For years, affiliates have battled politicians who make decisions on how many fire fighters a community has, based on budget figures developed by number crunchers. In most cases, this flawed approach leaves the community short of the number of fire fighters needed to successfully protect the residents and businesses they serve.
In past decades, there were very few tools to make credible arguments in debates on this issue – beyond our own experience. But over the past few years, the IAFF has been leading the charge on scientific research to help community leaders better understand how to best protect the taxpaying public.
NFPA 1710 is the internationally accepted standard on minimum crew size and operational staffing for career fire departments. Telling the 1710 story is difficult, even to IAFF members but this video can be the key to start a discussion.
A new explainer video on the NFPA 1710 Standard – an essential tool for conveying the message that proper staffing levels are essential for keeping your community safe - promotes the science of fire fighting and educating policy makers through leaders and the media in your community.