Description

Safety Stand Down 2025

Break the Stigma: Behavioral Health RESET

The 2025 Safety Stand Down will focus on the critical topic of behavioral health, asking departments and responders to help break the stigma and RESET their approach to behavioral health through the following daily focus themes: Recognize, Educate, Strategies, Empower, and Training.

Behavioral health affects every aspect of an emergency service department, from safety and retention to productivity and engagement. Use the week of June 15-21 to focus department activities on gaining an understanding of behavioral health challenges and how to support team members struggling with these challenges to prevent negative outcomes such as burnout, injuries, anxiety, leaving the department, or suicide.

Safety Stand Down takes place the third full week of June each year to highlight critical safety, health, and survival issues for fire, EMS, rescue, dispatch, and other emergency services personnel. Departments are asked to suspend all non-emergency activities during the week to focus their attention on safety and health education efforts. A week is provided to ensure that all duty shifts can participate.

Note: If you need immediate support with a behavioral health issue, call 988 for the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. More resources for where to get help can be found under the Empower section on the Resources page.

Safety Stand Down is a joint initiative of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Safety, Health and Survival Section, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire Protection Association, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association, and the International Association of Fire Fighters and is supported by national and international fire and emergency service organizations as well as health and safety-related organizations and agencies.

Held during the third full week of June each year, the 2025 event will occur from June 15-21. Fire and EMS departments are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activity during Safety Stand Down to focus on training and education related to this year’s theme. An entire week is provided to ensure all shifts and duty crews can participate.

The goal of the partner organizations is to reduce the number of preventable injuries and deaths in the fire and emergency services. Safety Stand Down focuses on the critical importance of responders taking care of themselves on and off the emergency scene. The week is designed to increase awareness and action so that safety and health become a priority in all fire and emergency service departments.

Contact

If you have questions about Safety Stand Down, please fill out this form. 

About the International Association of Fire Chiefs

The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally, and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders. Learn more at www.iafc.org.

About the National Volunteer Fire Council

The NVFC is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides critical resources, programs, education, and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Learn more at www.nvfc.org.

About the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®)

Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global self-funded nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The 125-year-old Association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach, and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.

About the Fire Department Safety Officer Association (FDSOA)

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association was established in 1989 as a non-profit Association, incorporated in Massachusetts. In 2013, the offices moved to Michigan. Its mission is to promote safety standards and practices in the fire, rescue, and emergency services community. The Association is led by a volunteer Board of Directors and has a small staff to handle the day-to-day operations. It is the Association dedicated to the issues that affect your critical role as Safety Officer in protecting and promoting the safety and health responsibilities you have to your department, your community, and yourself. In fact, so critical is the role of the Safety Officer in every department in the country, that we train and offer ProBoard Certifications for the Incident Safety Officer and Health Safety Officer to ensure the needed knowledge and skillsets to be successful. FDSOA works to help you achieve proficiency, promote the recognition of your skills, and secure your future.

About the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is the driving force behind nearly every advance in the fire and emergency services in the 21st century. Representing over 354,000 professional fire fighters, emergency medical workers, and rescue workers, IAFF members protect more than 85 percent of the population throughout the United States and Canada. www.IAFF.org.