INCIDENT SAFETY
OFFICER
INCIDENT SAFETY OFFICER
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Describe what on ISO is and their role at training
sessions and emergency scenes
• Discuss legislation and standards that apply to the
ISO
• Discuss and describe authority of an ISO
• List and describe specific functions of the ISO
during training
• Demo required documentation to be used during
training sessions by the ISO and Training Division
INCIDENT SAFETY OFFICER
An ISO is a member of the command and/or
training staff responsible for monitoring and
assessing safety hazards or unsafe
situations. ISO’s develop measures for
ensuring FF safety.
INCIDENT SAFETY OFFICER
Fire fighting is a dangerous job. Injuries and
death will never stop, however the risks can
be reduced. An ISO can reduce this chance
and help protect firefighters.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE RISKS WHEN
PERFORMING FIREFIGHTING DUTIES
INCIDENT SAFETY OFFICER
RISKS DURING TRAINING
THERE IS NO LEVEL OF ACCEPTABLE
RISK DURING TRAINING SESSIONS
INJURIES AND FATALITIES DURING
TRAINING ARE 100% UNACCEPTABLE
Benefits of the Incident Safety
Officer
• Diminishes accident potential and enhances
safety culture
• Minimizes time lost due to injuries
• Helps protect against liability
• Maximizes Incident Commander focus
• Instills safety-consciousness in the
Firefighters themselves
• Enhances efficiency and effectiveness
Who Will Benefit From This
Course?
• Chief Officers responding
to incidents
• Officers serving as IC
• Designated ISO’s
• Health & Safety Officers
• Company Officers
• Anyone wishing to
become above
Firefighter Death and Injury Rates
• Annual death rates still too high –
• Approx 50% of injuries occur at
emergency scenes or en route
• 50% of these are soft tissue
• Sprains and Strains top the list
• Structural Collapse, Falls, Training
RECENT EVENTS 2008 - 2010
According to Ministry Of Labour
20 Critical Injuries
3 Fatalities
So Far 1 FF Fatality in 2012
Recent Events
Critical FF Injury Meaford
OFC was asked by Ministry of
Labour to provide records and
lesson plans
– Training was ongoing and
documented
– Missing Lesson Plans
Fatal FF Accident Point Edward
• OFC / Ministry of Labour Review
– Standards in Ontario
– Best Practices (NFPA)
– Section 21 Guidance Notes
• 2-2 – Buddy System
• 2-4 – Incident Safety Officer
• 5-1 - Accountability
• 7-1 – H&S During Training
• 7-3 - Documentation
Regulatory Compliance
• OHSA/OSHA
• Guidance Notes ( #2
– 4 (32)
• Related regulations
• NFPA 1500 (set in 1987)
• NFPA 1561 ( SCENE
REHAB )
• NFPA 1521 ( seperates
the HSO and ISO )
• NFPA 1582/1584 (
Rehab & Documentation )
• Dept. policy &
SOG’s
Guidance Note 2-4
• Incident Safety Officer
– Who can be an ISO?
• Any member of the department who has the
knowledge, training and experience
• Must be formal and identified
– When do we need and ISO?
• SOG’s should establish – however industry best
practices play a role in this determination
• Emergency Scene
• Training
Guidance Note 7-1
• H&S During Training
– External Agencies
– Assume something will go wrong and plan for it
– A PLAN FOR EVERY TRAINING EXERCISE
• Applies to internal and external training activities
– Fire Chief or designate must sign off on training
plan
Guidance Note 7-3
• Training Documentation
– MOL WILL REQUIRE YOU TO PRODUCE
TRAINING RECORDS
• Training records include
–
–
–
–
Lesson Plans
Training Plans
Individual Records
Stored and available for review
NFPA 1521
This standard describes the role of an ISO as
well as the authority given to the ISO
An ISO has the authority to
HALT
ALTER
SUSPEND
HALT, ALTER, SUSPEND
• Soft Intervention : make crews and command
staff aware that a hazard or potential for injury
exists
• Firm Intervention : immediately halt, alter or
suspend an action or operation due to an imminent
threat. THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ORDER
• Imminent Threat : an activity or condition or
action that will most likely lead to injury or death.
Ontario Standards and NFPA
• Ontario Standards will be looked to and fire
departments will be held to that standard as
a minimum.
• Does the investigation end there?
– NO – MOL will look to NFPA as the recognized
industry leader and best practices
– They are not enforceable prior to an accident but
are used as a model after an accident
ISO Course Goal
Helping
You To
Make a
Difference
Baseline Values of the ISO
• Injuries aren’t a natural part of Firefighting
• Human Resources shouldn’t be “thrown” at
a fire
• Standards try to keep us from making the
same mistake again
• The ultimate GOAL is to INSTILL safe
behaviors in ALL firefighters
Risk Management
Risk Management
• Risk : A chance of damage, injury, or
loss
• Risk management: process of minimizing
the
– chance
– degree or
– probability
of damage, loss or injury
Classic Risk Management
5 step process
•
•
•
•
•
Hazard identification
Hazard evaluation
Prioritize hazards
Control hazards
Monitor hazards
Alternate intervention if required
Monitor Hazards
• Is control working?
• Revisit hazards
• Re-evaluate
– conditions
– operations
– environment
• Prioritize hazards
• Develop safety plans co
and countermeasures
Alternate Interventions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Is control working?
How bad can it get?
What has changed?
Getting better or worse?
Other solutions?
Benefit worth the risk?
Have all reasonable
precautions been taken?
Significant Loss: Potential to
Save Lives
Inherent Risks: Protect Property
No Possibility to Save Lives or
Property
ISO As Risk Manager
• ISO identifies hazards
• Provides an assessment of
hazards for IC
• Provides solutions to the IC
• Develops credibility
• Minimizes potential for loss
• Makes a difference
Group Exercise 1:
Hazard Identification
Hand Out slides for group work, 10 min.
review as class with the slides displayed
1. Group Observations
• Look at the following slides
• Discuss the hazards present;
–
–
–
–
the severity of the hazard
the potential for an injury
Potential hazards to emergency responders
Alter, Suspend, Terminate
DON
Command Dysfunction
Did he say he wanted
water? Over there!
I think we should just do
it our way!
How many guys do we
need? How many do we
have ?
Command Dysfunction
NIOSH reports continue to uncover
cases of COMMAND DYSFUNCTION
as a contributing factor to
firefighter fatalities.
It is IMPAIRATIVE that the ISO
understands what equates to IMS
Dysfunction and proactively
eliminate this potential.
Command Dysfunction
Classic Signs of IMS Dysfunction:
• Incomplete/Missed Communications
• Use of Readiness Unit numbers versus IMS
Common Terminology (“612” vs. “Fire
Attack Group”)
• Span of Control too wide
• Two “Commanders”
Command Dysfunction
• No apparent Action Plan
• Crew/Individual Freelancing
• Failure to declare/communicate a
“Risk Mode”
• Inadequate resources for the
“plan”
• Others?
Obtain a Briefing w/Command
•The ISO MUST know:
1. Situation Status
2. Resource Status
3. Known Hazards
4. The RISK MODE
the IC has adopted
Communicate Concerns to IC
ISO Effectiveness
Triggers and Traps
Triggers and Traps
Triggers – Those things the ISO can do
to help instill safe operations.
Traps – General approaches that will
render the ISO ineffective.
TRIGGERS to Safe Operations
BE VISIBLE –
Display the
word “Safety”
like a banner
Triggers to Safe Operations:
Lead by Example
Lead by example
“Walk the talk”
TRIGGERS to Safe Operations

SOFT Intervention




Advice,
Sharing observations,
Humor, etc.
FIRM Intervention


Alter, Suspend or terminate operations
Stern Advisories.
TRAPS to Avoid
The
“Bunker
Cop”
Syndrome
TRAPS to Avoid
The “CYA”
Mode
TRAPS to Avoid
The
“Worker”
Traps to Avoid
“Killing the
Messenger”
mode
Your Goal:
Be a Valuable Consultant
• Present tangible - well
articulated hazard
observations
• Don’t subvert IC
• Offer solutions and
contingencies credibility!
• Regular contact - face
to face
END
QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?