Transcript International Association of Fire Chiefs National

Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute
University of Maryland
Developing Department Safety
Awareness
In Support of
National Firefighter Safety Stand Down
and
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
“Life Safety Summit Initiatives”
Stand Down
Is a method used by the military to
correct an issue that has been identified
as a problem throughout its ranks.
IAFC President Chief Bob
DiPoli
“Firefighters are being killed at an alarming rate.
The fire service simply cannot continue to do
business as usual when so many of its own are
dying. We are conducting the stand down to
raise awareness of the need for increased
vigilance toward fire fighter safety.”
Enabling Objectives
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Explain the puropose for developing
department safety awareness
List resources readily available to fire
department personnel
Describe activities that can be
conducted for safety awareness
Developing a plan of action for safety
improvements
Overview
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Introduction
Resources
Activities
Plan of Action
INTRODUCTION
‘The IAFC and its partners are urging you
and all fire departments throughout the
country to suspend all non-emergency
activity and focus entirely on firefighter
safety.’
 ‘Talk about line-of-duty deaths; check all
apparatus and equipment; discuss health
safety regulations; review fire ground safety
issues; and take stock of training exercises
and fitness goals.’

On-Duty Firefighter Fatalities
1993-2004
500
400
300
200
100
0
449
105
81
102
99
100
93
113 103
100
111 107
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
How does the culture of your fire
department impact safety?

