ResponderHelp.com FAQs

What is ResponderHelp.com?

ResponderHelp.com is a valuable resource for emergency responders, developed and administered by VFIS and offering content sourced from a broad variety of industry specialists. It currently houses 5,126+ resources for fire, EMS and other emergency service organizations including articles, checklists, posters, standard operating guidelines, technical bulletins, training materials and videos. While some organizations charge for these tools, most are available for free to the users of ResponderHelp.com.

 

Why did VFIS create ResponderHelp.com?

This site was developed to serve as a gift to the emergency service community in celebration of VFIS’ 50th anniversary. There is no other known system that contains such a vast array of emergency service-related safety content available in today’s marketplace and our goal is to help a group of people who help others and serve their communities every day.

 

How will ResponderHelp.com help Emergency Service Personnel?

The website is intended to offer a robust variety of safety-related resources in response to the needs and questions of emergency responders everywhere.

Topics addressed include: community risk reduction, communication centers, emergency medical services, facilities, fire rescue operations, governance, human resources, organization and administration, safe vehicle operations, safety and health, training, and wellness. These top-level categories were selected based on what experts believe to be the biggest issues that responders will face over the next 25 years.

ResponderHelp.com will provide answers, insights and resource materials, as well as the opportunity to ask additional questions to specialists. The materials will be organized in searchable libraries and will call out the most pressing industry topics, newly-added content and trending resources.an emergency responder’s one-stop free resource.

 

Who has partnered to make this community resource possible?

ResponderHelp.com brings valuable, specialized resources together from industry leaders in a one-stop, easy-to-use and easy-to-search format. It offers content from VFIS, the United States Fire Administration, Cumberland Valley Volunteer Fire Council/Emergency Responder Safety institute, National Fallen Firefighter’s Foundation, IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section, Drexel University and selected National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Applied research papers.

 

What additional features will it offer those who register?

Registering for ResponderHelp.com is free! Users who register with their email address will have the ability to save libraries of their favorite resources. This could be especially useful for leaders who are building training and educational programs for their crew. They will also have the opportunity to ask specialists questions online and browse other questions that have been previously answered by our specialists.

The site will also link users to VFIS University where they can access engaging, peer-reviewed online courses with more than 300 hours of education specifically designed for emergency responders. VFISu and other specialized content is available for free exclusively to VFIS clients and non-clients can access courses for a fee.

 

Who can I contact to learn more about how ResponderHelp.com works?

We’re here to help! Rick Gurba, a member of the VFIS Education, Training & Consulting team and site administrator, can help you navigate ResponderHelp.com. Send him an email at rgurba@vfis.com or call Glatfelter at 717-741-0911 anytime!