When encountering an upset or angry person in your fire or EMS department, it can be difficult to know what to do. Most de-escalation trainings encourage you to apply logical solutions to emotional situations, which does not work. In this highly interactive webinar presented by Kerry Mensior, you’ll learn effective communication and de-escalation skills that

The Annual Membership Meeting of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) will be conducted via Zoom on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 1:00 pm Eastern. This meeting is open to all state, individual, and corporate members of the NVFC. Attendees will hear reports on the NVFC’s business and financial operations. State member representatives may vote

This wildland fire focused event will be an opportunity for fire and EMS personnel from across the region and country to participate in valuable classroom training as well as exchange ideas and best practices with their peers. The conference is focused on the Plains region, but open to department personnel nationwide.

The NVFC's deputy CEO, Dr. Candice McDonald, will give two presentations: Change YOUR Mindset, Change YOUR Community on March 22, 8:30-10am Communicating With Candor and NOT Chaos on March 22, 10:30am-12pm

First responders are responsible for protecting everyone in their community, and to best do this means adapting to different communication needs to reach all segments of the population. This Roundtable Talk, taking place during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, will help responders better communicate fire and life safety messages to individuals living with developmental disabilities, better

Recruiting and retaining volunteers in your department is an important and exciting part of your job as a leader. Understanding why volunteers decide to stay at your department requires individualized relationships and conversations with each person. Mentorship offers a significant return on investment for both the department and the volunteer, and it asks leaders to

An important aspect of recruitment and retention is asking volunteers how they feel about their experiences and using their feedback to make improvements in the department. But how do you narrow down the right questions, how do you ask them, and perhaps most importantly, what do you do with the answers you get? And if

This Congress, the NVFC will be supporting funding for Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER), the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), Volunteer Fire Assistance Grants (VFA), National Firefighter Registry (NFR), and Rural EMS Training (SIREN) Grants. The NVFC will also be advocating for the passage of legislation to

Many volunteer fire and EMS departments struggle to maintain sufficient staffing. Major factors contributing to recruitment challenges include increased time demands, more rigorous training requirements, and the proliferation of two-income families whose members do not have time to volunteer. So, how can departments attract volunteers and encourage them to stick around, despite these challenges? This