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WHERE DO WE STAND? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? By Barbara Doepping
Part I-Firefighter Review Each year in the United States approximately 1.1 million firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our citizens and properties from loss. These men and women come from a broad spectrum of work environments not only here in the states, but in our territories as well. Full and part-time career and volunteer fire personnel work at the local, municipal, State, Territory and Federal levels; alongside prison inmates, military personnel, civilian firefighters, private and industrial workers, and contract personnel. They are involved in organizations such as the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the State Wildland agencies, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Park Service, and more. With information derived from the studies of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and other organizations, fire departments can develop solutions that will decrease future firefighter deaths. Solutions most often include improved training, a major design component inherent within the philosophy of the Interact Business Group's strategic planning for public safety training centers. Although only preliminary estimates have been released in the USFA’s January 2009 News Release (final report release will be in July), at this point it appears that firefighter fatalities dropped by four persons this past year; from 118 in 2007 to 114 in 2008. (However, there could be more, as State Fire Marshals continue to verify their 2008 losses.) We hope this is not the case. 2008 Statistics:
- Fourteen succumbed during aircraft crashes So just what is being done to improve firefighter safety? Recently the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recently published the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (Ridenour, M., et. al., November, 2008), consisting of assessments of 372 of the 863 (excluding the World Trade Center fatalities) line-of-duty firefighter deaths between 1998 and 2005. The report was broken down into a synopsis of medical- and trauma-related fatalities; then by department: volunteer, career, and a combination of both. More deaths were found to be trauma related, than medical (181 to 154, respectively). The findings and recommendations were in the following categories: MEDICAL CONDITIONS
TRAUMATIC INCIDENTS
In each of the ten cases listed above, the NIOSH report offers a synopsis of the findings, recommendations for fire departments, a case study, key questions to assess the department, and a list of references. The report stands alone and speaks for itself, and considering its depth and complexity of detail it would be a disservice to attempt a synopsis of the ten categories reviewed by NIOSH, and cited above. We highly recommend that the report be accessed and reviewed by the individual, in its entirety, in order to access all critical criteria. A complete review of the 56 page reproducible document can be accessed immediately via this link: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-100/pdfs/2009-100.pdf
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ARTICLES OF INTEREST 2008 wildland fire fatalities, entrapments, serious accidents Volunteers drink alcohol as part of Wilmington Police training Is Law Enforcement Training A Sham? New Firefighter Training Facility Opens In Palm Beach County Recent Training Helps Dallas Rescue Crew Save Man Training exercise focuses on school bus crashes 4-legged deputy demonstrates his drug-sniffing skills Cook County sheriff visits Q-C Kilgore Firefighters killed in a training accident Firefighters' training kicks in at shooting scene The importance of training Local Fire Departments and Industry Coordinate Live Anhydrous Ammonia Release Exercises Public Education Reduces our Risks Bay County Sheriff's Office Training A day in the life: Patrick Nulty, Santa Monica firefighter
A different kind of driver's ed A license to save Hazmat teams teach firefighters to stay safe Crisis intervention training program receives donation Extra care of evidence let wrongs be righted Rescued firefighter describes ordeal Search Dog Foundation gets $1 million Digging Into Trench Rescue Training SCMPD: Training Pays Off BART police get more than required training It's Not Only 'We Can,' but 'We Must' It's time to take action for the fire service grants LCCC alumni donate fire trucks to school's program Area firefighters meet new state test: Regular recertification now required CSI Delivers Active Shooter Simulation and Training to Portland Police Bureau PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS GET ADVANCED TRAINING IN KOSCIUSKO COUNTY Fire Dept. Receives Ratings Area firefighters rescue 5 'people' with high-tech tools Ky. LEOs aided by communication training Amherst firefighter training is funded by grant When training pays off Community colleges are key; don’t cut their budgets KCC receives Airports Partnership Award from US Dept. of Transportation Public Safety Emergency management system The above dated news links may have expired. If you would like more information on any of these please contact Mary at 760-751-0773 or mary@interactbusinessgroup.com
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Comments to: Newsletter Editor: Mary Burdick Copyright Interact Business Group 2009 / Privacy Statement |
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