The Virginia Fire Chiefs Association has awarded Staunton Fire and Rescue the “VFCA Best Practices in Fire Service Health and Safety” Award.
The award program was created to further recognize the health and safety efforts of Virginia fire departments. The award is intended to acknowledge creative, comprehensive and/or significant accomplishments and programs that provide for the health, safety and welfare of our fire service members.
Each year the VFCA will honor one formally established fire department within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The VFCA Best Practices in Fire Service Health and Safety Award recipient was announced and honored at the annual Virginia Fire Chiefs Association’s Mid-Atlantic Expo and Symposium on Feb. 25.
Staunton received the award for its implementation of the personal escape safety systems issued to each career member. A grant from the Virginia Municipal League funded half of the cost for this program. The personal escape systems have grown in popularity since 2005, when six firefighters were forced to jump from a burning building in New York, killing two of them. Use of the system became law in that state soon after. The three-pound system is for the worst-case scenario – quickly escaping out of a burning building, within seconds, when there’s no time or place for a ladder.
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