It’s International Fire/EMS Safety and Health Week. This week is a joint initiative of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to encourage departments to focus on important safety and health issues. This year the focus is on behavioral health, and we want to remind all firefighters and emergency personnel that Saving Our Own is an Inside Job.

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. This year’s theme reflects the importance of emergency responders taking responsibility for their own and each others’ mental and physical well-being. There are many resources to help you focus on behavioral health this week and throughout the year on the Safety and Health Week web site at www.safetyandhealthweek.org.

Stay tuned all week for e-blasts from the NVFC to help you take advantage of new safety and health resources. Remember to register for this week’s behavioral health webinars at https://nvfc.webex.com. Through June 18 you can still enter the Fire Service Safety and Health Sweepstakes Quiz for your chance to win a challenge coin.

Find additional resources, activity ideas, and other tools for Safety and Health Week at www.safetyandhealthweek.org.