Each year, firefighters respond to an average of 160 home structure fires that started with ignition of a Christmas tree. The American Christmas Tree Association encourages consumers to keep fire safety top-of-mind this holiday season.

The law enforcement profession faces an employee crisis, as agencies struggle to recruit, hire, and retain police officers. In response, the U.S. Justice Department recently released “Recruiting and Retention for the Modern Law Enforcement Agency,” the result of input from law enforcement and community leaders from across the country.

Texas State Technical College’s Emergency Medical Services program in Abilene recently unveiled the first complete ambulance simulator in North America, which students use to get hands-on experience. Echo Healthcare partnered with the college and SimLeader to deliver the converted Ford F350 ambulance.

In the face of an ongoing global road safety crisis, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Road Safety have started a collaboration aimed at strengthening the role of law enforcement in enhancing global road safety.

Norfolk Southern Corp. broke ground in late September on its First Responder Training Center in East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a massive train derailment in February 2023. The center will provide ongoing, free training for first responders from Ohio and the surrounding region.

Prior to 2019, Naperville, Ill., had a cardiac arrest survival rate of about 9 percent. Last year, it was 21 percent, one of the highest of any fire department in the country, according to the Naperville Fire Department. In those interim years, NFD introduced a special cardiac protocol called Advanced Cardiac Resuscitation.

September marks Suicide Prevention Month. FirstNet’s Health & Wellness Coalition is an initiative that bridges the treatment gap among first responders, who experience a multitude of stressors throughout their careers.

24 years after the first International Firefighters’ Day, DC nonprofit Food on the Stove is introducing International Firefighters’ Weekend, a series of events that will take place May 4-7 in the nation’s capital. The weekend will kick off with a dynamic health and training seminar.

An extensive research project conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology details what police, fire, emergency medical and 911 dispatch responders think about the communications technology they use on a regular basis and how they would like it to be improved.

MovementForward, Inc., in partnership with Stand Together Trust, recently announced the launch of the Law Enforcement Community-Engagement Network. The first LECEN cohort convened in January, with 20 member agencies represented.

When earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, members of the International Association of Fire Fighters responded as part of three Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams in search of survivors.

In December 2022, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference kicked off a partnership with The Jason Foundation, Inc. to further highlight suicide prevention. This new partnership will allow for the information, tools and resources provided by The Jason Foundation to reach even more Tennessee communities.

With a $4 million grant from the Arizona Board of Regents, the University of Arizona will lead a study enrolling 1,500 Arizona firefighters to test the effectiveness of whether blood or plasma donations lower cancer-causing “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS) levels.

The report indicates climate change continues to affect communities and worsen existing vulnerabilities. In 2021, 92 percent of communities identified at least one natural hazard associated with climate change as being stressful to emergency management capabilities.

The Just Trust has launched a $4 million effort to expand bold approaches to community safety and accountability. The Safer Communities Accelerator has made a commitment to eight organizations that are championing pre-arrest and pre-trial models.

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a referenced material based on yeast cells for use in simulated scenarios.

The county has selected Radius Mapping as its 911 map to better locate residents and visitors in the area. In addition to quickly locating people calling into 911, Radius Mapping adds the ability to text with language translation for non-native English speakers.

With funding from the Alabama Department of Mental Health and support from the Professional Fire Fighters of Alabama and the Alabama Fire College, Alabama will be one of the first states to include the training in its fire recruit school training.

The National Volunteer Fire Council, International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), and International Society of Fire Service Instructors have jointly released the new training guide.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department of North Carolina has developed a customer service training program and curriculum called CMPD Serves. CMPD’s customer satisfaction score jumped from 43 percent to 84 percent after launching the program in 2021.