SAN DIEGO – Vector Solutions, a leader in training and operations management solutions for the fire service through its TargetSolutions brand, is offering complimentary access to two of its most important online training courses, NFPA 1851 – Cancer-Related Risks of Firefighting and Mental Health Awareness for Emergency Responders. Vector Solutions will donate $1 to the American Cancer Society and the First Responder Center for Excellence for completions of the respective courses for the rest of 2020.
NFPA 1851 – Cancer-Related Risks of Firefighting was written according to the NFPA standard on the Selection, Care and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting. Cancer remains one of the leading causes of line-of-duty deaths and this two-hour course aims to provide a thorough understanding of fire service-related cancer risks for today’s firefighters. With every course completion of this online course, Vector Solutions will donate $1 to the American Cancer Society.
Mental Health Awareness for Emergency Responders utilizes national data, as well as testimonials from veteran first responders, to assess the most common mental health disorders affecting emergency responders and healthy coping strategies. For each completion of the complimentary course, which is made available without continuing education credit, Vector Solutions will donate $1 to the First Responder Center for Excellence.
“Emergency responders risk their wellbeing for others every day they come into work,” said Alex Berry, who serves as Executive Vice President for Vector Solutions and is a member of the American Cancer Society’s Greater DC/Baltimore Area Advisory Board.
“We’ve learned over the last few years the extent of the physical, mental and emotional toll of this job. Vector Solutions feels a responsibility to help educate emergency responders about these risks and how they can be mitigated. We’re honored to work with the American Cancer Society and First Responder Center of Excellence on these special programs.”
In 2019, Vector Solutions launched its Vector Cares Program. As part of its commitment to serve everyday heroes and communities across the country, this program combines business and philanthropic efforts to provide education resources and help improve outcomes.
“We are very grateful to Vector Solutions for creating this generous campaign to support the American Cancer Society for the second year in a row and, especially, during the pandemic, which has put our mission to fight cancer at risk for the first time in the Society’s history,” said Tswana Sewell, who is executive director for the American Cancer Society. “We appreciate the firefighters and first responders who put their lives on the line daily for the sake of the community and are out there serving with the additional risks posed by COVID-19. We are honored to be the recipient of funds raised through these important, free courses that Vector Solutions is offering to enhance the safety and wellness of emergency first responders and lower their cancer risk.”
In addition to the free training courses, Vector Solutions is working with Life Scan Wellness Centers, one of the nation’s largest providers of NFPA 1582 physicals for early cancer detection, to deliver valuable webinars. Earlier this year, Chief Todd LeDuc (Ret.), who serves as the Centers’ chief strategy officer, delivered a webinar presentation through TargetSolutions on the role of early detection for firefighters.
He followed that presentation up on Oct. 14 with another webinar titled “The Importance of Mental Health for Emergency Responders.”
“Public safety professionals are exposed to high-stress situations that can lead to serious stress-related disorders and diseases,” said LeDuc, who is a board member for the IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section. “I’m happy to be working with Vector Solutions to help educate first responders on these health risks. We need to continue to recognize and teach our community on what comes with exposure to these high-stress situations. All too often mental and physical health is overlooked.”
For more on information on these free courses, offered through the Vector Cares Program, please check online at
https://www.targetsolutions.com/emergency-responder-health-2020. For more information about Vector Solutions, please contact us today at (800) 840-8046.
About Vector Solutions Vector Solutions, a leader in eLearning and performance support, provides award-winning SaaS solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), industrial, facilities management, public safety, IT and education industries. Its brands, RedVector-Convergence Training, TargetSolutions, and SafeSchools, deliver continuing education (CE), training, technology and performance management solutions using the latest innovations in learning and technology to create safer, more capable, more compliant organizations. Its extensive online and mobile learning library offers approximately 8,000 courses written by over 250 subject matter experts and reaches over 7 million professionals worldwide. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information, visit www.vectorsolutions.com. Follow us on
