Based on FEMA-funded research on workplace violence (WPV), the FIRST Center partnered with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to develop courses for workplace violence prevention.

Course 1:

Workplace Violence Prevention for First Responders was launched in 2023. This online course gives individual firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs the skills and knowledge they need to prevent a violent event from occurring or to defuse a situation when it escalates. This course includes firsthand testimony from firefighter-paramedic Benjamin Vernon and firefighter-EMT Kelly Adams, who were seriously injured on the job. It provides definitions of WPV and information on how the burdens and stressors of EMS work are exacerbated by experiencing violence on the job. The course also details skills and techniques related to self and scene size-up, ensuring first responders check in with themselves, their partner, and their environment before going on a run or approaching a scene. Cultural humility is discussed as a way of ensuring patients and bystanders feel safe and respected by providers on a call, thereby reducing the chance of escalation.

The course delivers specific knowledge on the warning signs of aggression and specific de-escalation tactics, including techniques for escape and restraint. It covers what first responders should do after experiencing WPV, such as seeking treatment for injuries, reporting the event, and receiving support while interfacing with the legal system. An optional chapter is geared toward leadership, describing how departments and unions can implement the Stress and Violence in fire-based EMS Responders (SAVER) Model Policies to protect their employees from WPV and stress. Click here for more detailed information about course content.

WPV Prevention for First Responders was developed in part by Drexel University Master of Public Health students participating in the Firefighter Injury Research, Epidemiology, and Evaluation (FIRE) Fellowship. The team used previous FIRST Center scholarship in the area of WPV, results from the SAVER and EMERG projects, and the IAFF Fire Ground Survival Course as the basis for developing this curriculum. They also consulted fire service industrial literature and academic scholarship to develop chapters related to cultural competency and de-escalation.

Course 2:

During pilot testing of the first course, feedback from the fire and rescue service indicated that a practical component was needed. As a complement, FIRST and the IAFF developed Practical Strategies for Safety.

This course begins with a recap of the concepts and techniques EMS providers gained from the first course. Then, with instruction from Benjamin Vernon and demonstrations from DC Fire and EMS, the course showcases seven essential skills that first responders can employ to keep themselves safe. Stop-Look-Listen prompts EMS providers to pause before entering a scene, observe their environment, and listen for any potential dangers. First responders learn the best way to approach a door, keep exits clear, use appropriate body language, and position themselves during patient care. The course describes how to check patients for weapons during a head-to-toe assessment and, most importantly, how to SAVE themselves or their partner (Shield, Avoid, Verbalize, and Escape). Alongside these basics, first responders are shown a good, better, and best way to implement them. Branching scenarios with feedback test first responders’ knowledge to ensure they know which actions to take to stay safe on the job.

While these companion trainings were developed for the fire and rescue service, their content will be useful for many other public-facing industries, like healthcare and education. The WPV Prevention for First Responders and Practical Strategies for Safety courses are available now at no cost through the IAFF Online Learning Center. Users do not have to be IAFF members, but they must create a New Non-Member Account for course access.