Role playing is a valuable activity that allows firefighters to apply information they have learned or received and deliver that information using their interpersonal skills. Ron Hiraki writes about using role playing in firefighter training.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) encourage all members of the fire service to familiarize themselves with the credible and valuable tools and resources that are available to assist firefighters and their families who may be coping with depression or thoughts of suicide.

Burn Awareness Week is the kickoff of a year-long educational campaign from Shriners Hospitals for Children. The 2012 Campaign, "Be Burn Aware," focuses on teaching children educational lessons that will keep them safe from burns especially at home.

Initiative is a quality we look for in firefighters, especially in leadership roles, Ron Hiraki writes, but initiative is only helpful when it is taken in the right circumstances.

We constantly read and hear of secondary accidents affecting firefighters and first responders operating at roadway incidents. This week's near-miss report deals with such an incident.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) recently released its Annual Report for 2011, which details the ways the organization has been working for volunteer firefighters over the past year.

The deadline for submitting a nomination for the National Volunteer Fire Council's (NVFC) Junior Firefighter of the Year and Junior Firefighter Program of the Year Awards is Wednesday, February 15.