Fire Department Safety Officers Association

19/08/2026

The ISO Online Academy is OPEN for registration for SEPTEMBER 2026!

🔗Check out the link and sign up today: https://fdsoa.org/event/iso-online-academy-sept2026/

08/08/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭.

FDSOA CEO Eric Valliere recently joined The Firehouse Yak to discuss a topic that continues to shape the future of our profession:

"𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐯𝐬. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫."

Safety isn't about saying "No." It's about asking "How do we accomplish the mission while giving our firefighters the greatest opportunity to go home?"

In this discussion, Eric shares why:
🔥Safety must support operations—not slow them down.
🔥Smart risk management is built on knowledge, training, and leadership.
🔥The fire service must move beyond tradition when reality demands a better approach.
🔥Every firefighter has a responsibility to think critically, make informed decisions, and protect one another.

The mission has never changed:
𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲. 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.

🎤Listen to the full episode here:
https://www.firehouse.com/safety-health/podcast/55393599/the-firehouse-yak-eric-vallerie-risk-vs-reality-safety-starts-with-the-smart-firefighter

After you've listened, tell us:
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 "𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠" 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭?

Peter Matthews talks with Fire Department Safety Officers Association CEO Eric Valliere about today’s fire department operations and why educated firefighters understand safety...

06/08/2026

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐅𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐀 𝐃𝐎𝐂 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄! 🚨
Knowledge saves lives—and this latest episode of Doc Talk delivers practical insights every firefighter, company officer, chief, and Incident Safety Officer should hear.

📹In this newest conversation, we take a deeper look at the topics impacting firefighter health, safety, and operational decision-making, bringing you expert perspectives you can immediately apply in your department. At the FDSOA, we believe that every conversation about safety is another opportunity to prevent an injury, improve a decision, and ultimately ensure that everyone goes home.

⏯️Watch the latest Doc Talk here: https://fdsoa.org/new-updates/doctalk/
Special shoutout and thanks to Science To The Station for this episode!

After you watch:
💬 Tell us your biggest takeaway.
📲 Share this episode with your crew.
🔄 Help us continue the conversation by reposting it within your network.

Because firefighter safety isn't just a priority—it's a responsibility.

05/08/2026

SEATS ARE LIMITED! Register today for our upcoming SERT Training
➡️Where: Loveland, CO
➡️When: September 29-30, 2026

Register at: https://fdsoa.member365.org/public/event/details/3c7ebf42db381b59434b01eede6f92df46247ddf/1

30/07/2026

𝐅𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐀 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬…

Your job isn't over when the fire is out.
The smoke may have cleared, but the contaminants haven't.

A thorough post-incident wash down is one of the simplest—and most important—steps you can take to reduce your exposure to the carcinogens and toxic byproducts left behind after every fire.

Those few minutes today can help protect your health for years to come.

Safety isn't just about surviving the incident—it's about making sure you go home healthy after every call.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐰: Is post-fire decontamination treated as a priority in your department, or is it still viewed as "something we'll do later"?

➡️Procedures: http://bit.ly/4bm7nwf
➡️Tucson FD Wash Down Video: https://youtu.be/ySf6GdZXMgs?si=AwXPPbLkjmM67-HD

23/07/2026

🚨 Episode #5 of FDSOA Street Talk is live!

This episode dives into the vital role of the Incident Safety Officer and why a strong ISO is key to safer, more effective fireground operations.

🎥 Watch now: https://youtu.be/MdB_F5eVfKk?si=gPCX9zDhaCqHMKGA

22/07/2026

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙁𝘿𝙎𝙊𝘼 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚! ⚠️

Join members of the FDSOA Board of Directors as they discuss the critical role of a well-trained and versatile Incident Safety Officer (ISO). Learn how an effective ISO works alongside Incident Command to support a fast, coordinated, and safe fire attack while helping protect everyone operating on the fireground.

Subject matter expert Mike Richardson shares his perspective from his experience as a NIOSH investigator, explaining how the absence of a dedicated Incident Safety Officer has been a contributing factor in firefighter line-of-duty deaths he has investigated. His insights reinforce why a trained ISO is an essential part of today’s fireground operations.

🎤Full Episode HERE: https://youtu.be/MdB_F5eVfKk?si=gPCX9zDhaCqHMKGA

You may notice a few connection hiccups from FDSOA CEO Eric Valliere during the conversation, but one thing is unmistakable—his passion for the fire service is front and centre.

21/07/2026

Today’s fires demand a hazmat mindset — and training ⚠️

FDSOA Western Director, Captain Jim Barnhart of the Mesa (AZ) Fire & Medical Department explains why alternative energy systems are changing the fireground faster than many departments can adapt — and how to close the gap.

🔗Full Video & Article: https://www.firerescue1.com/hazards-hazmat/todays-fires-demand-a-hazmat-mindset-and-training

08/07/2026

The ISO Online Academy is OPEN for registration for AUGUST 2026!

🔗Check out the link and sign up today: https://fdsoa.org/event/iso-online-academy-aug2026/

07/07/2026

𝐅𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 - 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐒𝐎 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

A dedicated Incident Safety Officer is one of the most critical positions on today's fireground. When properly trained, integrated into the Incident Command System, and working in a collaborative relationship with the Incident Commander, the ISO becomes a force multiplier for both safety and operational success.

The Incident Safety Officer actively contributes to the development, implementation, and continuous evaluation of the Incident Action Plan (IAP), providing real-time situational awareness, risk assessments, and operational feedback that help achieve tactical objectives while balancing operational effectiveness with firefighter safety (Risk vs Benefit).
As incidents grow in size and/or complexity, so should the safety organization. Expanding the safety function through the addition of qualified Assistant Safety Officers (A*O) enhances comprehensive hazard identification, risk management, and responder accountability across the incident.

➡️Read Full Statement Here: https://fdsoa.org/who-we-are/position-statement/

𝑺𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏—𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕.