2020 – Save the Date
FDSOA Apparatus Specifications & Maintenance Symposium
and the
FDSOA Annual Health and Safety Forum
Together again!
January 12-16, 2020 – Scottsdale, AZ
Scottsdale Plaza Resort
See what Gordon Graham has to say about the importance of the Incident Safety Officer (ISO) and the Health and Safety Officer (HSO)!
Looking to get certified as a Incident Safety Officer and/or a Heath and Safety Officer?
Check out the upcoming Academies
Interested in hosting an Academy at your department or area – contact us at Programs@fdsoa.org!
Departments can apply for training grants from the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants program to receive ISO and HSO certification courses. More information here.
Click image to view the full NFFF 2018 Report
The FDSOA appreciates our event sponsors!
Apparatus Symposium
Morning Session Sponsor
Apparatus Symposium
Breakout Session Sponsor
Apparatus Symposium
Afternoon Break Sponsor
Apparatus Symposium
Afternoon Break Sponsor
Apparatus Symposium
Afternoon Break Sponsor
2019 Health and Safety Forum
Keynote Speaker Sponsor
2019 Health & Safety Forum
Afternoon Break Sponsor
Latest News and Information from FDSOA
FDSOA Scholarship winners attend Safety Forum
Three winners of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association’s (FDSOA) new Safety Forum Scholarship were introduced at the 2019 Safety Forum, January 20st, in Orlando, FL. The winners were Lindsay C. Judah, Orlando, FL; Jeanette Kehoe, Training and Safety...
read moreWe We Need an Incident Safety Officer More Today Than Ever Before
We Need an Incident Safety Officer More Today Than Ever Before 03/07/2019 By Rich Marinucci The role of safety officer has grown in importance in recent years as our information base relative to the health and safety risks today’s firefighters face has increased. The...
read moreApparatus Exposure Control: Going Beyond the Cab to Protect Firefighters
Apparatus Exposure Control: Going Beyond the Cab to Protect Firefighters Janet Wilmoth shares information from Robert Tutterow's FDSOA session, “Apparatus Exposure Control: Beyond the Cab." Janet A. Wilmoth February 21, 2019 [button...
read moreNew FDSOA Chairman and Board members
New FDSOA Chairman and Board members The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) announced Jeffrey Merryman, deputy chief, Alexandria, VA, Fire Department, was sworn in as the new Chairman of the FDSOA Board of Directors during its annual meeting in...
read moreFDSOA Apparatus Specification & Maintenance Symposium 2019 Wrap-up
FDSOA Apparatus Specification & Maintenance Symposium 2019 Wrap-up Janet Wilmoth looks at some of the highlights from the 31st FDSOA Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium in Orlando, FL. Janet A. Wilmoth February 4, 2019 The 31st Fire Department...
read moreIAFC Urging Immediate Action on Roadway Safety
IAFC Urging Immediate Action on Roadway Safety The International Association of Fire Chiefs is urging all fire chiefs and officers to issue a safety and survival alert this week on roadway safety. February 4, 2019 Firehouse.com News IAFC The International Association...
read moreProtecting Body and Mind
Fire Apparatus Magazine chief concerns | Richard Marinucci Protecting Body and Mind Being a firefighter can be harmful to one’s health, and this comes as no surprise to anyone. Firefighters are asked to work in hazardous environments that are never exactly alike and...
read moreWV Fire Chief: Opioid Epidemic Far from Over
WV Fire Chief: Opioid Epidemic Far from Over Huntington Chief Jan Rader says first responders have redefined their jobs to do more than save a person's life. They're trying to help rebuild that life thanks to her Quick Response Team. Mark Shaffer January 3, 2019-The...
read moreFDSOA participates in team reviewing NFA safety curriculum
During the summer of 2018, the FDSOA and several other diverse and passionate fire service professionals, were invited to participate in a safety curriculum review at the National Fire Academy. The team of subject matter experts in areas of mental health, physical...
read more
The NFFF is working on our Fire Service Behavioral Health Management Guide, and they are hoping that you can help them with collecting of some resources.
- They are looking for samples of SOPs/Protocols/Best Practices that fire departments have concerning behavioral health. Things like EAP confidentiality, peer support team information, etc. They would not use anything in the guide without the fire department’s permission. And they may just adjust some of the language from the documents for use in the Guide.
- They are looking to include some first-hand accounts of experiences with behavioral health. These can be anonymous as far as coming from “a fire chief” or “a firefighter” or can be something more specific like “a volunteer fire chief.”
Please, send Rick Best <abest@columbus.rr.com> any documents or input you may have available to you.
The Fire Department Safety Officer Tribute
While firefighters strive to get the job done, the fire department safety officer ensures we’re #1.
While operating on a scene, from above or below, survival is our mission, starting centuries ago.
The fire department safety officer: that “tap on the shoulder”
Works hard in their job, to ensure we get older.
Operating to remind us, before conditions worsen,
The safety officers mission, albeit it a challenge….each and every person.
Often thankless and difficult, they may feel alone,
But we salute their efforts, to insure we all go home.
By: Billy Goldfeder