International Fire/EMS Health & Safety Week, brought to you by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, is June 17-23. The goal is for fire departments to make safety, health, and survival a priority. International Fire/EMS Safety and Health Week encourages firefighters and EMS professionals to focus on what they can do to increase safe operations, improve your health, and reduce your risks of tragedy.

At LION, we felt this was a perfect time to kick off LION Fire Academy Fridays. LION Fire Academy is our brand-new online training destination for all things related to personal protective equipment (PPE). In the fire service, your survival can depend on your knowledge. We want to help you learn all you can about your PPE, what it’s designed to do, and also that while designed to protect you, it cannot make you invincible.

This week, we’re kicking off weekly dose of NFPA 1500 PPE Safety and Use Training. Learn what every fire fighter should know before donning their NFPA 1971 structural fire fighting PPE. Chapter 1 focuses on Personal Responsibility of the Individual Fire Fighter. It covers the individual responsibilities each fire fighter has for his or her PPE, including:

• Reading, understanding and following User Instruction, Safety and Training Guides
• Reading and understanding all warning labels attached to your PPE
• Understanding the purpose and limitations of your PPE
• Inspecting and maintaining your PPE
• The importance of proper diet and physical fitness.

After you watch the video, you can put your knowledge to the test!