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Posted: May 31, 2017

New Process for Legislative Priorities

Traditionally, the Washington Fire Chiefs have set the session priorities based on a survey sent mid-April to members.  From those priorities, the Legislative Committee met and put together a strategic list of our “Top 5 Legislative Goals” for the following year.
 
At the WFC Conference in May, the legislative goals were presented for input and adopted by the membership.
However; some concerns were expressed about the process being too early before the session ends. This year, the legislative committee has decided to try a different process, in the hopes of better meeting our member's needs...

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Posted: May 31, 2017

Is it time the fire industry rethinks their approach to home fire protection

In the early 1960s the fire service was able to make interior attacks on house fires that were often able to be made without the use of self-contained breathing apparatus, (SCBA)   Granted, in those days SCBAs weren't readily available or used by many departments and there were many who saw it as a sign of weakness to even bother with them.
 
Then in the late 60's and early 70's  the nature of house fires in general changed dramatically.
With the introduction of polyurethane foam, (often described as compressed gasoline), as a replacement for Jute furniture padding, one of the most feared phenomena for all firefighters swiftly became an almost regular occurrence.  Flashover....
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Posted: Apr 27, 2017

EF Recovery’s Response Recovery Program Continues to Grow

For the past decade, voter resistance to fire department bond initiatives has increased. As populations grow and demand for resources increases, how can a fire department continue to serve the public on an ever-shrinking budget?
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Posted: Apr 27, 2017

The Other Side of Patient Care

We respond to save lives. When we can’t, we render a different kind of care to our patient’s survivors.

In my experience, the following components make a successful firefighter wellness program: 

A Strong Foundation 
• Focus on taking care of the customer (developing and applying compassion) 
• Focus on taking care of self and others (training in  stress resistance, resilience, and recovery) 

Behavioral-Health Program Development 
• Peer team and outside resource development 
• Operational guidelines 

Continuing Behavioral-Health Education Classes 
• How to have difficult conversations 
• Maintaining successful relationships 
• Dealing with change 

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Posted: Mar 30, 2017

AFG Grants Safe in President’s Budget Proposal

President Trump’s budget proposal contains major cuts to many federal grant programs. 

Assistance to Firefighter Grants:

Fortunately for fire districts/departments, the “Assistance to Firefighter Grant” (AFG) programs are safe for now.  This is because they fall under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, one of three federal departments (along with Veteran’s Affairs and Defense) that, at this time, are escaping President Trump’s proposed budget cuts.

Proposed Cuts to Other Federal Grant Programs:

USDA Rural Development grant programs which have previously provided some equipment funding for fire districts/departments, are also slated for major cuts to funding...

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