You have a right to stop unsafe practices
 Too many members indoctrinated with a
traditional sense of unquestioning discipline
 You have the right and the responsibility to
stop any action you believe is unsafe, or could
be unsafe
 No different than your obligation to avoid
unethical or immoral behavior/actions
“Those who cannot remember the
past are condemned to repeat it.”
RESOURCES
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National Fallen
Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety
Initiatives
NIOSH reports
NIST simulations
NFPA
VFIS
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USFA/NFA
IAFC
MSFA
Firehouse.com
Respondersafety.com
OSHA
MIEMSS
Firefightrerclosecalls
MFRI
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
1. Define and advocate the need for a
cultural change within the fire service
relating to safety, incorporating
leadership, management, supervision,
accountability, and personal
responsibility.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
1. Define and advocate the need for a cultural
change within the fire service relating to safety,
incorporating leadership, management,
supervision, accountability, and personal
responsibility.
The need for safety must start at the top of the
organization. It must be practiced by all and
enforced as an organizational priority.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
2. Enhance the personal and organizational
accountability for health and safety
throughout the service.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
2. Enhance the personal and organizational
accountability for health and safety throughout the
service.
The organization shall provide the members with
the proper PPE and SCBA to complete their
duties. Members shall utilize the PPE and SCBA
to carry out their duties as prescribed by the
manufacturer and departmental procedures.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
3. Focus greater attention on the integration of
risk management with incident management at
all levels, including strategic, tactical, and
planning responsibilities.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
3. Focus greater attention on the integration of risk
management with incident management at all levels,
including strategic, tactical, and planning
responsibilities.
Risk Management – NFA- USFA
We will risk our lives a lot to protect a savable life.
We will risk our lives a little to protect savable property.
We will not risk our lives at all in an attempt to protect lives and
property that are already lost.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
4. Empower all firefighters to stop unsafe
acts.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
4. Empower all firefighters to stop unsafe
acts.
Watch out for our brother and sister
firefighters. We are our brother’s keeper.
Point out unsafe acts before they cause
injury or death.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
5. Develop and implement national standards
for training, qualifications, and certification
(including recertification) that are equally
applicable to all firefighters, based on the
duties that they are expected to perform.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
5. Develop and implement national standards for
training, qualifications, and certification
(including recertification) that are equally
applicable to all firefighters, based on the duties
that they are expected to perform.
Advocate the use of the Maryland Fire Service
Professional Qualification system. All responders
should be certified to the level of their response
capabilities.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
6. Develop and implement national medical
and physical fitness standards that are
equally applicable to all firefighters, based
on the duties that they are expected to
perform.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
6. Develop and implement national medical
and physical fitness standards that are
equally applicable to all firefighters, based
on the duties that they are expected to
perform.
Advocate physicals for all members when
they join and at regular intervals.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
7. Create a national research agenda and data
collection system that relate to the
initiatives.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
7. Create a national research agenda and data
collection system that relate to the
initiatives.
All counties should require detailed reports
from all departments concerning responses,
incidents, injuries, and fatalities. This
report should also include training records
for each member.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
8. Utilize available technology wherever it can
produce higher levels of health and safety.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
8. Utilize available technology wherever it can
produce higher levels of health and safety.
Use thermal imaging cameras, combustible
gas indicators, and charged electric wire
alerting devices to indicate dangerous
conditions at incidents scenes to response
personnel.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
9. Thoroughly investigate all firefighter
fatalities, injuries, and near misses.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
9. Thoroughly investigate all firefighter
fatalities, injuries, and near misses.
Develop a program to define ‘near misses’.
Investigate all injuries and near misses.
Cooperate with agencies that conduct fatality
investigations.
Utilize this information to improve the safety and
welfare of responders.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
10. Ensure grant programs support the
implementation of safe practices and/or
mandate safe practices as an eligibility
requirement.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
10. Ensure grant programs support the
implementation of safe practices and/or
mandate safe practices as an eligibility
requirement.
When writing grant requests include safety
criteria as part of the specifications.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
11. Develop and champion national standards
for emergency response policies and
procedures.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
11. Develop and champion national standards for
emergency response policies and procedures.
Adopt and follow NFPA standards for emergency response
such as NFPA 1500 and NFPA 1521.
Comply with federal regulations such as 29 CFR 1910.134,
Respiratory Protection, and 29 CFR 1910.120 Hazardous
Materials Response.
These are examples only. There are numerous standards and
regulations that apply to emergency responders.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
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12. Develop and champion national protocols
for response to violent incidents.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
12. Develop and champion national protocols
for response to violent incidents.
Work with law enforcement agencies to
develop and comply with protocols for
response to violent incidents.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
13. Provide firefighters and their families
access to counseling and psychological
support.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
13. Provide firefighters and their families access
to counseling and psychological support.
Develop local and state resources for
members and their families for counseling
and psychological support services.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
14. Provide public education more resources
and champion it as a critical fire and life
safety program.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
14. Provide public education more resources
and champion it as a critical fire and life
safety program.
Develop your department’s ability to
provide public education services to your
community. Resources can be obtained in
grant requests.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
15. Strengthen advocacy for the
enforcement of codes and the installation
of home fire sprinklers.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
15. Strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of
codes and the installation of home fire
sprinklers.
Provide your members with basic training in the use of
the applicable Fire Prevention Code for your
jurisdiction . Ascertain the correct procedure to report
violations to the responsible agency.
Become an advocate for home automatic sprinkler
systems. Enlist the assistance of other community
groups in your area.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
16. Make safety a primary consideration in
the design of apparatus and equipment.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
16. Make safety a primary consideration in
the design of apparatus and equipment.
When writing specifications for new
apparatus and equipment include the
appropriate NFPA specifications. The
equipment and apparatus should carry
the applicable NFPA approval labels.
NIOSH Reports
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Trusses - 2005
Report
Photos
Case studies
Diagrams
Safety practices
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-132/
NIOSH FF Fatality Reports
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NIOSH
investigates
most fatalities.
 List by states
 List of all
investigations
 Can be used
to enhance
safety
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firehome.html
NIOSH Fatality Report
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Summary of incident
 Recommendations
 Photos
 Detailed report
NIOSH Alert Reports
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Detailed report
 Example - Fire
ground structural
collapse
 Expanded coverage
needed for one area
that affects safety
NIST Fire Simulations
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http://www.fire.nist.gov/
Fire in a One-Story Restaurant, Texas
February 14, 2000
Truss roof construction
Fire involvement of roof area
Roof collapse
Two firefighters killed
CD-ROM 13 minutes
http://www.nfpa.org
NFPA – Many services available
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http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=279
NFPA standards available on-line for reading only
– 472 - Hazardous Materials Response
– 1403 - Live fire Training
– 1981 – Open-circuit SCBA
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Fire Prevention and Public Education materials – for
purchase
Departments can have memberships
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Investigations - example
– Residential House, Pittsburgh, PA, 2/14/95, 3 fatalities.
NFPA members: Download this report for free (PDF, 1.7
MB)
Free summary in English (PDF, 56 KMB) and Spanish
Pittsburg Fire – Free Summary Report
Pittsburg Fire – Full Report
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21 Pages
 Photos and diagrams
 Points
– 3 firefighters deceased
– Not found for 1 hour
– Poor ICS
– No accountability
– Poor communications
USFA/NFA
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http://www.usfa.fema.gov/
National
Fire
Academy
NIMS
EMI
On-line
classes
Firefighter
s Grant
Program
International Association of Fire Chiefs
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Home page
for Stand
Down for
Safety
 Many links
 National
Near Miss
Reporting
system
http://www.iafc.org/standdown/resources.asp
MSFA
http://msfa.org/index.html
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State training
committee
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Funding grants
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State legislation
Firehouse.com
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Extensive
coverage of
the
emergency
services
 Company
drills
 Latest
incidents
Respondersafety.com
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Highway
safety for
responders
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Traffic
incident
manageme
nt systems
OSHA
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Federal
regulations
 Training
programs
 Enforcement
 interpretations
http://www.osha.gov/
MIEMSS

