keeping it safe robert tutterow

I was shocked and saddened when I received a phone call on October 15, 2017, that Alan Brunacini, chief (ret.), Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department (PFD), had unexpectedly passed away.

I immediately felt sad for his family and his close friends. After a bit, I started to reflect on the times that I was fortunate to be in his presence and to read his writings. First, a disclaimer: I do not consider myself to be one who was in Bruno’s inner circle. However, in addition to hearing him speak at various conferences, I was privileged to participate in a couple dozen small group settings that allowed me to observe and absorb the brilliance of the man.

I first got to know Bruno when I was appointed as a principal member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Occupational Health & Safety technical committee (NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program) in 1989. Bruno was the chair of the committee. This was a very turbulent time for the fire service, as there was a belief that NFPA 1500 would cause fire departments to go out of business. Career firefighters and volunteer firefighters were at odds over staffing. Labor and management were also at odds. Bruno masterfully handled the conflict that was part of the meetings. I recall he had his staff develop a video that depicted the number of firefighters required to successfully extinguish a single-family dwelling fire. The role of each firefighter was clearly explained. Unfortunately, the turmoil about NFPA 1500 within the fire service was more than the NFPA wanted to bear, and it disbanded the committee and established a new committee. When Bruno saw the names on the new committee, knowing the commitment of the previous committee members, he stood by his principles and declined to continue as the committee chair. This decision made quite an impression on me. Ironically, the NFPA then asked Bruno to chair a new technical committee to develop deployment standards (NPFA 1710, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, and NFPA 1720, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments). He accepted the role.

Firefighter health and safety was a common theme in all of Bruno’s teachings and writings. He realized long before others that if the NFPA did not start addressing health and safety issues, then the men and women who wear the long black robes would handle it for the fire service.

I always admired the way Bruno shared the Phoenix, Arizona, story with the rest of the fire service, even if the story did not have a successful conclusion. He wanted the fire service to know the “lessons learned.” These included stories about a firefighter falling through the roof, horrific apparatus accidents, and firefighter fatalities. He was always quick to get a video produced to share these lessons learned within his department and the rest of the fire service. When a Phoenix firefighter lost his life in a supermarket fire, he immediately assigned a chief officer to investigate and disseminate the information gathered. Each PFD company was required to visit the site to get an understan