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FireRescue1 Topic Directory

Navigate through the topics section on FireRescue1, your hub for specialized coverage on key issues and major news in the corrections field

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FireRescue1’s Firefighting Grants topic section is an online resource page designed to keep Fire departments informed of the availability of grants that can be used to fund projects, product purchases and programs to help keep their community safe.

Ventilation, forcible entry and extrication are bread-and-butter operations, but without the right tools, it’s nearly impossible to achieve successful outcomes. This guide details the key considerations for purchasing tools for ventilation, forcible entry, extrication and other tasks that require in-depth knowledge of how the tool works, how far it can be pushed, and how to maximize its abilities.


There are countless debates in the fire service that come down to simple go/no-go decision-making. This series helps company and chief officers manage these moments and make smart decisions that balance firefighter safety and service to the community.
Moving into a leadership role can be an exhilarating and proud moment; it can also be a daunting one. No matter whether you’re paid or volunteer, working for a department large or small, all new leaders face similar career development opportunities and administrative challenges. To be a successful new leader, you will need to identify the support systems, processes and tools to maximize the opportunities and clear the hurdles.

FireRescue1’s Fire Leader Playbook is one such tool to increase your effectiveness as a new leader, helping enhance your leadership KSAs, develop trust among your crewmembers, and build your confidence. The Playbook offers a wealth of resources, as you grow into your position of authority and move beyond basic management and supervision skills to lead and inspire with integrity and passion.


This special coverage series focuses on mayday training, preparing members at all ranks for what they could face on the fireground or incident scene. Specifically, the coverage addresses how to develop a culture of mayday training, introduces basic RIT training for rookies, details advanced scenario-based training, and offers simple steps to help build muscle memory.

In 1973, a national commission studying the U.S. fire problem created what would become a wake-up call for fire protection in America. The report, “America Burning,” defined in blunt terms and graphic images America’s fire problem as one of the worst in the world’s industrial countries. Any 1970s-era firefighters who read the report could not help but feel proud of their dangerous work.

Published on May 4, 1973, “America Burning” served as a road map for change.

In 1974, Congress passed the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act. The law created the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, now the U.S. Fire Administration – and with it the National Fire Academy.

2023 marks 50 years since the seminal report changed the trajectory of fire service priorities for decades.

Every day, around the clock, our nation’s first responders give it their all.


The job is uniquely rewarding. It’s also uniquely challenging, with physical, mental and emotional impacts.


First Responder Wellness Week is dedicated to providing resources, support and community to help public safety personnel better understand the mental and physical health risks that come with the job.


Join Lexipol, FireRescue1 and our partners from March 27-31 to focus on your health and promote the wellness of your personnel. Each day we’ll focus on a different topic, providing shift briefing videos, webinars, articles, podcasts and more, all within the overarching theme of being a “Resilient Responder.”
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Lithium-ion batteries are powering more devices than ever. From personal electronics and mobility devices (e-bikes, scooters, wheelchairs) to energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicles and manufacturing facilities, firefighters are responding to myriad incident types that require a new approach. These calls challenge our crews, in part due to their long duration. The FireRescue1 lithium-ion battery fire resource page includes news and subject-matter expert analysis of this emerging issue.

Following years of unprecedented efforts and steadfast perseverance, 2022 brought a slew of new milestone moments. As we reflect on 2022, we consider not only the big news of the year but also the bright and unique moments that gave us pause.

Fire apparatus can have a duty life of 10 to 30 years, but with technology advancing faster than ever before, are you buying the apparatus you need today or the apparatus you will need in 2030 and beyond?

This series explores the apparatus advancements, including the uptick in hybrid and electric vehicles employed by fire departments. It also explores simple ways to make apparatus upgrades and how the evolving fire service mission will impact apparatus specifications in the future.

Spotlighting the passion and perseverance of firefighters, the Better Every Shift Podcast helps all firefighters get better every day, every call, every shift.

Congress designated Oct. 28 as National First Responders Day in 2017. The day honors the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, EMTs and 911 operators who answer the call when a crisis arises, often putting their own lives on the line. Serving as a national day of gratitude, National First Responders Day pays tribute to their services to their communities and honors fallen first responders. National First Responders Day is also a call for action to support first responders.

With the fire service facing a perfect storm of stressors, from a staffing crisis to expanding scope of work requirements and mental health challenges, we once again ask the vital question, “What do firefighters want?” The short answer: stress relief and staffing.

More than 2,100 firefighters completed the What Firefighters Want in 2023 state-of-the-industry survey, revealing some alarming statistics related to their feelings about the job.

The What Firefighters Want in 2023 special coverage series explores the root of firefighters’ stress, the impact of staffing challenges, how supervisor stress affects the entire crew, guidance for managing personal and professional stress, information about recruitment and retention solutions, insights into how stress affects the family unit, and much more to help firefighters and officers alike navigate the perfect storm of stress.

Thank you to the International Public Safety Data Institute for its data analysis support and the IAFC for its promotional support.

Nineteen children and two adults were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. The tragedy evokes memories of the Sandy Hook school schooling in Newtown, Connecticut, a decade earlier.

The Uvalde school shooting highlights the need for ongoing active shooter and mass casualty incident (MCI) training for firefighters. Several resources can be found in this compilation of active shooter training-focused content. All first responders are encouraged to embrace communication around the impact of such difficult incidents on their mental health.

Learn more about the Uvalde school shooting and related expert analysis below.

The FireRescue1 Resource Center brings our knowledge off the website and into your hands. Download checklists, guides, ebooks and more to keep on hand for quick reference and to share with your members.

