The National Volunteer Fire Council has launched a new web site to help first responders quit smoking and stay quit. The Put it Out campaign Web site includes a “quit calendar;” steps for how to quit; statistics and facts about smoking; sample documents such as press releases and no-smoking policies, outreach letters, motivational tools; and more.

According to a recent USFA-supported NVFC study, 68% of firefighters believe that first responders lived shorter or much shorter than the general population. Smoking has proven negative health effects and can cause or contribute to life-threatening illnesses such as heart attack, lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. There also are significant threats to the health of those exposed to second-hand smoke.

The Put It Out campaign was piloted in North Carolina in 2009, and the results of the pilot program helped inform the new Web site. For more information, visit www.healthy-firefighter.org/putitout.