By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Senior Editor
EMMITSBURG, Md. — U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran welcomed last year’s reduction in LODDs but stressed the need for greater efforts to improve firefighter safety during a keynote speech Saturday.
“We are not satisfied because we know that there are lots of things that need to be done … that have yet to be done,” he said. “We have got our work still to do.”
Ninety firefighters were killed in the line of duty in 2009 — the lowest total since 1993, when 81 died, and the third lowest since USFA began keeping records in 1977.
Cochran delivered the speech at the 2010 Everyone Goes Home Safety Summit at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg.
He told the audience everyone involved with the fire service — from the individual firefighter to federal organizations — needs to ask themselves which of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives the EGH program has created they can have an impact on.
“All of us have to ask that question to ensure that everyone goes home,” Cochran said.
All department members need to be made aware of what is expected of them and what their role is in firefighter safety, Cochran said, to ensure a greater chance of reducing line-of-duty deaths and injuries.
“If a firefighter is committed to firefighter safety, to make it really work and sustainable, the rest of the crew has to be as committed as the individual firefighter or a high-risk crew will get the very safety-conscious firefighter injured or killed in the line of duty,” he said.
Talents and strengths
The summit was told that departments need to create opportunities for members to use their highest level of talents and strengths to ensure they are engaged and motivated.
According to Cochran, the process of ensuring firefighter safety begins with the hiring process. Chiefs need to select members who have a high regard of their self worth, the ability to make a difference and who believe they are in control of their own destiny, Cochran said.
“Do they have a positive outlook on life? You’ve got to have a positive outlook on life as a firefighter,” he said. “To help people in their worst times of their life when you may be having a bad day yourself … you have got to recruit people as volunteers or career that have a positive outlook on life.”
He went on to warn both firefighters and organizations of the dangers of becoming stagnant and refusing to move forward.
“Stagnancy breeds complacency,” Cochran said. “If there is no growth, there is a greater chance of behaviors that lead to line-of-duty deaths and injuries.”
Regular drills
During the speech, Cochran stressed the importance of training and said company officers need to take the lead in providing the opportunities for their crews to maintain their knowledge and skills through regular drills.
“Some firefighters have been on the job four to five years and the last time they did buddy breathing was at rookie school,” he said. If confronted with a real-life scenario now that required using shared-air emergency methods, Cochran said many of these members would struggle.
“They will panic, suck in a lot of smoke and rip the face piece off the person who has air and both of them have potential of asphyxiation because their skills were not maintained,” he said. “Company officers have to maintain skills levels.”
Cochran also told the summit there is still work to do on persuading firefighters to maintain clean turnouts. “It’s still a source of tremendous pride to have bunker gear with tar, soot built up over the years,” he said.
“It’s offensive for them to have to wash their bunker gear so we can recognize their name on the back or see the color of their helmet. We have got some work to do.”
Huge success
FireRescue1 columnist Billy Hayes, Advocate Program Manager for Everyone Goes Home, said the purpose of the summit was to bring together regional advocates for the campaign from across the country as well as figures with a general interest in firefighter safety.
“It was a forum to exchange information and to help re-energize their passion and motivation for firefighter safety,” Hayes said after the summit.
“This is the third Safety Summit we’ve had and about 220 people attended. It was a huge success.”