The National Fire Service Safety Stand Down takes place June 17-23. This year’s them focuses on understanding, implementing and monitoring a comprehensive annual medical/physical for firefighters and navigating the Road Map to Firefighter Health and Wellness.
Firefighters face many health risks, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and PTSD, and early detection through annual medical evaluations and physicals saves lives. Safety Stand Down resources and materials will increase awareness among firefighters of how to educate their physicians on risks, where to go for the latest information on the IAFC occupational hazard profile and how to access available resources about annual medicals/physicals.
This important event allows everyone to refresh or learn new skills and techniques based on today’s research into firefighter annual medicals/physicals. Firefighters have a responsibility to be fit and ready to answer the call, and this year’s Safety Stand Down aims to provide the tools to make that happen and reduce line-of-duty deaths.
Agencies in Oregon, and across the country, are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activities during the week of June 17-23 in order to focus on training and education related to this year’s theme. An entire week is provided to ensure all shifts and personnel can participate. Topic information, training materials and videos will be available at SafetyStandDown.org, the official website for the Safety Stand Down event.
The Safety Stand Down is coordinated by the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section and the NVFC, and it’s supported by national and international fire and emergency service organizations, including the NFPA. The Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) is active in sharing this important information with more than 300 career and volunteer fire service agencies around the state.
DPSST's Director Eriks Gabliks said "Oregonians are protected by more than 12,000 career and volunteer fire fighters around the state. Many Oregon fire departments and fire protection districts have participated in the National Fire Service Safety Stand-down every year. Previous years have focused on training topics and reviews of policies and procedures. This year's theme is more personal, Be Aware – Get Checked. The importance of medical evaluations, on-going physicals, and behavioral health cannot be understated. The physical and emotional health and wellness of our first responders is paramount. Sadly a recent USA Today article showed the tragic impact suicides are having on our law enforcement officers and firefighters around our nation" https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/11/officers-firefighters-suicides-study/503735002/
Local contacts: Oregon Fire Chiefs Association Safety & Health Section https://oshs.ofca.org/