Editorial policy

ResponderHelp.com is an online information resource for ESOs developed by VFIS – Volunteer Fireman’s Insurance Services, Inc. Our goal is to provide a trustworthy, single source for relevant and reliable information, data, standards and educational materials to emergency service organizations – the Fire, EMS and First Responders worldwide – who provide invaluable services to their respective communities. 

Vetted Material and Content

All material considered for inclusion on the ResponderHelp.com site goes through a thorough and extensive vetting process. Due diligence in validating content found on ResponderHelp.com is performed in a variety of ways depending on the type and source of material:

• Each original article is reviewed and must be approved by three VFIS staff members.
• Sample standard operating procedures (SOPs) and sample standard operating guidelines (SOGs) are reviewed by three chief officers representing various areas throughout the United States and Canada.
• If consensus is not reached by the initial review group, the content resource is reviewed again by the author and distributed among a different set of reviewers.
• Training programs and other resources developed or written by VFIS run through an extensive review process by subject matter experts in training and education, risk control, emergency services law and liability.

In some cases, private organizations have specifically granted VFIS permission to use their content.  You can find a list of those organizations we have content agreements with here.

A portion of material referenced on ResponderHelp.com has been developed with Federal funding or other public funding sources and has been placed in the public domain. ResponderHelp.com references this material with links through to the original source websites. Resources developed through public funds are determined by VFIS to be in the public domain when posted and made available, without restriction, on government websites.  These sources of credible, open source content are included alongside our list of content partners, which is here.

Content on ResponderHelp.com is given attribution to the appropriate sources of that content. These sources are responsible for the veracity of the content they provide.

VFIS Client-Only Material

Some specialized content resources referenced on ResponderHelp.com (such as certain training materials) are available for purchase. 

A small portion of material on ResponderHelp.com is available to VFIS clients only (or, for materials available for purchase – at a reduced cost). When a user registers on ResponderHelp.com and indicates that they are a VFIS client, the site administrator or designee will validate the user as having a current business relationship with VFIS and provide the user access to VFIS-only material or pricing. VFIS client status is subject to change without notice based on the termination of the business relationship.

Periodic Review

A periodic review of content is in place for all resources on ResponderHelp.com to determine if updates are required.

Feedback

While we are constantly adding new content to ResponderHelp.com,  if there is a content resource you are looking for and haven’t found, we want to know! There are two options for you to contact us regarding questions you have or content you cannot find:

• Ask the Specialist (https://www.responderhelp.com/ask-a-specialist/)

This feature allows you to send a question to one of our vetted specialists based on their area of specialty; they will then respond to you directly.

• Email our Content Oversight Team at content@responderhelp.com .

 

If you discover any issues with, or have any concerns about, any of the content found on ResponderHelp.com,  please visit our Support page (https://www.responderhelp.com/support ) and submit an email to our Content Oversight Team ( content@responderhelp.com), stating the title of the article and briefly describe your concern.