Resources

NFPA 1584, Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training
National Fire Protection Association
This standard establishes the minimum criteria for developing and implementing a rehabilitation process for fire department members at incident scene operations and training exercises.

Emergency Incident Rehabilitation
U.S. Fire Administration and International Association of Fire Fighters
This 2008 manual looks at why rehab is important and how to implement a comprehensive rehab program.

Safety and Performance Implications of Hydration, Core Body Temperature, and Post-Incident Rehabilitation
Orange County Fire Authority
This research study examines the hydration status, exertion level, core body temperature, and post-incident cooling techniques to gain a better understanding of firefighter job demands and to provide recommendations to help minimize the inherent risks associated with firefighting.

Effects of Heat Stress and Dehydration on Cardiovascular Function
Skidmore College
In order to better understand factors that contribute to cardiovascular strain, researchers designed a study to investigate the twin challenges of heat stress and dehydration that firefighters face every time they don their gear and answer a call.

Firefighter Fatalities and Injuries: The Role of Heat Stress and PPE
University of Illinois Fire Service Institute
This report provides a review of the known research as well as new concerning the interrelationship of cardiovascular function, biomechanics, and the design of personal protective equipment.

Just a Reminder about Hydration
This two-pager provides some reminders for staying hydrated and how to tell if you are dehydrated based on your urine color.

Heat Index Chart
This chart shows the effects of the heat index.

Assessing the Effects of Energy Drinks Upon Firefighter Health and Safety
This paper by Stephen Abbott delves into the health effects of energy beverages on the hydration and cardiac workload of firefighters.

Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program
National Volunteer Fire Council
This program provides tools and resources to help firefighters improve their heart health and assist departments with starting or expanding a health and fitness program.

Cardiac Awareness Toolkit
International Association of Fire Chiefs
This toolkit provides information and resources so that responders can recognize cardiac events and act quickly before tragedy strikes.

First Responder Health and Safety Laboratory
Skidmore College
This compendium of reports and articles focus on cardiac health in the fire service.

Lavender Ribbon Report: Best Practices for Preventing Firefighter Cancer
International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section and National Volunteer Fire Council
This guide details 11 actions that responders need to take before, during, and after a fire incident to reduce exposure risks and prevent occupationally caused cancer. Departments should integrate these actions into their SOPs/SOGs.

Recommendations for Developing and Implementing a Fire Service Contamination Control Campaign
National Fire Protection Association Research Foundation
This report lays out a strategy and recommendations for establishing increased fire service awareness of and promoting changes in equipment and procedures to minimize the harmful effects from exposure to contaminants from the fireground and other emergency responses.

PPE and Fire Service Gear Cleaning Validation
National Fire Protection Association Research Foundation
How clean is clean when it comes to firefighter gear? Two major research efforts are addressing this question.

Exposure Risk Reduction Resources
National Volunteer Fire Council
This compendium contains resources and tools for reducing exposure risks and protecting responders from occupationally caused cancer.

Taking Action Against Cancer in the Fire Service
Firefighter Cancer Support Network
This white paper highlights the firefighter cancer problem and steps that can be taken by chiefs, members, and organizations to lower occupational exposure.

Directory of Behavioral Health Professionals
National Volunteer Fire Council
This directory provides a listing of local behavioral health providers that are ready and equipped to help firefighters, EMS providers, rescue workers, dispatchers, and their families. The providers either have firsthand experience with the fire and emergency services or have completed a training course on the specific challenges that emergency responders face.

Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments: Implementation Toolkit
National Volunteer Fire Council
This toolkit is designed to help fire department leaders promote and foster well-being among their members and create a psychologically healthy fire department.

Share the Load
National Volunteer Fire Council
This program provides tools and resources to help first responders proactively address behavioral health issues and assist departments in implementing a behavioral health program.

Yellow Ribbon Report – Under the Helmet: Performing an Internal Size-Up
International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section
This report includes background information, statistics, resources, and action items for departments to use toward the mental wellness of their members.

Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance
This organization educates firefighters, EMTs, and other emergency personnel about behavioral health triggers, the mental stressors this type of job can have, and the consequences of not recognizing and addressing warning signs.

On the Job and Off
This organization provides training on a variety of firefighter behavioral health issues, including an overview of these issues, vicarious trauma, post-traumatic stress, cumulative stress, compassion fatigue, dealing with a bad call, and more.

International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
This organization works with emergency response professionals worldwide to provide comprehensive crisis intervention and disaster behavioral health services via leadership, education, training, consultation, and support services.

CISM and CISD Questions Answered
Firefighters Support Foundation
In this video, Dr. Jeff Mitchell, one of the founders of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, answers common questions relating to critical incident stress management and critical incident stress debriefings.

Fire Corps
National Volunteer Fire Council
Fire Corps provides resources and tools to help departments implement or expand an auxiliary program to assist with non-operational tasks such as providing rehab services.

Fire Corps Guide to Providing Rehab
National Volunteer Fire Council
This guide outlines how to use non-operational volunteers such as Fire Corps teams to implement or enhance a fire department’s rehab program.

Rehab and You: NFPA 1584
National Volunteer Fire Council
This webinar from 2012 discusses NFPA 1584 and practical tools for implementing a successful rehab program in your fire department.

Firefighter Safety Stand Down Bulletin
The Valley Safety Officers and ROCC
The Valley Safety Officers focused on rehab during the 2018 Safety Stand Down. This bulletin provides resources and tools relating to rehab.

Beyond ‘High-Quality H2O’: Rehab Gets Your Tactical Athletes Back in the Game
FireRescue1
This article by Scott Kerwood discusses how to develop a comprehensive firefighter rehab program and build your response team.

Accountability is Everyone’s Responsibility
Firehouse.com
This article by Eric Valliere pinpoints the particulars of a system of fireground accountability that includes rehab.

Rules of Engagement for Incident Commanders: Always Have Firefighter Rehab Services in Place
International Association of Fire Chiefs
This article explains why rehab is critical for all firefighters who have endured strenuous physical activity at a working fire.

Firefighter Resiliency: From the Station to the Fire Ground (and Back Again)
Firefighter Toolbox
This article by Dan Kerrigan looks at why rehab is important and what the objectives should be.

Research Topic: Firefighter Rehabilitation
U.S. Fire Administration
This resource page provides links to collections of research on rehab topics drawn from federal, state, and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations and professional and scholarly publications.