Mich. firefighters under orders to buckle up

By Jiquanda Johnson
Flint Journal

CLIO, Mich. — Fire Authority Chief Gary Domerese has taken another step to ensure the safety of local firefighters.

He's made a pledge that firefighters must wear their seat belts when working for the department.

The Clio Area Fire Authority signed the National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge, committing it to have and enforce a policy mandating seat belt use in department vehicles.

Domerese said the department has had a written policy in place since 2005, but signing the pledge lets firefighters know just how important it is to wear seat belts.

"We've had a seat belt policy in place for some time, but there's been quite a number of firefighters killed around the nation when they are not wearing their seat belts," he said.

Domerese said he became aware of the pledge at a Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs conference in Bay City this year.

"It's a program that the MAFC has got involved in to ensure safety efforts for fire fighters around the county," Domerese said. "I thought it was important that we take part in that."

Clio firefighters have to wear seat belts when they are responding to a call even if they are in their own vehicle, Domerese said.

"It's mandatory," he said. "Our policy includes not only them riding in a fire apparatus but any time they are responding to a call and called to the station.

Not to mention it's a Michigan state law."

If firefighters are in an accident while not wearing seat belts they are suspended pending an investigation.

"If it is found that they were definitely not wearing a seat belt they are suspended indefinitely," Domerese said.

"Most of them understand that we're just pushing this for their safety."

The authority has about 60 volunteers who serve nearly 22,000 residents in Vienna and Thetford townships and Clio.

Domerese said no one that he is aware of has been in an accident without wearing a seat belt, nor have there been any fatalities involving Clio Area fire fighters.

Luckily, Domerese said their haven't been any fatal accidents in the area where fire fighters were not wearing seat belts.

He reflected on a fatal June accident that claimed the life of a Detroit firefighter.

"It's just hard to believe that in this business someone would not wear a seat belt," Domerese said.

"At least 95 percent of the fatalities we see are accidents where people didn't have on their seat belts and are ejected from their vehicles."

The firefighter, Joe Torkos, 47, died after he was thrown from a fire truck when the truck collided into a SUV.

The driver of the SUV died also.