In preparation for the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Stand Down for Safety next week, I asked Dr. Burton Clark, training specialist for the U.S. Fire Administration’s Management Science Programs, about his goal to have one million firefighters sign a National Fire Service Seatbelt Pledge by the end of the month.
Clark said the pledge has been signed by almost 40,000 people. An increasing number of departments are 100% compliant, and certificates have been sent to these departments. The certificate includes a logo and signature from the IAFC, National Volunteer Fire Council and the National Fire Protection Association — but nothing from the International Association of Fire Fighters.
I asked Patrick Morrison, IAFF health and safety director, about the union’s support of the Stand Down. He assured me that the IAFF is committed to the IAFC’s Stand Down and that members’ interest is about the same as last year.
“We’re making it a pretty high priority, yet a lot of people are complacent,” Morrison said. “They don’t realize that they get a true benefit from participating in the Stand Down. It’s back to the basics and what kills us. Whether it’s communication, size-up and seatbelts, all of those things are what we want people to focus on.”
I asked Morrison why the IAFF logo wasn’t on the National Seatbelt Pledge certificate.
“It’s not that we disagree; we don’t think signing a piece of paper will make a difference,” he said. “We’re really sick and tired of the accountability on the seatbelt thing. Does it make a difference if a guy doesn’t sign?
“No fire truck, no ambulance, no unit should go out of a firehouse that the occupants are not buckled up. We want accountability in leadership: from our own members; the union; fire chiefs; and in every single fire truck, ambulance and unit. If a person is not buckled up, they should be looked at right away and dealt with immediately. We don’t say ‘Let’s sign a pledge to put out fires’ — we do it!
“I’m so tired of the leadership not taking responsibility,” Morrison went on. “If a fire chief finds out someone is not buckled up, discipline them! If you have accountability, when those people that are not buckled up are disciplined, their behavior will change. Put the damn seatbelt on now!”
Morrison’s frustration was obvious: “We lose over 100 firefighters every year because of heart attacks. In almost every case, there has not been a heart screening. We’re going to continue to lose firefighters again and again.
“A fire chief has a lot of priorities, but [medical] screening never gets the number-one slot. It’s a leadership issue that we are missing today, and we’re picking and choosing our priorities. NIOSH repeatedly recommends a stress test. I wonder how many of these firefighter fatalities we could have saved with a screening?
“When I was a recruit at the academy they taught us about safety, but when we got to the fire station, other firefighters would say that stuff’s for the academy. Yet when I worked for some officers, when they said, ‘You will buckle up and you will follow the rules,’ we did it.”
Will we lose a firefighter or EMT during the Stand Down week that could have been prevented?
June 15th, 2007 @ 3:05 pm
Getting firefighters to buckle up is a great start. Now if we could just get them to slow down.
June 15th, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
Glad to see that we have all the other aspects of firefighting so safe that we can spend time and energy on worrying about buckling up. If we want to tighten up the safety in response factor in firefighting, let’s mandate CDLs for all operators and subsequently have mandatory drug testing as well.
June 16th, 2007 @ 2:27 pm
Time should be spent on the design of the seatbelt. With all the new equipment we strap on, and the size of the cab, the seatbelt design is faulty. When two men do not conform, we need to re-instruct; when 30 men do not conform, it’s time to look at the program.
June 17th, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
I agree on the seatbelt design — old technology. Look at race cars and pilot styles: A harness type is best. It would not be cumbersome. In a burning race car the driver is trying to get out as fast as he/she can. If the design didn’t work they would change it. And they have the power, support and $$$$ to do it. Same with pilots — you don’t want to survive the crash and die in the fire because of the restraint system. CHANGE THE DESIGN.
Make firefighters ACCOUNTABLE for their actions. They don’t buckle up, write ‘em up. Hit ‘em in the pocketbook; that gets their attention.
Volunteer fire departments is a different subject. They don’t get paid, so the job is to change their way of thinking. And that ain’t easy when you don’t have enough people that want to join, even when you give them incentives. Be safe.
June 21st, 2007 @ 12:44 am
Is it that hard to ask someone to pledge that they will wear a seatbelt? Sure, we can argue about leadership, safety culture, accountability, etc., but I would like to ask the IAFF how asking firefighters to pledge to be safe could possibly have become so political? If it reminds only ONE firefighter in the entire U.S. fire service to buckle up, BECAUSE HE PLEDGED TO DO SO, is it worth it, IAFF??
August 1st, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
IAFF locals accross this country and Canada did have their members sign the Seatbelt Pledge. What was said was why not dicipline those who don’t, so don’t point your political finger at the IAFF!