The safety of our nation’s firefighters will continue to improve thanks to a $1 million federal grant to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The grant will help support the Foundation’s Everyone Goes Home® program which educates firefighters about preventing line-of-duty deaths and injuries.
The grant is awarded from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. The AFG provides funding each year to fire departments and emergency medical service organizations that are unaffiliated with hospitals.
“The Foundation is grateful to receive this grant so that we can continue our mission of honoring our nation’s fallen firefighters and their survivors by helping others to prevent line-of-duty deaths and injuries,” said Chief Ronald J. Sianicki, executive director of the NFFF. “These funds will enable us to further reach members of the fire service with vital information and resources so that they can do their jobs safely and effectively.”
Everyone Goes Home® is a national education and training program to help reduce the number of line-of-duty deaths and injuries that occur each year. The program was created to support the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives (FLSI) that were developed during the 2004 Firefighter Life Safety Summit in Tampa.
Some of the grant money will be used to develop several new programs, including Company Officer Development, a Fire Service Curriculum Summit and Rules of Engagement Checklist. Funds will also be directed to programs on behavioral health issues, as outlined in Fire Life Safety Initiative #13 and burn peer support. The grant will also allow the Foundation to expand existing programs such as Courage to be Safe® and Leadership Accountability, Culture and Knowledge.
For more information about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and Everyone Goes Home® visit www.everyonegoeshome.com.
