National Fire Fighter Health Week 2010

National Fire Fighter Health Week (Aug 16-20) kicked off yesterday for a week long initiative to educate the community of fire and emergency services, as well as the public concerning issues of heath and wellness that affect first responders. This annual initiative was first started in 2007 by The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). This week long event was created to "create awareness around important health issues in the emergency services and encourage first responders to take action.

2010's theme is, "Only you can Keep It Strong are you up to the Challenge?"

This theme asks first responders to take personal responsibility for their health and wellness to take the necessary steps to keep their heart, mind, and body strong. Each day this week is dedicated to a different health issue of particular concern to emergency services service personnel.

Yesterday's health concern that was highlighted was "Head Strong - Behavioral Health" awareness.

For information about each of these support in health topics, and steps that fire and emergency services first responders can take to protect themselves as well as their love ones head over to The National Volunteer Fire Council website:

www.healthy-firefighter.org/index.php?I'd=720

What you'll find on the NVFC's web page is a link for each day this week that takes you to some very good insight as well as what you can do for the day. The five focus topics this year are behavioral health, personal protective equipment (PPE), heart-health, cancer, nutrition, and fitness. Most importantly though, it gives you very good references and important resources to refer too.

Today's focus subject is "Respond Strong - Put It On" Today's topic focuses not only on the safety reasons for wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), but the important health reasons for doing so as well. Here's a FDNNTV.com video. . .



Just like having the right tool on the fire ground to use to combat a fire or provide valuable emergency medical service, having the right, current, and updated information to keep us all in the emergency service/first responders healthy is just as important.


SCENE SAFETY - SCENE SAFETY - SCENE SAFETY


(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; this is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)