NVFC Launches Training to STOP Firefighter Vehicle Accident Deaths

[James Fountain]

June 22, 2011
NVFC Launches Training to STOP Firefighter Vehicle Accident Deaths
Inaugural training centers on seatbelt use

Vehicle crashes are consistently the second leading cause of
firefighter deaths each year. Hundreds more are injured while
responding to or returning from an incident. Recognizing that more
needs to be done to educate first responders about vehicle safety, The
National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has partnered with McNeil &
Company and its ESIP Program to create a new campaign designed to
increase safe vehicle operations among first responders and provide
training to STOP preventable injury and death from vehicle accidents.

The new STOP campaign reinforces that Safety Tops Our Priorities. The
first training in the program – STOP: Seatbelts Top Our Priorities –
is now available online at http://training.mcneilandcompany.com
(access code 6832). The free 30-minute training module focuses on
vehicle safety with an emphasis on seatbelt use. With Fire/EMS Safety,
Health, and Survival Week in progress and proper seatbelt use one of
the NVFC’s Health and Safety Priorities for the Fire Service, now is
the perfect time to implement this training in your department.

“Seatbelt use may be the easiest thing first responders can do to
protect themselves from harm,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C.
Stittleburg. “We are pleased to partner with McNeil & Company to
launch this new training program to instill and reinforce safe vehicle
practices on first responders across the country. All first responders
should take the free STOP training, and we highly encourage department
leaders to incorporate STOP: Seatbelts Top Our Priorities into your
regularly-scheduled department training activities.”

Taking simple precautions like clicking a seatbelt and watching your
speed significantly reduces the risk that a first responder will be
killed or injured in a vehicle accident. Yet the need for increased
awareness and training is evident. Every year, 25 percent of on-duty
firefighter fatalities are caused by vehicle crashes. According to the
National Fire Protection Association, nearly 1,000 firefighters were
injured in vehicle accidents in 2009 either in department apparatus or
in personal vehicles responding to or returning from incidents.

STOP: Seatbelts Top Our Priorities is a training module delivered
through an online platform hosted by McNeil and Company’s Emergency
Services Insurance Program (ESIP) and presented by Chief David
Denniston, Client Education and Training Manager. Departments can
incorporate the STOP program as part of their training activities to
educate their members about vehicle safety and reduce the risk of
firefighter death and injury from vehicle accidents. STOP contains
completion tracking capabilities so departments can ensure their
members have completed the course, and certificates of successful
completion can be printed once individuals have finished the training.
Training officers may contact the NVFC for a report of all their
members who have completed the training.

In addition to the STOP training, the NVFC strongly encourages
departments to have all their members sign the International First
Responder Seat Belt Pledge. The pledge was created in 2006 in memory
of firefighter Brian Hutton, who died after falling from his fire
truck on the way to a call. Over 850 departments and 150,000
firefighters – including the full NVFC Board of Directors – have
signed the Seatbelt Pledge, making the commitment that they will
improve their safety by wearing their seatbelts.

Join with the NVFC in ensuring that Safety Tops Our Priorities in the
emergency services. Register today to take the STOP: Seatbelts Top Our
Priorities training at http://training.mcneilandcompany.com. To
register, follow these steps:
• Select “Not Already Registered? Click Here.”
• You will register as a student using access code 6832.
• Enter your email address and confirm.
• Enter a password and confirm.
• Enter your first and last name, and then enter the department you
are affiliated with.
• Check off the Terms and Condition box and select Register.

If you experience any difficulties accessing the training, please
contact Heather Fredenburg at hfred...@mcneilandcompany.com or
800-822-3747 Ext. 524.

Stay tuned to the NVFC for information about additional STOP training
modules. Together we can create a culture where vehicle safety is
accepted and expected in the fire and emergency services.