sparkSAFETY

Should you be able to quit your fire department job and then expect to be rehired when a position is available? This is a common dilemma within the fire service. This article from the Wilmington, NC Star-News is one recently publicized example:

Will Tyler left the department Wilmington last year to follow his fiancee to Atlanta, where he pursued a carer in law enforcement. When the relationship didn’t work out, Tyler came back in March, turning in an application to rejoin the city.

But Tyler said he got a “thanks, but no thanks” letter saying he didn’t have the qualifications for the job. He blames the denial on an unwritten fire department policy of not allowing firefighters who leave to come back.

Speaking from my fire department perspective only, I’ve seen many individuals come and go for a variety of reasons.  Some of the reasons were valid, such as marriage-related relocation, a better job or lateral transfer into another department. The majority, however, were not as reasonable. (more…)

The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) has released a report providing invaluable information about those factors which continue to hurt firefighters. The analysis, compiled from two years’ worth of line-of-duty injury data among metropolitan fire departments, speaks for itself (emphasis added is mine):

Ninety-four and one half percent of firefighter LOD injuries occurring in 2005-2006 in the departments studied, are attributable to an identifiable cluster of contributing factors. Approximately one third of the firefighter LOD injuries studied are attributable to a cluster of factors that are under the direct control of the individual firefighter and chief officers.

These data suggest that one-third of firefighter LOD injuries can be prevented simply by changes in behavior. Now that we have established who is to blame for these LOD injuries, what exactly are they doing wrong? (more…)

How about this for a seatbelt pledge? The Fire Chief shows some backbone and pledges to immediately pull you off of the rig and send you home if you are caught not wearing your seatbelt! We have educated, begged and even threatened crews for years now to buckle up, but most continue to do so only when they think they may encounter those in charge. (more…)

As the old Chinese proverb so aptly states, the greatest journey begins with a single step… and so it begins. I have started this blog primarily (but not exclusively) in the interest of firefighter safety. Safety is very cool to talk about in upper fire circles these days. I hear a lot of big talk and read about some big grant awards thrown at it, but I really don’t see a lot of headway being made. Are LODD’s declining? What’s it going to take? (more…)