By Sandy Davis

I often ask myself what we can do to meet and exceed the goal of a 25% reduction in firefighter deaths in five years and a 50% reduction in 10 years. There are a few simple, basic truths that I believe will need to take place in order to see that goal reached.

In an attempt to reach the aim of reducing firefighter fatalities in our nation, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) has developed partnerships with the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation, the United States Fire Administration and other organizations.

What continues to injure and kill firefighters has not changed significantly in the 30 plus years I have been associated with the fire service. With very few exceptions, what was killing firefighters in 1976 continued to be the number one culprit in 2006. I can sum that offender up in one word – complacency.

According to my thesaurus, we can substitute contentment, satisfaction or smugness for the word complacency, and when we do that we continue to get the same meaning and thus the same results.

In 1987, the fire service started to become more aware of the need for occupational health and safety programs as NFPA 1500 came into existence. If you look at the statistics pre-1500, you can see we were losing firefighters in structural incidents at a higher rate than we are today.

As we became more keenly aware of fireground behavior, issues were addressed and the injuries and fatalities there were reduced.

Vigilance needed
There has been a trend over the past five years of increased fireground deaths, which makes me concerned we have become too comfortable and satisfied with our vigilance on the fireground and have let our foothold slip. We cannot become complacent on the incident scene.

Short of a catastrophic failure of equipment, there should never be a firefighter fatality during training. However, the two or three training-related fatalities we experience annually are rarely caused by equipment failure, but by complacency on the part of training officers and participants. Never let complacency sneak onto your training grounds.  

Motor vehicle accidents are another area where complacency gets us into trouble. Many departments do not have a mandatory, structured, formal driver training program.

In many departments, new recruits learn from senior members how to operate apparatus. If the teacher has bad driving habits, the student follows the lead.

You may argue that driver training programs are difficult to fund and get started in departments, but you cannot argue the following point: The single most significant reduction in firefighter fatalities related to motor vehicle accidents will come from mandatory seatbelt usage. 

No firefighter should ever be allowed to ride without their seatbelt worn properly on an apparatus or in their private vehicles when responding to or returning from an incident. Complacency about seatbelt use on your department will eventually catch up with you, end of discussion.

The number one issue in the fire service with regard to health and safety is physical fitness and wellbeing.

Respiratory disease
If we can significantly reduce heart attacks, strokes, respiratory diseases, and cancers in the fire service, we will cut fatalities by half. It is much easier said than done, but we must start somewhere. First, never breathe smoke. Wear that SCBA not only during the fire attack mode but throughout the overhaul process as well. There are some nasty characters floating around the fireground that can lead to respiratory disease and cancers.

Speaking of never breathe smoke, you should never breathe the “good smoke” either; the smoke from a Camel, Winston, Lucky Strike, or any of other of the hundreds of brands of cancer sticks out there.

Tobacco cessation programs on your department will have a long-term effect in the reduction of respiratory diseases, cancers, heart attacks and strokes.      

Physical fitness programs are also important. Not everyone, including me, will ever be a candidate for a marathon race or Mr. Olympia, or win the Tour de France. But we must be mindful of our eating habits, and exercise even in moderation to improve our health. 

Improving the health and safety of responders everywhere is not complicated or expensive; it is a matter of reducing our complacency about the everyday health and safety activities that will give us victory over the enemy of firefighter injuries and fatalities.

Sandy Davis is the chairman of FDSOA. He is a retired career fire service professional, with 27 years of service to the Shreveport Fire Department. He served as the department's chief safety officer for 10 years. Additionally, he was the hazardous materials coordinator for the City of Shreveport. He is the director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for Caddo and Bossier parishes in Northwestern Louisiana. Mr Davis is also a nationally registered EMT, a certified hazardous materials technician, and a certified health and safety officer.