New Internet-Based Program for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations Now On-Line

WASHINGTON, DC. - The Department of Homeland Security's United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) announced today, the Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations is now available on-line.  This innovative web-based educational program includes an emergency vehicle safety best practices self-assessment, standard operating guideline examples, and behavioral motivation techniques to enhance emergency vehicle safety.  As crashes from privately-owned vehicles are the leading cause of volunteer firefighter on-duty fatalities responding and returning to emergencies, this program also discusses critical safety issues of volunteer firefighter safety in them.   

"Vehicle crashes represent the second leading cause of on-duty firefighter deaths in the volunteer fire service," said Charlie Dickinson, USFA Deputy Administrator. "This emergency vehicle safety educational program will also support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Firefighter Life Safety Initiative to reduce on-duty firefighter fatalities, and further ensure that Everyone Goes Home."

This program is a result of one of the partnerships with several leading fire service membership organizations as a follow on to the Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative, a USFA project developed to reduce the number of firefighters killed while responding to or returning from the emergency scene.

"This emergency vehicle safety educational program will enable the volunteer fire service to easily and conveniently obtain comprehensive information in this area while at home or in the station," stated NVFC Chairman Philip Stittleberg. "Educational outreach is critical in reducing the number of volunteer firefighters we lose year after year."

Further information about this program as well as other USFA efforts in emergency vehicle safety may be found on the USFA web site at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/research/safety/vehicle.shtm.  It may also be accessed from the NVFC web site at: http://www.nvfc.org/evsp/index.html

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident.  FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.  FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.