On April 17th, 16 new SVFD recruits began EMT School. They will participate in 6 weeks of class, learning the ins-and-outs of EMS and then proceed...
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Each year, starting with the Martin Luther King holiday, fire departments around the nation support a weeklong campaign to educate communities about...
MARCH IS BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) leads the way each March in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month. According to the BIAA, brain injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. Every 9 seconds someone in the US sustains a brain injury.
An acquired brain injury (ABI) is “any injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma”. Injuries to the brain affect how the brain works. Our brain controls our ability to “balance, walk, talk, and eat…It is responsible for our ability to process and remember information, make decisions, and feel emotions. It also controls our breathing, blood circulation, and heart rate.”
More than 3.6 million people in the U.S. sustain an ABI annually. ABIs can be traumatic (TBI) or non-traumatic. Typical causes of brain injury include, stroke, falls, motor vehicle crash, and substance abuse/overdose. Falls lead the way as the leading mechanism of TBIs.
There are ways to help reduce your risk of brain injury:
- Wear a helmet (when riding a bike, motorcycle, or during contact sports, etc.)
- Use seat belts and car seats
- Use child gates at the top and bottom of stairs
- Perform home safety modifications (install grab bars, remove throw rugs, etc.)
- Manage your health risks
For more information on brain injury, visit the BIAA website, or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Did you Know?
- You can sign up for a station tour. Great for small groups.
- You should replace the batteries in your smoke alarms twice a year.
- Creating a defensible space with regards to wildfires could just save your home or property.
- We have Friends & Family CPR classes every month.