impacted, explain the NVFC’s strategy for addressing the proposed revision, and suggest best practices for departments wishing to comment on the revisions. The text of the proposed revised OSHA emergency response standard and information on how to submit comments can be found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/05/2023-28203/emergency-response-standard

On February 5, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published the proposed new Emergency Response Standard, and the public has until June 21 to provide comments. If adopted as is, this proposed standard would bring immense challenges to volunteer departments, and some may even be forced to shut down. It is important that the volunteer fire and emergency service understand how this rule would impact them and provide their comments to OSHA before June 21. This NVFC presentation will allow you to hear directly from OSHA staff about how volunteers would be impacted by this standard and what you can do to make your voice heard. Please note: Due to this being a pending federal rulemaking, the presenters from OSHA will not be able to take comments on the proposed standard. They will only be able to provide clarifications on the content of notice of proposed rulemaking or guidance on where and how to submit a public comment. Presenters: Mark Hagemann – Director, Office of Safety Systems, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA Bill Hamilton – Fire Protection Engineer, Office of Safety Systems, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA

2024 ​Arson Awareness Week is May 5-11 and the theme is “Protecting Houses of Worship – Fire as a Weapon.” The NVFC and USFA hosted a webinar to support this year’s theme with representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Briefings included a historical review of attacks on houses of worship using fire as the weapon; a threat and intelligence review of current threat actors, targets, and trends; and a discussion on preventing, protecting, mitigating, and response and recovery for arson events involving houses of worship. There was a question and answer period following the briefings.

Each year, the frequency and intensity of wildfires are growing. They are destroying land across the globe and are taking lives in communities and firefighting organizations of every size. In fact, the U.S. Fire Administration reports that between 1990 and 2020, there were 522 firefighters killed while involved in brush, grass, or wildland fire response. In this webinar, presenter Bill Arsenault will provide a look into the wildfire landscape of the past 30 years, what has changed for the fire service, and what we must do to be more effective in our preparedness and response.

In conjunction with National Safe Digging Month, join the NVFC and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for this webinar on how emergency service departments can best prepare for pipeline safety and response in your community. In this session, you'll learn how to identify if your community has pipelines - and what's in them - and how to identify transmission versus distribution and gathering lines. The session will also discuss working with pipeline operators, understanding your response capabilities, and how to train effectively for a pipeline event. This webinar is made possible by the USDOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

This Congress, the NVFC is supporting funding for Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants (VFA), National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer, and Rural EMS Training (SIREN) Grants. The NVFC is also advocating for the passage of legislation to reauthorize SAFER, AFG, and USFA, fund the renovation and construction of fire stations, improve mental health care for first responders, and expand the eligibility of federal housing benefits to volunteer first responders. If enacted, each of these policy and funding priorities will greatly assist the volunteer fire service in keeping Americans safe. You, as an NVFC member and volunteer responder, have a valuable role to play in encouraging Congress to act on these initiatives. This webinar presented by Ryan Woodward, NVFC chief of legislative & regulatory affairs, will provide a primer on the current political climate in Washington, the NVFC’s policy priorities, and what you can do to encourage your Senators and Member of Congress to support these priorities.