Ready to Respond
Fairfax, Va. — The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) of the IAFC, and our partners announce the third International Fire and EMS Safety Stand Down, to be held the week of June 17-23, 2007.
The Stand Down, themed “Ready to Respond,” will focus on proper training and equipage; it will prepare fire fighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to respond to, mitigate and return home safely from an emergency. Failure to remain cautious can cause routine activities to become hazardous, as has been shown in the many fire fighter and EMT line-of-duty deaths and injuries.
This year, the Stand Down has been extended to an entire week, including a Saturday and a Sunday, to allow for all duty shifts, career and volunteer, to participate and to provide flexibility to all departments. In addition to the extended schedule, EMS has been added because of its integral role in emergency response. The IAFC, IAFF, VCOS and our fire-service partners urge all fire and EMS departments to save the date and actively participate in the event.
“Not only do we have participating departments from the United States and Canada, but we also have participants from the Saudi Aramco Fire Protection Department, an industrial fire department with stations throughout Saudi Arabia,” said IAFC President Chief Jim Harmes. “This shows that departments around the world realize the urgency for increased safety in fire and EMS departments and are willing to take action.”
It is estimated that up to 10,000 fire departments participated in last year’s Stand Down, and it is anticipated that the number will increase this year as fire departments realize the importance of this event. “Sadly, 105 fire fighters died in the line of duty last year. We must continue to take dramatic steps to reduce these alarmingly high fire fighter deaths and injuries. We have already lost 28 fire fighters this year and we must do everything within our power to keep our first responders safe,” said Chief Harmes. “I urge all departments to use this Stand Down to keep the focus on the safety and well-being of our first responders.”
“It is critical that our members take the opportunity during the Safety Stand Down to recommit to working safely and to performing all of our duties in the safest manner possible,” said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “Fire fighters must also have the necessary resources needed to do their jobs so that when the alarm sounds they are truly ‘Ready to Respond’ to every emergency in the safest possible manner.”
“Because more than three-fourths of all fire fighters are volunteers, it is critical that the largest portion of the fire fighter and EMT population takes part in Stand Down,” said VCOS Chair Chief Tim Wall. “I encourage all volunteer and combination departments to use Stand Down as a tool to review operations and to make sure everyone is ready to respond.”
The Stand Down would not be possible without the participation and coordination of our partners. They include:
- Canadian Fire Chiefs Association
- Congressional Fire Service Institute
- Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association
- Fire Department Safety Officers Association
- Fire & Emergency Manufacturers Service Association
- International Association of Arson Investigators
- International Code Council
- National Association of Hispanic Firefighters
- National Association of State Fire Marshals
- National Association of State Foresters
- National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
- National Fire Protection Association
- National Volunteer Fire Council
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group
- North American Fire Training Directors
- United States Fire Administration
Every participating department will have access to many resources, including a detailed schedule of events, lessons learned, safety reports, links to fire fighter health and wellness programs and a chief’s guide to planning and outreach. For more information, please visit www.iafc.org/standdown.