BGFD participates in ‘Safety Stand Down’ day from Sept. 17-19

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – The Bowling Green Fire Department is taking a pause on non-emergency work Sept. 17-19 to take part in “Safety Stand Down,” a multi-day reset aimed at letting firefighters refocus on safety, training, and mental health, officials said.

The department’s announcement on Facebook explained that “for the remainder of the week, your BGFD Firefighters will be participating in a Safety Stand Down day. This day is intended to be a reset for your first responders, a day where crews gather together, connect and spend quality time together as a fire family. Your firefighters are busier than ever… For the next three days, your firefighters will focus on their crews and themselves.”

Capt. Chris Durbin said the pause will involve studying line-of-duty incidents to identify what went wrong and how to prevent similar outcomes, in addition to crew building and reflection.

“We suspend all non-emergency activities, spend some time with our crews, study a line-of-duty death, and really focus on the safety side, what went wrong, how to make sure that doesn’t happen here,” Durbin said. “And then the rest of the day is to reset with your crew.”

Safety Stand Down is a national initiative led by several major fire and emergency services organizations, including the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Protection Association and others. Typically held during the third full week of June, the campaign encourages fire, EMS and rescue departments to suspend non-emergency activities to concentrate on health, safety and survival issues.

This year’s national Safety Stand Down, held June 15-21 nationwide this year, focused on the theme “Break the Stigma: Behavioral Health RESET,” emphasizing mental wellness, burnout prevention and emotional resilience among first responders.

While BGFD’s use of Safety Stand Down outside of the usual June week is not typical, the department says the three-day event is designed to let crews step back amid rising call volumes and increasing demands. Community leaders say it’s an important gesture.

“Your firefighters are busier than ever,” the department wrote in its social media post. “We have the best community!”