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Robert P. Avsec

Fire Officer Safety

Battalion Chief Robert Avsec (ret.) served with the Chesterfield (Virginia) Fire & EMS Department for 26 years. He was an instructor for fire, EMS and hazardous materials courses at the local, state and federal levels, which included more than 10 years with the National Fire Academy. Chief Avsec earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and his master’s degree in executive fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University. He is a 2001 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s EFO Program. Beyond his writing for FireRescue1.com and FireChief.com, Avsec authors the blog Talking “Shop” 4 Fire & EMS and has published his first book, “Successful Transformational Change in a Fire and EMS Department: How a Focused Team Created a Revenue Recovery Program in Six Months From Scratch.” Connect with Avsec on LinkedIn or via email.

LATET ARTICLES
Even seemingly low-level noise over time can damage hearing and lead to additional health risks
Follow hazmat scene basic protocols when dealing with an emotionally difficult scene to help firefighters cope
Firefighter safety is as much about their mental state as their physical state; here’s what the company officer can do to boost the crew’s emotional hygiene
Firefighter safety is also about protecting the mind from the barrage of witnessed trauma
For the safety of their community and crew, fire officers must become residential fire sprinkler advocates
Making sure PPE fits is more than an issue of comfort; it’s a safety issue, and that goes for women as well as men
The company officer sets the stage for how firefighters use and clean their PPE to protect themselves from occupational cancers
Cancer-causing particles are a threat on the fireground and in the fire station; here’s how officers can protect firefighters
The old way of teaching and training firefighters is not only irrelevant, it is dangerous; here’s how to fix that
For the company officer, having a dashcam in the rig can provide proof of wrongdoing, serve as a training tool and change driver behavior