Stafford County Fire and Rescue Dept.
2011 Safety Stand-Down
RESPONSE SAFETY
ARRIVE ALIVE!
BY : RYAN L. CARROLL
OBJECTIVES:
Discuss major causes of vehicle accidents and vehicle
related deaths in the fire service
Review ways to change or prevent accidents
Generate discussion on driving behavior
Learn some science behind the accidents
Review of scene safety practices
HOW ARE WE DYING?
Approximately 25% of all fire fighter deaths each year are
caused by vehicle accidents.
• Emergency and Non-emergency driving
The three most common factors
• Seatbelts (lack of), Intersections, Speed
11 out of the 85 deaths due to vehicle accidents in 2010
WHAT TIME OF DAY AND
WHAT ROAD CONDITIONS
ARE THE MOST COMMON IN
FIRE DEPT. ACCIDENTS?
Daytime and dry road conditions……..
OPEN YOUR EYES!!
ACCIDENTS
HAPPEN
ANYWHERE….
…EVEN CLOSE
TO HOME
* Photo used with permission of Chief 1 and Safety 1
Accidents can happen to the greenest driver or the most
experienced ones.
Just because you have “driven these roads for years,” you
still must maintain focus.
Make sure everyone is seat-belted in….EVERYTIME.
SEATBELTS SAVE LIVES! WE
KNOW THIS, SO DO IT!
WHY DO WE SPEED???
Inexperience
• Inexperience leads to over eagerness
Statistics
• Pressure to get on-scene in a certain amount of time forces
faster driving
• Why kill your crew and/or civilians because of inadequate
staffing?
T.V.
• T.V. as kids showed us fire trucks going fast, so that’s what we
do.
CITED ISSUES
Many calls are not “serious” problems or false alarms being
cancelled during dispatch.
• Why kill your crew or another civilian over a stubbed toe?
Ignoring a downgraded response.
• Radio traffic is recorded, and you can bet a lawyer will retrieve
those tapes if you wreck going code 1
Longer distances = longer response times
• Drivers may subconsciously drive faster to compensate
ISSUES CONT.
Ambulances driving too fast going to the hospital.
• Providers not secured.
• We have advanced life support tools/drugs, unlike the days of
the scoop and run without any pre-hospital care. This buys us
more time.
• Excessive speed and erratic driving hinders proper care.
Our “We own the road” mentality
• Fire apparatus drivers not yielding at intersections is the most
common example and mistake.
PREVENTATIVE
MEASURES
OPTION
Training, training,
training!!!
Speed restrictions
Seat belts
EXAMPLE
Have plenty of “drive time” with a
mentor to shadow
Limiting speed to no more than 10
mph over the posted speed limit
Wear it!!! Every call, every time
Education
Learn from past mistakes and know
driving laws
Tiered dispatching
Prioritize 911 calls with a response to
match. (priority 1 = code 1, etc.)
FIRE DEPARTMENT
CULTURE
• FDNY QUOTE :
“WE ARE NOT LEARNING
WE ARE NOT CHANGING
WE ARE NOT ADAPTING”
WE ARE STILL TRYING TO MIMIC THE OLD “SALTY DOGS” AND THE WAY
IT WAS DONE IN THE “OLD SCHOOL”
WE THINK WE HAVE TO BE TOUGHER, MORE AGGRESSIVE, AND
FASTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE.
OUR PRIDE AND EGOS BLIND US FROM PROGRESS
THESE BEHAVIORS ARE KILLING US AND MUST CHANGE!
EVOC
Today’s EVOC is not teaching us how to drive, and fail to
teach the “science” of operating larger vehicles
The infamous VA code 46.2
• Gives us the impression of an open door for “breaking” MOST
traffic laws
• “Due Regard” clause used after each exemption is an open
ended phrase that can be easily manipulated by a lawyer in
court.
§ 46.2-920 OF
THE CODE OF
VIRGINIA
VS.
STAFFORD COUNTY SOP’S
§ 46.2-920 OF THE
CODE OF VIRGINIA
1. Disregard speed limits, while having DUE REGARD for
safety of persons and property;
2. Proceed past any steady or flashing red signal, traffic light,
stop sign, or device indicating moving traffic shall stop if the
speed of the vehicle is sufficiently reduced to enable it to
pass a signal, traffic light, or device with DUE REGARD to the
safety of persons and property;
§ 46.2-920 OF THE
CODE OF VIRGINIA
3. Park or stop notwithstanding the other provisions of this
chapter;
4. Disregard regulations governing a direction of movement
of vehicles turning in specified directions so long as the
operator does not endanger life or property;
5. Pass or overtake, with DUE REGARD to the safety of
persons and property, another vehicle at any intersection;
§ 46.2-920 OF THE
CODE OF VIRGINIA
6. Pass or overtake with DUE REGARD to the safety of
persons and property, while en route to an emergency,
stopped or slow-moving vehicles, by going to the left of the
stopped or slow-moving vehicle either in a no-passing zone
or by crossing the highway centerline; or
7. Pass or overtake with DUE REGARD to the safety of
persons and property, while en route to an emergency,
stopped or slow-moving vehicles, by going off the paved or
main traveled portion of the roadway on the right.
Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, vehicles
exempted in this instance will not be required to sound a
siren or any device to give automatically intermittent signals.
STAFFORD COUNTY
SOP’S
SOP #0006 (Operations of Emergency Vehicles by Career
Personnel)
• All personnel operating a vehicle are subject to all the
provisions of the motor vehicle code of Virginia, specifically
Section 46.2-920
• All personnel are subject to the provisions of the County’s
Driver Safety Program
STAFFORD COUNTY
SOP’S
• Drivers will come to a COMPLETE STOP at all red lights and
stop signs when possible while responding with lights and
siren to ensure that all traffic has yielded the right of way prior
to proceeding though the intersection.
• During an emergency response, emergency vehicles should
avoid passing each other. If passing becomes necessary, the
passing arrangements should be conducted through radio
communications.
STAFFORD COUNTY
SOP’S
• Avoid backing wherever possible. Where backing an
emergency vehicle is unavoidable, a guide must be used to
help back the unit. If a guide is unavailable, the operator
should dismount and walk completely around the vehicle
before backing.
CHANGES AND
DIFFERENCES
New state code is indicating that lights AND sirens must be
used when traveling through an intersection.
State code does not mandate coming to a complete stop at
intersections or stop signs; Stafford does, so make sure you
STOP!
MATH AND
SCIENCE OF
DRIVING
THE FUN STUFF
TERMS
Coefficient of Friction
Critical Speed of a Curve
Total Stopping Distance
Braking Efficiency
WHAT DO THEY
MEAN?
Coefficient of Friction
• Boils down to how slippery the road is.
• Lower the value = slicker the road
• This increases braking distances
• Dry Roads = .8 - .9
• Wet/Icy Roads = .2 - .3
The bottom line:
When it is wet, SLOW DOWN to compensate for
the braking distance increase!
Critical Speed of a Curve
• The maximum speed a vehicle can maneuver through a curve
• No matter the skill level of the driver, YOU WILL CRASH if you
exceed this speed
• This speed changes with the change in Coefficient of Friction
• Is calculated by the friction of the road and the radius of the curve
(how sharp of a turn)
The bottom line:
Pay attention to the posted yellow warning signs
and SLOW DOWN when the road is wet! The road
signs are there for a reason!
* Photo used with permission of Chief 1 and Safety 1
Total Stopping Distance
• See it, process it, apply the brakes, and stop
• Feet per second vs. mph
• 55 MPH = 80 FPS
• Average brain takes 1.5 seconds to see, process and react to a
hazard
• So if driving 55 MPH, you will travel almost 120 ft just to react to
something.
• At 55 MPH, a fire truck takes 194 ft to come to a skidding stop
• 120+194= 314 ft…..aka a football field
• Remember this when approaching an intersection!
The bottom line:
Drive defensively, watch following distances,
and give yourself braking room! (SLOW DOWN)
Braking Efficiency
• Air brakes vs. Hydraulic brakes
• Hydraulic acts immediately
• Air takes almost .5 seconds to engage
• At 55 MPH, that is almost 40 extra feet to brake
• Truck tires designed for weight and wear
• Sacrifice braking ability and traction for durability
The bottom line:
You need twice as much room to stop a fire truck
as you do your car! (SLOW DOWN)
* Photo used with permission of Chief 1 and Safety 1
WHAT DO WE GAIN BY
SPEEDING???
• Example: Traveling a distance of 8 miles
• 35 mph = 13 min, 42 sec
• 45 mph = 10 min, 40 sec
• 55 mph = 8 min, 43 sec
• Example: Traveling a distance of 3 miles
• 35 mph = 5 min, 8 sec
• 45 mph = 4 min, 0 sec
• 55 mph = 3 min, 16 sec
NOT MUCH!!!
NEED FOR SPEED?
How effectively can providers perform CPR in a speeding
ambulance? Will those few extra minutes to get to the
hospital make the difference?
How do we serve those who call 911 if we never make it onscene due to our own accident?
Your thoughts??
SCENE SAFETY
Traffic Vests and Cones:
• Increase visibility and safety to scenes located on
roads/highways
• Not just another silly SOP/SOG put out by different Fire
Departments.
TRAFFIC VESTS
It has been proven that wearing retro-reflective clothing
increases detection distances of people from 125 Ft (in
normal clothing) to 890 Ft.
• This is VERY significant when considering the braking
distances and speeds for the different vehicles approaching
your scene.
Fire Fighters wearing reflective gear at night
CONES
Should provide a barrier directing vehicles away from the
emergency scene
Cones should be placed “tapering” the lane(s) down
Tapering distance should increase as speed limits increase
Traffic cones should be outfitted with 4” and 6” reflective
tape
Traffic Cone with 4” and 6” reflective tape
SUMMARY
Our job is dangerous enough; Don’t add more potential by
driving recklessly
SLOW DOWN!!! It is not our emergency
Pay attention to road signs and road conditions
ARRIVE ALIVE