Each year, APWA celebrates National First Responders Day (NFRD) in Canada on May 1 and the US on October 28. NFRD provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of the vital work performed by public works professionals, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics. It also encourages civic leaders, residents, and future generations to better understand the importance of these careers and the services they provide.

A collage of photos depicting natural disasters.

Celebrate NFRD in Your Community

APWA has created a toolkit to help you celebrate the event and recognize public works professionals as first responders.

Download the National First Responders Day (NFRD) sample proclamation(opens in new tab). Add your town/city/state name in the designated places and submit the request to your governor’s or mayor’s office. Note: Many offices require 30 days to process a request.

Download files of 15- and 30-second Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that share quick, impactful NFRD messages. Consider sharing these PSAs with local radio and TV stations. We’ve created a How-To Request A PSA document(opens in new tab) to help you get started. Or use these PSA scripts(opens in new tab) to record your public works director reading them for sharing on your website and social media.

APWA NFR Logo png

Download the National First Responders Day emblem. Add it to your first responder photos, videos, and other promotional materials.

Public Works First Responder logo

Download the Public Works First Responder symbol. Note: The file named 1×1 Public Works First Responder Symbol is a square shape, which will work well for social media posts.

Gather photos or video clips of your team serving as first responders in your community. Example photos would include: crews removing trees and limbs from roadways following a storm, public works professionals putting up barriers in preparation for a public event, or snowplow drivers clearing the roads during winter weather conditions. Use these photos or video clips in social media posts leading up to and on October 28.

Download and print the “Public Works Professionals Are First Responders” flyer(opens in new tab). Take copies to your city council meeting in October. Ask your council members to support National First Responders Day by issuing a resolution recognizing that public works professionals are first responders.

Join us on National First Responders Day for a virtual townhall, “Public Works Are First Responders.” Hear from colleagues, share examples and experiences, and learn how APWA chapters are working to get formal recognition from states and municipalities for public works first responders.

Spread the Word Across Social Media

Here’s a proposed schedule that you can customize for use across your social platforms in support of NFRD. This year NFRD is on a Wednesday so you might consider the following schedule:

  • October 20: Post a one-week-out message that shares how your agency will be celebrating NFRD. Consider posting one or more of APWA’s videos featuring Public Works Ambassador Dr. Bertice Berry sharing messages of support for public works first responders. If you plan on posting regularly leading up to NFRD, let your followers know.
  • October 22: Post a Throwback Thursday message that reminds people of a time when your agency served as first responders in your community. Include the hashtag #TBT or #ThrowbackThursday.
  • October 28: Post two to three times throughout the day. Consider kicking the day off by sharing APWA’s video featuring APWA President Robert Garland. Or record your public works director reading this script for sharing on your website and social media. Remember to include one or more of the following hashtags in your posts: #FirstResponders, #FirstRespondersDay, #NFRD.

Sample Social Media Posts

Download NFRD rectangular(opens in new tab) and square(opens in new tab) photo frames for use on social media.

Pre-NFRD

Next Tuesday is National First Responders Day. To celebrate, this week we’ll be sharing stories from our team about times they’ve served as first responders. Listen as [name of person] talks about responding to [details of event] during the [season] of [year]. #FirstResponders [YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE THIS POST DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU ARE SHARING PHOTOS FROM A RECENT EVENT OR A VIDEO CLIP]

Day-of

Did you know that public works professionals are first responders? Listen to [INSERT NAME OF PERSON] share a message of support for National First Responders Day!

[Post APWA President Robert Garland’s video message, APWA Public Works Ambassador Dr. Bertice Berry’s video message, or a video featuring someone from your team.]

#FirstResponders

Today, we celebrate National First Responders Day! We’re proud to serve the people of [town/city name] as first responders alongside firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, 911 operators, paramedics, and other emergency personnel. #FirstResponders

For National First Responders Day, we’d like to show you how [town/city name] Public Works Department provides vital support to emergency response partners, helping protect and restore essential services following an emergency situation. Check out photos of our team in action in [year or month if in this year]. #FirstResponders

[Town/city name] Public Works Department is often the first in and last out when disaster strikes, clearing the way for EMS and ensuring essential services continue. #FirstResponders

Additional Resources

There’s no better way to show your pride in public works as #FirstResponders than to wear it! Check out our full line of bold and bright First Responder gear in the APWA Store(opens in new tab) today.

Visit our Public Works First Responders page for more information and resources about why public works professionals deserve this recognition and what you can do to help raise awareness.