MEMORANDUM
To: IAFC Board of Directors
From: Garry Briese, CAE
Date: July 14, 2006
RE: 2006 International Firefighter Stand Down Survey Report and Analysis
Statistics gathered by media accounts and an electronic survey provide data to suggest the second International Firefighter Safety Stand
Down was enormously successful. We estimate that between nine and 10 thousand departments in the U.S. and Canada actively participated in the
stand down.
Upon the conclusion of the Stand Down, a survey
was sent to members of the IAFC and our partnering organizations. It was also made available via a link from the International
Stand Down Web site. It is important to note that a fully accurate response rate is impossible to decipher as posting the survey on the Web site and distributing it through the Stand Down partners created an unknown quantity of people who had access to or knowledge of the survey’s presence. In total 1,788 respondents completed the survey (as of July 13, 2006). Last year 2,114 completed the survey; however the time period was longer and this year’s survey was lengthier.
Findings
Eighty-six percent (1,539) of respondents reported that they participated in the Stand
Down. Seventy percent of participating departments reported that three quarters or more of their personnel took part in Stand Down.

A quarter of participating departments dedicated their entire stand down to vehicle safety.
Sixty-seven percent spent between 26 percent and 75 percent of their stand down focusing on vehicle safety.
Of the 86 percent of respondents who noted participation, 50 percent belonged to fully career departments. Approximately 38 percent of participating departments were combination departments, and approximately 12 percent of participating departments were fully volunteer. This likely signals that combination and volunteer departments found it more difficult to schedule around varied shifts or more difficult to tailor content.
Looking forward, we should consider providing greater clarity or suggestions on tailoring events to specific department types. The feedback and copies of dozens of model programs we received from around the country will prove extremely valuable in this work.
Across the board, there was an increase in reported participation by all departments: career, volunteer and combination. The most significant increase was among fully volunteer departments; participation increased approximately 60 percent. While the increase was significant, staff noted that improvement may be further generated in volunteer department participation by developing more volunteer-focused resources.
Percentage of reporting departments participating
(by type of department)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
2005
2006
30
20
10
0
Fully career Primarily career with volunteers
(combination)
Primarily volunteers with career
(combination)
Fully volunteer
An overwhelming percentage (97 percent) sees value and would participate in similar future events. At the same time, when asked about how often, 45 percent indicated yearly activity, 34 percent said quarterly, 16 percent said as-needed and five percent said no.

Data and feedback from participants suggests that 14 percent of respondents did not participate. Those who responded that they did not participate in the stand down cited the difficulty in scheduling, lack of buy-in and too many other competing department activities. Staff also received input from members in the southwestern United States indicating that wildland fires in that area forced them to postpone or cancel their stand down.
A few individuals indicated that safety should be an everyday issue and not specially set aside. “We generally have a very good safety record and saw little benefit in participating.” Another respondent indicated the leadership in his department was also complacent only mentioning the stand down and saying everyone was doing a good job and keep doing what they are doing. The survey respondent said, “It was very disappointing, to say the least and shameful. I’m sure that most of the firefighter fatalities last year all thought they were doing a good job and that they were going home at the end of their shift, too.”
Like in 2005, we saw a continued trend for junior officers reporting the idea was not welcomed by “old-timers.” One non-participating respondent said, “We are working toward educating our fire department leaders about the need to participate.” Our members need to understand that their leadership can empower the next generation of the fire service to create and sustain change that is desperately needed.
Feedback indicated that many people did not fully understand the concept of stand down and that the IAFC needs to further clarify how to conduct a stand down that fits the department’s needs and supports emergency response.
Conclusions
The need and desire for future firefighter safety awareness programs has grown exponentially. As one respondent wrote, “Our department is waiting for the 3 rd
Annual
Stand Down [sic]. It is now department policy to talk to each new recruit [about] the importance of this very special event in fire safety.”
As interest grows, the IAFC is poised to take a leadership role in the development and dissemination of comprehensive firefighter safety programs. These types of programs can continue to provide actionable activities and information about preventing deaths and injuries, rather than just continued talk. IAFC must give substantial thought as to how to move forward in a coordinated effort with partners to best serve the needs of the entire fire and emergency services.