Recognize National First Responders Day on October 28

National First Responders Day in the US is October 28. National First Responders Day is also celebrated in Canada on May 1.

We’ve created a variety of easy-to-use materials in our National First Responders Day (NFRD) toolkit to help you celebrate the event and recognize public works professionals as first responders.

Checklist to Get Started

• Download the NFRD sample proclamation. 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 MP3 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 to help you get started. Or use these PSA scripts to record your public works director reading them for sharing on your website and social media.
  • 15-second PSA, female voice
  • 15-second PSA, male voice
  • 30-second PSA, female voice
  • 30-second PSA, male voice
• 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.
• New this year, download NFRD rectangular and square photo frames for use on social media. Then, create a schedule for social media posts in support of NFRD. This year NFRD is on a Tuesday so you might consider the following schedule:
  • October 21: Post a one-week-out message that shares how your agency will be celebrating NFRD. If you plan on posting regularly leading up to NFRD, share that message.
  • October 23: 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 NFRD video featuring APWA President Vic Bianes, PE. See below for sample posts.
  • Remember to include one or more of the following hashtags in your posts: #FirstResponders, #FirstRespondersDay, #NFRD.
• Download and print the “Why recognize public works professionals as First Responders?” flyer. 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.

Sample Social Media Posts

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?

[Post APWA President Vic Bianes’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 [month or year]. #FirstResponders

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

Attend APWA’s NFRD Town Hall

To mark National First Responders Day on October 28, please join APWA President Vic Bianes, CEO Scott Grayson, CAE, and members of the APWA staff to participate in a virtual town hall titled Public Works—The Silent Arm of Public Safety: “Always Ready!” Connect with your peers to explore the critical role public works plays in emergency management and response. Learn about the current efforts underway among some APWA chapters to have states and localities formally recognize public works professionals as first responders. Your input, stories, and ideas are invaluable to APWA’s efforts at the state and national levels to increase awareness and formal recognition of the role of public works as first responders.

When: October 28 at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT

Please RSVP to Government Affairs Specialist Jeff Finegan at jfinegan@apwa.org by COB Friday, October 24. A link to join the town hall will be emailed to you on Monday, October 27.

Additional Resources

Visit our Public Works as 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.