The passage of the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program (HHAP) has given us a lot to celebrate and be thankful for recently, and one of the greatest proactive resources it will give Minnesota firefighters is support for ongoing annual MnFIRE Awareness training.

During these free trainings, current and former firefighters and other health experts will provide you and your department with actionable tips on how to protect yourselves from the three health problems most commonly experienced by those in the fire service: cardiac, emotional trauma and cancer. Changing the current culture in the Minnesota Fire Service is integral to long-term reduction of the incidences of these health issues. MnFIRE trainings are the first step on a path to firefighter health and wellness, and thanks to the HHAP, the trainings are all free and expanded.

To date, more than 435 departments have completed one or more MnFIRE trainings – and 31 departments have completed all four. If your department isn’t included in these totals, or it’s been a while since your last training, now’s the time to take advantage and get your department signed up!

The trainings we offer include:

• MnFIRE Awareness Training – This introductory class allows your department to become “MnFIRE Aware” of the occupational health risks of being in the fire service.
• Cardiac Deep-Dive – This class looks at the heightened risk factors, the types of cardiovascular diseases that most commonly impact firefighters and offers prevention strategies to help lessen the risk.
• Emotional Wellness Deep-Dive – This class helps de-stigmatize talking about mental health in your department, as well as provides practical information around how to properly debrief after a difficult call with your team, ways to maintain emotional well-being and what resources are available to anyone who needs help.
• Cancer Deep-Dive – This class educates firefighters on activities that put them at higher risk for developing cancer, proper PPE strategies for mitigating cancer risks, and what types of screenings can be done to catch cancer early.

We’ve heard positive feedback firsthand from chiefs and firefighters across the state about the eye-opening education these trainings provide; and how helpful and actionable the prevention strategies and tips are.

As your department completes these trainings and commits to improving the well-being of your firefighters, you can progress toward achieving Bronze, Silver and Gold MnFIRE Aware Certification status, which makes you eligible for special MnFIRE benefits.

To sign up for training, visit mnfiretraining.org. Choose the training(s) your department would like to take. Then, click the “Register Now” button, fill out the form and you’re all set!

If you have any questions about the resources the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program provides or need help getting registered, contact MnFIRE at 763-221-9329 or info@mnfireinitiative.com. We look forward to seeing you at a training soon.

All of us at MnFIRE are thrilled to announce that the Minnesota legislature passed the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program this week. This is a hard-fought, long-in-the-works win for the state’s fire service, and will ensure that every Minnesota firefighter will have access to education, prevention and care needed to handle a cardiac, emotional trauma or cancer diagnosis.

While a few final details are still being worked out, the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program will:

• Provide a statewide “Critical Care” policy for all Minnesota firefighters which covers diagnoses of cancer or cardiac issues. Coverage amount is $20,000 per diagnosis.
• Create a MnFIRE Assistance Program (MnAP) for all Minnesota firefighters targeting emotional trauma issues unique to the fire service, and ensure additional support for firefighters who remain in need beyond initial treatment sessions.
• Support ongoing annual MnFIRE Awareness training for every Minnesota firefighter. Changing the current culture in the Minnesota Fire Service is integral to long-term reduction of the incidences of cancer, emotional trauma and cardiac.
• Sustain annual MnFIRE Awareness Training for medical doctors and mental health professionals statewide so all firefighters in Minnesota have regional access to informed and trained medical professionals to help with prevention, mitigation, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiac and emotional trauma.

Just like the fire service response to an emergency, it has taken a team effort to reach this milestone. This has been a fabulous statewide collaboration by legislators, fire service folks and the general public.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in making the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program become a reality. Stay tuned for more details!