International Association of Fire Chiefs National Firefighter Safety Stand Down June 21, 2005

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International Association of Fire ChiefsNational
Firefighter Safety Stand Down June 21, 2005

• Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute

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Stand Down

• Is a method used by the military to correct an
  issue that has been identified as a problem
  throughout its ranks.

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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.

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Overview

• Introduction
• Resources
• Activities
• Improvement Plan

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1. 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.

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What can we do to change the trend?
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How does the culture of your fire department
impact safety?
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What can you do to improve safety in the fire
service and your department?
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2. Resources

• National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
  Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives
• NIOSH reports
• NIST simulations
• NFPA
• VFIS

• USFA/NFA
• IAFC
• MSFA
• Firehouse.com
• Respondersafety.com
• OSHA
• MIEMSS
• Firefightrerclosecalls
• MFRI

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 2. Enhance the personal and organizational
  accountability for health and safety throughout
  the service.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 4. Empower all firefighters to stop unsafe acts.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 4. Empower all firefighters to stop unsafe acts.
• Watch out for our brother and sister
  firefighters. We need to help each other. Point
  out unsafe acts before they cause injury or
  death.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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 yearly intervals.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 7. Create a national research agenda and data
  collection system that relate to the initiatives.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 8. Utilize available technology wherever it can
  produce higher levels of health and safety.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 9. Thoroughly investigate all firefighter
  fatalities, injuries, and near misses.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 10. Ensure grant programs support the
  implementation of safe practices and/or mandate
  safe practices as an eligibility requirement.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 11. Develop and champion national standards for
  emergency response policies and procedures.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 12. Develop and champion national protocols for
  response to violent incidents.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 13. Provide firefighters and their families
  access to counseling and psychological support.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 14. Provide public education more resources and
  champion it as a critical fire and life safety
  program.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 14. Provide public education more resources and
  champion it as a critical fire and life safety
  program.
• Develop your departments ability to provide
  public education services to your community.
  Resources can be obtained in grant requests.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 15. Strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of
  codes and the installation of home fire
  sprinklers.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• 16. Make safety a primary consideration in the
  design of apparatus and equipment.

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National Fallen Firefighters Foundation16
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.

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NIOSH Reports

• Trusses - 2005 Report
• Photos
• Case studies
• Diagrams
• Safety practices

http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-132/
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NIOSH FF Fatality Reports

• NIOSH investigates most fatalities.
• List by states
• List of all investigations
• Can be used to enhance safety

http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/firehome.html
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NIOSH Fatality Report

• Summary of incident
• Recommendations
• Photos
• Detailed report

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NIOSH Alert Reports

• Detailed report
• Example - Fire ground structural collapse
• Expanded coverage needed for one area that
  affects safety

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NIOSH Report BBP

• OSHA regulations
• Precautions
• Preventing needle sticks

http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/
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NIST Fire Simulations

• 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

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http//www.nfpa.org
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NFPA Many services available

• http//www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID27
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• NFPA standards available on-line for reading only
• 472 - Hazardous Materials Response
• 1403 - Live fire Training
• 1981 Open-circuit SCBA
• Fire Prevention and Public Education materials
  for purchase
• Departments can have memberships
• 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 (PDF, 6 KB)

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Pittsburg Fire Free Summary Report
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Pittsburg Fire Full Report

• 21 Pages
• Photos and diagrams
• Points
• 3 firefighters deceased
• Not found for 1 hour
• Poor ICS
• No accountability
• Poor communications

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VFISGlatfelter Insurance Group

• Report forms
• Weekly Emergency Vehicle Report
• SCBA checklist
• Client Training

http//www.vfis.com
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USFA/NFA

• National Fire Academy
• NIMS
• EMI
• On-line classes
• Firefighters Grant Program

http//www.usfa.fema.gov/
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International Association of Fire Chiefs

• Home page for Stand Down for Safety
• Many links
• National Near Miss Reporting system

http//www.iafc.org/standdown/resources.asp
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MSFA

• State training committee
• Funding grants
• State legislation

http//msfa.org/index.html
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Firehouse.com

• Extensive coverage of the emergency services
• Company drills
• Latest incidents

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Respondersafety.com

• Highway safety for responders
• Traffic incident management systems

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OSHA

• Federal regulations
• Training programs
• Enforcement
• interpretations

http//www.osha.gov/
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MIEMSS

• EMS Protocols
• EMS certification
• Matching Grants
• EMS WMD issues

http//www.miemss.org/
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Firefighterclosecalls.com

• Excellent site
• Personal reports of close call incidents
• Reports and training items for download

www.firefighterclosecalls.com/
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MFRI

• State and regional training
• On-line classes
• Registration
• Links
• Contacts
• Company Drills

http//www.mfri.org/
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3. Activities

• Station Operations
• Responding/Returning
• Fire Ground Operations
• Other Emergency Operations
• Training

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Stations Operations

• 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

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Responding/Returning

• 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

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Fire Ground Operations

• Use of ICS/IMS
• Safety Officer clearly designated
• SOPs
• Mandatory SCBA usage requirements
• Continuous water supply established
• Clearly understood Plan of Action
• Offensive or defensive operations announced
• Accountability system in place and utilized

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Other Emergency Incidents

• Blood borne pathogen requirements followed
• Highway safety procedures followed
• Air monitoring for Hazmat and Confined Space
  operations
• Technical Rescue incident trained responders

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Training

• 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

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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

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4. Plan of Action

• 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

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Review

• Introduction
• Resources
• Activities
• Improvement Plan

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Your thoughts?