Often, but not always, our safety officers are selected from the group of people who are no longer physically capable of performing interior operations on the fireground. Depending on the individual, this may be a wise choice. Some of us appoint a safety officer because no one else wants to do it: “We’ll stiff Joe with the task,” we think.
Safety of our personnel on the fireground and in the station is — at least it better be — the department’s No. 1 priority. Putting someone in the slot “just because” leaves personnel with the impression that department leadership doesn’t take safety very seriously. Trust me, I know the safety officer who, among other things, refuses to wear his seatbelt!
So who should your department’s safety officer be? It’s a simple question with a complicated answer. Your safety officer should be the most experienced firefighter you have who is also 1) Safety conscious, but not overly so, and has demonstrated this time and again; 2) respected by his peers; 3) willing to step back and look at the situation instead of needing to be inside with the crew; and 4) willing to accept the responsibility that comes with the position.
The safety officer is an important job — much too important to be given to someone just because they can’t do anything else.