View On Demand (Recorded July 9, 2019)

From veterans to migrants, homeless (unhoused) people are found in nearly every community in the United States—even when their presence may not be obvious.

Responding to unhoused individuals living in alternative situations such as encampments, streets or vacant structures poses significant challenges for responders, including transient-living fire and life-safety situations, responder safety threats and proliferation of communicable diseases. Such calls also add to an ever-increasing incident volume, impacting the deployment systems of fire-based EMS systems and the healthcare system.

Join Lexipol to learn how two urban fire departments have evolved their deployment systems and programs to address these challenges and worked to improve safety for both firefighters and unhoused individuals.

You’ll learn:

  • Health and safety risks unhoused populations face, from fires in encampments to substance abuse and exposure to communicable diseases
  • Firefighter safety considerations when responding to calls involving unhoused people or encampments
  • Strategies and tactics fire departments have used to successfully mitigate risks to firefighters and improve quality of life for vulnerable populations

Presented by:

Billy Goldfeder
Deputy Chief
Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department

Alan Long
Division Chief
Anaheim (CA) Fire & Rescue

Brian Schaeffer
Chief of Department
Spokane (WA) Fire Department

Register now