Firefighter injuries: What is going to change?
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?
Analysis of the roles of various factors suggests that the most prominent contributing factors to firefighter line-of-duty injury in metropolitan fire departments in the United States are lack of situational awareness (37.3%), lack of wellness/fitness (28.5%), and human error (10.6%). When clustered according to contributing factors most often occurring together, the most prominent cluster [includes] decision-making, lack of communication, standard operating guidelines/procedure breach, protocol breach, human error, lack of situational awareness.
The incident scene is, and always will be, a dynamic atmosphere. Humans are not robots, nor should they strive to be. I realize that a goal of zero accidents is not realistic. However, because we know these factors which put firefighters in danger, a substantial reduction in injuries can and must be realized. How can this be achieved?
- Leave the ego at home
- Always consider risk vs. gain
- Mandate higher education as a requirement for promotion
- Provide inter-agency training on a regular basis
- Maintain well-written SOP’s and SOG’s
- Provide frequent, realistic and modernized training
- Enforce established safety-related rules
- Budget for full annual physicals
- Complete annual individual Performance Fitness Qualifications and take corrective action
- Require cessation of tobacco usage as a prerequisite to hiring
- Exhibit a willingness to change outdated practices and traditions
- Adopt what is working among other departments
I applaud the IAFF and the departments that have submitted their injury data, and I encourage you to read the entire report below. Now that we have quantitative data, the question is, what are we going to do differently? Please share any thoughts you may have.
View the full report: Contributing Factors to Firefighter Line-of-Duty Injury in Metropolitan Fire Departments in the United States - August 2008
Tags: contributing factor, IAFF, injury, LODD
August 7th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Professor, The study and all other recent publications point to one issue-firefighter safety. I think we are starting to realize that it’s ALL about safety. However we continue to put firefighters in harms way, for little gain. The death of the wildland firefighters in California should warrant a serious look at how we go about our business. Whether situational awareness or equipment failure is involved, fireifghter deaths while protecting property is unacceptable. May God comfort the families and coworkers of those who died. But it is up to the fire service to decide if it is really worth the loss.