We train for emergencies every day, but preventing them starts before the sirens. Just as we go into schools to teach kids about fire safety, we can teach them about distracted driving. Join this NVFC webinar to learn about K-12 programs you can immediately implement in your community — from reading programs for K-1 students to classroom lessons, middle and high school presentations, and train-the-trainer resources. These programs have been evaluated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and found to be effective in changing attitudes and behaviors surrounding distracted driving. Let's stop talking about the problem and start doing something about it.

Pipeline incidents can put responders and community members at risk as well as cause disruptions to needed services. Join this NVFC Roundtable Talk to hear from federal, fire service, and industry experts about steps your department can take to both prepare for and prevent pipeline emergencies. Learn about available training programs and resources to promote first responder readiness and help departments with creating and adopting policies and procedures to mitigate pipeline emergencies in their communities. The panelists will also discuss resources fire departments can use for public awareness campaigns, including updated PHMSA guidance to prevent emergencies by encouraging the public to contact 811 before they dig.

Volunteer fire departments face increasing challenges delivering effective training amid limited time, budgets, and growing operational demands. This Roundtable Talk will explore common training barriers, including balancing requirements with personal and professional commitments, securing resources, and ensuring training supports firefighter safety and operational readiness. Panelists will share practical strategies for improving training efficiency, using training as a retention tool, and maintaining quality without overburdening volunteers. This discussion is designed for volunteer fire service leaders and training officers seeking actionable ideas to strengthen their training programs. This Roundtable Talk is sponsored by Vector Solutions

When a serious motor vehicle crash occurs – especially on rural roadways – volunteer fire and EMS departments are the difference between life and death in the critical moments that follow. In this NVFC webinar, join Gamunu Wijetunge, director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of EMS, to learn how advances in post-crash care are strengthening response in rural communities across the country. Hear real-world examples and lessons learned from departments implementing life-saving interventions – from evolving extrication practices to prehospital blood transfusion. The session will share how volunteer fire departments can partner with EMS and highway safety leaders to improve post-crash care and access new resources. Volunteer responders will find this discussion informative as they prepare applications for the upcoming Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) funding opportunity.

Effective team dynamics and leadership are critical to firefighter safety and operational success. This webinar explores how research-based teamwork principles and real-world experience – both in the U.S. and internationally – can strengthen fire service performance. Kevin Quinn, NVFC past chair and Africa Fire Mission (AFM) instructor, and Jose Ngunjiri, AFM Fire Safety Officer based in Kenya, will share lessons learned from training fire services across Africa, highlighting leadership, communication, and trust in high-risk, resource-limited environments. Amber Lynn Scott from the University of Kentucky will also share initial research on team dynamics and its relevance to volunteer and combination departments. Participants will also gain insight into how U.S. firefighters can engage in meaningful international training efforts while bringing practical leadership and teamwork lessons back to their home departments.

On July 15, 2025, a volunteer firefighter died and another was injured as the result of a crash while responding in a privately owned vehicle. The incident was investigated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) so that the fire service can learn from this incident and prevent future tragedies. In this presentation, investigator Rick Lago will share the incident details, contributing factors that led to the fatality and injury, and recommendations to help fire departments prevent future incidents involving POV response.

As communities grow and housing density increases, volunteer fire departments are increasingly responding to contemporary mid-rise and multi-dwelling buildings that present unique operational challenges. Modern construction methods, lightweight materials, complex layouts, and mixed occupancies can significantly impact fire behavior, access, and firefighter safety. This Roundtable Talk will explore how today’s mid-rise and multi-dwelling structures differ from legacy buildings and what those differences mean for response planning, size-up, air management, search, and extended operations. Panelists will discuss practical considerations departments can address now to prepare for incidents in these evolving structures.

Decades ago, it was not uncommon for emergency responders to be killed or injured during hazmat incidents. Born from analysis of these tragic incidents was the concept of risk-based response, which uses facts, science, and circumstances of an incident to determine the best course of action and to increase the safety of the responders and public. In this webinar, learn the history of risk-based response and how to apply it to hazmat incidents and other significant events.

Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly linked to fires across communities nationwide, especially in the waste and recycling system. To address the risk of improperly discarded batteries, the National Waste & Recycling Foundation (NWRF), in partnership with industry leaders and with the USDA Forest Service’s Woodsy Owl, launched the “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!” public service announcement (PSA) campaign. This webinar highlights early results from the campaign, community engagement efforts, and how education and prevention can help reduce battery-related fire risks nationwide. Learn how to leverage consistent messaging, trusted messengers, and local partnerships to help reduce battery-related fires before they start – and how the campaign is scaling nationally in 2026.

Fire departments often rely on modern fire dynamics research to guide training and operations, yet this same information is often underused in community education. This webinar will help volunteers translate research-based fireground knowledge into clear, actionable public safety messages. Participants will learn how to update outdated outreach, explain modern fire behavior in simple terms, and teach residents practical steps that reduce risk, slow fire growth, and support firefighter safety. This session is ideal for firefighters, officers, instructors, and anyone involved in public education. This webinar is sponsored by UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute.