Maryland Fire Service Health
and Safety Consensus Standard
“…so our brothers and sisters will be
provided every degree of safety in the
delivery of emergency services…”
Final Draft - January 2001
What’s the problem?
 In 1999-– 112 firefighters died in the line of duty
– Increase of 21 from 1998
– 300,000 + firefighters sustained
injuries in the line of duty
56 died on the fireground:
32 volunteers
22 paid
1 prison inmate
1 federal forestry
…21 heart attacks
…13 asphyxiated
…8 burned
…6 internal trauma
…4 crushed
…3 electrocuted
…1 heat stroke
32 died responding/returning
27 volunteers
4 paid
1 federal forestry
…15 heart attacks
…11 collisions or
rollovers
…2 strokes
…2 aneurysms
…1 drowned
…1 fell from jump seat
10 died in non-fire emergencies
8 heart attacks-3 at motor vehicle accidents
2 at false alarms volunteers
1 medical call
1 in trench rescue
1 after dog attack
2 struck and killed at the scene of motor
vehicle crashes
10 died in non-emergency
related on duty activities
7 in normal station activities-…5 heart attacks
…2 embolisms
1 heart attack on vehicle maintenance
detail
1 hit by a backhoe he was repairing
1 explosion of fireworks waste
4 died during training
1 heart attack
1 fall from a window while directing a
ladder and handline
1 ruptured cerebral aneurysm during PT
1 drowned during SCUBA dive
Routine fires/incidents...
 ...they
kill firefighters
 ...they injure firefighters
 It’s
the ones and twos…not
the Worcester, MA
FSHR
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Workgroup call by Secretary of Labor John
O’Connor.
Workgroup comprised of paid and volunteer
representatives, including labor & management.
Consensus: Paid & volunteer providers should be
equally protected.
Chairperson Chief Roger Simonds.
Goal: safety, emergency scene accountability and
command structure that matches NFPA 1500.
Why: prevent illness and injury.
FSHR

Accomplished without significant difficulty by
most fire departments and rescue squads.
 Recognize some Federal, State and local
regulations affect operations now.
 There are some costs (medical/fit testing).
 Bottom line: a safer environment for the
emergency service responder.
Status
 Responses
from several organizations.
 Reviewed and changes made where
appropriate.
 Medical component completed.
 Added method for revisions.
Structure
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1. Purpose
2. Scope
3. Definitions
4. Organizational statement
5. Implementation Period
6. Medical Standards
Structure
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7. Substance abuse programs
8. Personal Protective Equipment
9. Emergency operations
10. Investigation of vehicle
collisions and injuries
11. Vehicle safety
Structure
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12. Tools/equipment
13. Facility safety
14. Workplace violence
15. PIA/Critiques
16. Revision to standard
Appendices
 Purpose:
“…to protect members during
emergency operations.”
 Scope:
All fire, rescue and EMS
departments in the state.
Definitions:
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AHJ
Command Level Officers
Emergency responder
IDLH
Mayday
Definitions:
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PAR
Qualified Personnel
Rapid Intervention Crew
Senior Command Level Officer
Standard Principles of Risk
 Organizational Statement:
 Statement or written policy: defines the
organization’s purpose--what will it do?

Fight fire?

EMS?

Confined space?

High angle?

Swiftwater/underwater?
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Guidelines in appendices
 Implementation

period
Develop a written implementation plan.
 Remember some Federal, State and local
regulations affect operations now.
 ID compliance date with each element of the
regulation.
 Although not all adopted, be pro-active, get
with it now!
Medical Standard
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AHJ develops medical evaluation program
Supervising physician
Baseline evaluation for all
Aged based examination
Minimum requirements
Medical Standard
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Specifics of evaluation provided
 Collect data
 Confidentiality
 Reported either acceptable or unacceptable
Substance Abuse Programs
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Establish policy
 Includes entry and subsequent screenings
PPE
AHJ provides commensurate
with the level of hazard and
response expected
 Train members on use and care
 Inspect it annually
 Provided and used

 Respirators:
Type and compliance
Fit testing
Refill in fragmentation chamber
Hydro test
Air quality
 Structural Firefighting
NFPA 1971
 EMS
NFPA 1999
 Hazardous materials
NFPA 1991, 1992
 High
angle rescue
 Under water and swiftwater
 Wildland
NFPA 1977
 Marine
 Eye
& ear protection
Emergency Operations
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General:
Prevent injury or
death
 Adequate members
assembled
 Within organizational
statement
 Supervision
Incident Management
System
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Written
All trained in its use
Used in all
activities-training,
operations, special
events
Incident Commander
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All scenes, one in
charge
 Establish
organization based
on IMS adopted
 Unity of command
 Risk management
Incident Commander
 At

emergency scene the IC :
assumes command, is identified,
 performs size up with risk assessment,
 initiates/maintains/controls communications,
 develops strategic and tactical plan,
 initiates personnel accountability,
 reviews, modifies as required, and
 continues, transfers, terminates.
 Command
Officer Training
All trained on AHJ’s system, including
simulations using that community
 Senior command officers-more advanced, but
again based on expected response
 Refresh annually on AHJ system; use
simulations

Personnel Accountability
 Develop

a system to include:
Activation
 Personnel Accountability Report (PAR)
 PAR at specific times and at certain
benchmarks
Health & Safety Officer
 Assign
 Knowledgeable,
compliance
 Develop safety program for
prevention
 Scene safety officer
Emergency Scene Operations
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Training
PPE
IC & standby team
Entry team
RIC
Multiple RICs
Emergency Scene Operations
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IDLH atmospheres:

Interior- requires 2
out- for structures
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Exterior- requires 1
out- car fires,
dumpsters, etc.
Emergency Scene Operations
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Basic Risk
Management
questions:
 Risk Life for Life
 Risk Little for
Property
 Risk Nothing for
What’s Already Lost
Emergency Scene Operations
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Mayday
– Develop policy for
disabled, trapped,
missing
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Rehabilitation
CISM
Emergency Scene Operations
 Communications:
 Plain English
 SOP/G
 Terminology
 Use of IMS at all times
Investigating Collisions/Injuries
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Adopt policies
and procedures
 Determine cause
and provide
recommendations
for prevention
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Vehicles, Tools and Equipment
– Consider safety and health in specifications, design,
maintenance, etc.
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Facility Safety– During renovation/construction of fire/rescue and
EMS stations all work shall comply w/all applicable
health, safety and building codes
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Workplace Violence
– Procedures to evaluate the potential
Post Incident Analysis &
Critiques
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Adopt policies
and procedures
for conducting
PIAs and
critiques.
Revisions...

Prepared in writing by members of the Work
Group to the Secretary of Labor & Industry.
 Workgroup meets annually to review.
 Structure provided
 Appendices
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Provide support for various sections, give
options, show examples
Comments Please!!!
 Send
your comments and
suggestions via mail, e-mail, fax
to your fire service organization
representative by July 31, 2001.