Implementing the 16
Firefighter Life Safety
Initiatives
IAFC Leadership Summit
2005
This is a discussion forum for
Fire Service Leaders
Your participation is requested…
Please share your thoughts and ideas.

Everyone is in favor of Firefighter Safety


Everyone is in favor of Firefighter Safety
Everyone supports the 16 initiatives
(at least in principle)

Everyone is in favor of Firefighter Safety

Everyone supports the 16 initiatives
(at least in principle)

Everyone agrees they are important

Everyone is in favor of Firefighter Safety

Everyone supports the 16 initiatives
(at least in principle)

Everyone agrees they are important

How do we implement them?
The Fire Service Senior
Executive’s Implementation
Guide for the 16 Firefighter Life
Safety Initiatives
The Fire Service Senior
Executive’s Implementation
Guide for the 16 Firefighter Life
Safety Initiatives
Not to be confused with
Safety for Dummies
1. Culture
Establish an organizational culture that
fully embraces health and safety
1. Culture
Establish an organizational culture that
fully embraces health and safety
Organizational values and beliefs
 Accountability at every level
 Risk-based incident management
 Stop unsafe practices

2. Individual Capabilities
Ensure that every member is capable
of performing all expected duties:
2. Individual Capabilities
Ensure that every member is capable
of performing all expected duties:

Training
 KSAs
 Professional
qualifications
 Certifications (re-certifications)
Performance evaluations
 Medical examinations
 Physical fitness evaluations

3. The Right Stuff
Ensure that your fire department has
and uses appropriate tools,
equipment and procedures:
3. The Right Stuff
Ensure that your fire department has
and uses appropriate tools,
equipment and procedures:
Meets appropriate standards
 Current technology
 Properly inspected and maintained
 Used as intended

(Prioritize Grant Funds)
4. Drive Safely
Arrive alive
(and don’t kill anyone else on the way)
4. Drive Safely
Arrive alive
(and don’t kill anyone else on the way)
Adopt safe driving rules and procedures
 Enforce them
 Driver training
 Emergency vehicle driver’s license
 Seat belts!
 Secure loose objects in cabs and on vehicles
 Reduce unnecessary emergency responses
 Practice scene safety

5. Investigate and Evaluate
Understand why things go wrong
and don’t let it happen again
5. Investigate and Evaluate
Understand why things go wrong
and don’t let it happen again





Investigate all accidents and injuries
Near-miss reporting
Analyze data and trends
Learn the lessons and implement the findings
Continual self-evaluation
6. Prevention
Reduce Incidents
Reduce Risks
6. Prevention
Reduce Incidents
Reduce Risks
Public Education
 Code adoption and enforcement
 Residential sprinklers

7. The Rest of the List

Counseling and psychological support

Violent incident protocol

Research and data analysis
History Lesson

NFPA 1500 – adopted in 1987
History Lesson



NFPA 1500 – adopted in 1987
“too radical for the times”
Needed time to phase-in
History Lesson




NFPA 1500 – adopted in 1987
“too radical for the times”
Needed time to phase-in
Added language
 “set
a date or dates for achieving compliance”
 “establish a phase-in schedule”
History Lesson




NFPA 1500 – adopted in 1987
“too radical for the times”
Needed time to phase-in
Added language
 “set
a date or dates for achieving compliance”
 “establish a phase-in schedule”

Is 18 years long enough?
Today’s Revelation
 If
we fully comply with NFPA 1500, we
have successfully implemented most of
the 16 initiatives.
 Start
1500
by evaluating compliance with NFPA
 Check
list is in the standard
Self-Evaluation
Organizational Culture

Have we made firefighter safety and health a primary
value of the organization?

Does every member understand the organizational
emphasis on health and safety?

Does every manager and supervisor understand their
personal responsibility to implement safety policies and
procedures?

Are we holding people accountable for compliance with
health and safety policies?
Leadership

Has the Fire Chief accepted the responsibility for
health and safety policies and programs

Does the Fire Chief “walk the walk” and “talk the
talk”?

Does the Fire Chief know if the health and safety
policies are being followed?

Is there a gap between what we think is going on and
what is really going on?
Human Resources

Does every firefighter have the training
(knowledge, skills and abilities) to perform all
expected duties?

Is every firefighter physically fit?




Physical fitness program
Fitness evaluations
Performance standards
Is every firefighter healthy?

Regular medical examinations by qualified physician
Standard Operating Procedures

Do we have them?

Do we follow them?

Do we really follow them?

Are we using the procedures or just using the
terminology?
Risk Management
 Does
everyone understand the difference
between and acceptable risk and an
unacceptable risk?
 Do
you have a system to pre-identify
unacceptable risks?
Incident Management
 Can
we really account for the position,
function and status of every firefighter on
the incident scene?
 Is
every firefighter connected to the plan
for the incident?
 Does
the Incident Commander know what
is really going on?
Equipment
 Do
 Is
it properly maintained and inspected?
 Do
 Is
we have all of the “proper” equipment?
you have records?
it used according to the design
parameters?
Vehicles
 Does
every vehicle meet current design
standards for safety?

Has every vehicle been inspected … and
passed?
 Do
we have criteria for taking vehicles out
of service?
 Do we ensure that all new vehicles
incorporate every safety feature?
Seat Belts
 Is
 Is
everyone really seated and belted?
everything else in the cab properly
secured?
Response Policies

Do we really stop at red lights and stop signs?

Do we really drive according to the rules?

Do we have policies to limit emergency response
to true emergency incidents?

What if we didn’t use red lights and sirens?
Investigations

When something goes wrong, how thoroughly do we
investigate?




Near miss
Minor accident or injury
Major accident or injury
Fatality

Are we prepared to tell the truth about what happened?

Do we implement the findings of the investigation?

Does anyone pay attention to the little stuff?
Coming Soon
The IAFC Guide to Self-Analysis of
Health and Safety Programs and
Vulnerability Assessment




Safety, Health and Survival Section
Metropolitan Chiefs Section
US Fire Administration
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
National Fallen
Firefighters
Foundation
It is up to all of us
to make sure
Everyone Goes Home
THE END
U.S. Fire Administration