EMS
Protocols
 EMS
certification
 Matching
Grants
 EMS WMD
issues
http://www.miemss.org/
Firefighterclosecalls.com

Excellent
site
 Personal
reports of
close call
incidents
 Reports
and
training
items for
download
www.firefighterclosecalls.com/
MFRI
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http://www.mfri.org/
State and
regional
training
On-line
classes
Registration
Links
Contacts
Company
Drills
ACTIVITIES
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Station Operations
Responding/Returning
Fire Ground Operations
Other Emergency Operations
Training
Stations Operations
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Moment of silence for LODD at shift change or
company meetings
Apparatus checks
Equipment checks
Slip, trip, and fall issues
Air compressor/cascade air quality
Health and Safety Officer designated
Physicals for all members
Critical Incident Stress for members
Responding/Returning
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Is POV allowed?
 Driver qualifications
 All members seated and belted
 Stop for all stop signs, red lights, and railroad
crossings
 Spotters for backing apparatus
 Maps and response routes
 Avoid bridges with ratings less than the
vehicle weight
Fire Ground Operations
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Use of ICS/IMS
Safety Officer clearly designated
SOP’s
Mandatory SCBA usage requirements
Continuous water supply established
Clearly understood Plan of Action
Offensive or defensive operations announced
Accountability system in place and utilized
Other Emergency Incidents
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Blood borne pathogen requirements
followed
 Highway safety procedures followed
 Air monitoring for Hazmat and Confined
Space operations
 Technical Rescue incident trained
responders
Training
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Minimum training requirements for all
members
 Instructors qualified to teach in their area
 NFPA 1403 followed for all live burns
 Driver training programs and refreshers
should be mandatory
 Training records for all members
 Certification system fees paid by the
departments
4. Plan of Action

Identify areas of departmental and personal
weaknesses.
 List items that can be changed immediately
 List items that require training and/or
resources to accomplish
 List items that are long range goals that
require extensive changes to operations,
equipment, or organizational culture
4. Plan of Action
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Make a plan for immediate changes
Make a plan for changes that require changes in
training or procedures and resource allocation
Make a plan for long range changes
These plans need a timetable and bench marks.
Regular progress reports to management and the
membership.
The need to change must be sold to the responders
and accepted
Any changes made require support and enforcement
Review
 Introduction
 Resources
 Activities
 Improvement
Plan
Your thoughts?