The 2006 International Fire Fighter Safety Stand Down focuses on vehicle safety
By CHIEF BILL KILLEN
Next month, thousands of fire departments across the United States and Canada will participate in the International Fire Fighter Safety Stand Down. Starting June 21 and continuing until all personnel and duty nights have been covered, fire departments will suspend all non-emergency activity to focus entirely on firefighter safety.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the IAFC's Volunteer and Combination Officers Section have joined forces to sponsor the stand down; the IAFC's Safety, Health and Survival Section and the IAFF's Department of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine are coordinating the event's recommended curriculum, downloads and activity schedule, which will include drills, discussion topics, vehicle and equipment inspections, and department policy reviews. And nearly 20 national fire service organizations are coming together to make this one of the most supported initiatives in the fire service. Everyone—career, volunteer, EMS and wildland fire personnel — should participate in the stand down, because everyone in the fire service is at risk.
The stand down draws attention to the unacceptable number of line-of-duty deaths and calls for the fire service to change the trend. Last year alone, 106 firefighters died in the line of duty; of those, 26 deaths were due to emergency vehicle accidents. We can do something about these accidents, which is why this year's stand down will focus on emergency vehicle safety — specifically, seatbelt usage and safe driving through intersections. The message is simple and direct: Wear your seatbelt and stop at intersections. These two actions can significantly reduce the number of firefighter deaths. The stand down will call attention to the importance of these simple yet lifesaving practices.
As chiefs and officers, we must also use this time to evaluate our policies and the ways in which we enforce them. We must lead by example. Do you buckle up every time you operate a vehicle? Do you ensure that everyone else is buckled up? Do you foster a culture of daily firefighter safety awareness and practice?
The stand down Web site (www.iafc.org/standdown) provides everything you'll need to plan your stand down, as well as resources that will help you and your department stay safe all year. It also includes a multitude of firefighter safety resources, including safety-related SOPs, training resources, accident reports, articles and posters to promote firefighter safety, as well as white papers and facts about safety.
We must stop killing and injuring firefighters. Take action, stand down for firefighter safety, and keep the message of the stand down with you every day: Buckle up and stop at intersections. It's that easy.
Stay safe.
William D. "Bill" Killen, CFO, retired as chief of the Holston Army Ammunition Plant Fire Department, operated by Wackenhut Services Inc., in Kingsport, Tenn. He previously served as director of the Navy Fire and Emergency Services for nearly 30 years. He is president of the IAFC, the premier organization for fire chiefs and officers around the world. For more information on Chief Killen or the IAFC, visit www.iafc.org.