The day in the life series details the ins-and-outs of fire service life over the course of a single day, shift or week. These first-person perspectives from various ranks of the fire service hierarchy paint an honest picture of the intensity, stress and exhilaration of the job, not to mention the complexity and variability that comes with each shift.

If you’re interested in sharing a look inside a day, shift or week at your department, email editor@firerescue1.com with your pitch.

Mass-casualty incidents are possible in every coverage area across America. Too often, public safety or local government officials dismiss MCI or large-scale event preparation and training with the simple “That can’t happen here” mindset. They are wrong. An MCI event could be anything from a carbon monoxide leak to a hazmat facility blast to a massive structural collapse like the tragedy in Surfside, Florida. It could also be the result of a natural disaster – a situation to which no area is immune.

This series defines MCIs to help agencies understand their role and how they can prepare; considers the tools needed to mitigate human-caused and natural disasters; and outlines keys for interagency coordination and response efforts.

While “unprecedented” was certainly the word of 2020, “perseverance” is a strong candidate for 2021. Fire service personnel continued to push through a slew of challenges, both new and old, to serve their communities. Amid staffing shortages and ongoing concerns about the pandemic, you stepped up, every day and in every way.

As we reflect on 2021, we consider not only the big news of the year but also the bright moments that brought us joy. Finally, FireRescue1 contributors share their projections and predictions for 2022.

The fire service has long been considered one of the most trustworthy professions; however, it only takes a handful of bad behaviors to erode the public’s trust. From embezzlement of public funds to problematic social media posts, firefighters have been discovered making poor decisions that require immediate action. There’s also firehouse behavior like tardiness, insubordination and harassment that can undermine morale, increase risk and jeopardize a department’s reputation.

This series identifies the top disciplinary issues facing fire service leaders and what they can do to change bad behavior while preserving trust among the community and members. It also examines how to identify top performers, recognition for firefighters who meet or exceed department and community expectations, and how to use performance metrics in making promotion decisions.

The Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was an attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to disrupt the joint session of Congress that had assembled to count electoral votes that would make official the presidential election victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protestors breached the U.S. Capitol and occupied the building for several hours after lawmakers and staff evacuated the premises. Five people died in incidents related to the insurrection.

DC Fire & EMS produced a video documenting the fire and EMS response to the event.

There are no words, even images, that can fully capture the devastation of September 11, 2001. For those of us who were not on the scene that day, we can only imagine what it must have been like for first responders to face 16 acres of horror at Ground Zero, to see a symbol of America’s military on fire, and to descend upon a Pennsylvania field covered in pieces of an airliner. Those who did face these unimaginable scenes have graciously shared their unique insights. It is through their eyes that we reflect on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Where a dirty helmet was once a badge of honor, a source of pride for firefighters looking to prove their mettle, this symbol is now seen by many as a sign of weakness, even ignorance. With all that we know about the risks of fireground toxins, firefighters who continue to glamorize dirty gear have positioned themselves as the modern-day Marlboro Man – a face that once symbolized rugged cool, now a relic of a fading culture.

The problem extends to unsafe fireground behavior, too, but many members find themselves unsure how to embody the essence of a valiant public servant amid a growing focus on safety.

In this special coverage series, we redefine fire service pride, identify the factors that drive firefighters to choose unsafe actions, and consider how culture and behavior are two very different ways to approach the issue.

Taking place each year during the third full week of June, the Safety Stand Down highlights critical safety, health, and survival issues for fire and emergency services personnel. Departments are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activities during the week to focus their attention on safety and health education efforts. A week is provided to ensure that all duty shifts can participate. The Stand Down is sponsored by the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section, the NVFC and the NFPA.

Of the various services local governments provide, the fire service has never been more vital. That’s because local governments rely on their fire departments for the initial response to any disaster – natural or man-made. But this expanding mission also comes at a time when municipal and county budgets are stretched increasingly thin. Whether you work in local government or you’re a concerned citizen looking for solutions, the Local Government topic page is designed to be a resource. Learn how decision-makers can best assess the level of emergency response capability their communities need, find creative solutions to funding and staffing shortfalls, and more.

With five generations currently serving in the fire service, new officers find themselves facing a unique supervisory challenge of learning how to lead diverse groups with different learning and leadership styles. This challenge is amplified when less experienced members are placed in supervisory roles, managing older or more experienced members.

This series reviews how new officers can effectively manage the “buddy-to-boss” transition, tips for new officers leading teams through crisis, and how to adapt learning and leadership styles to connect with all members.

The Side Alpha on FireRescue1 podcast puts fire service leaders and emerging leaders in front of the hot topics facing firefighters today.

Side Alpha on FireRescue1 podcast is hosted by Chief Marc Bashoor, Executive Editor of FireRescue1.com and FireChief.com. Chief Bashoor tackles the state of the fire service and pressing issues facing firefighters and fire departments at all levels.


COVID-19 forced many organizations around the world to adjust their entire work and training models – in a matter of weeks. The fire service was no exception, with officers quickly seeking new ways to reach members and support ongoing training efforts. In this special coverage series, learn how departments can adapt to the “new normal” and implement a variety of high-tech tools (e.g., online learning, virtual reality training) for members’ continued growth. Plus, get tips for funding training and understand how technology helps mitigate training risk.



Do you have a burning fire service problem? Let Billy Goldfeder help solve it.

Staffing? Tactics? Operations? Command? Personnel? Leadership (both good and bad)? Career frustrations? Department changing? Department NOT changing? Serious or not so serious, Deputy Chief Goldfeder offers his no-holds-barred advice in the What’s YOUR Problem? video series.

Submit a question here.

And read Chief Goldfeder’s Fired Up! column here.