(Photo courtesy IFD)
Dr. Jennifer Taylor, Director of the Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST) at Drexel University, recently announced the availability of FOCUS: the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety survey.
The FOCUS survey was developed through the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) and in response to National Life Safety Initiative #1 on fire service safety culture. More than 130 fire departments helped develop the tool. Now, through a partnership with the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and an AFG FP&S grant, FIRST will administer the validated FOCUS survey on a first-come, first-served basis to 500 fire departments, career and volunteer. Additional fire departments will be placed on a waitlist and served as resources allow.
FOCUS was developed specifically for the fire service and is a tool that predicts firefighter injuries and important organizational outcomes, such as burnout, job satisfaction, and work engagement. FOCUS administration will provide your fire department with objective data to assess your safety culture.
Survey Materials, data analysis, and your personalized Safety Culture Report expenses are covered on behalf of the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
Interested in administering FOCUS? Assess your department’s readiness for FOCUS HERE.
PLEASE NOTE: Only one entry per fire department will be accepted (i.e. chief, commissioner, safety officer). In addition, FIRST strongly encourages departments to involve their IAFF Local in FOCUS Assessment, if applicable.
After administering the FOCUS survey your fire department will receive:
- Customized data showing your safety culture at both the department and station levels
- A comparative analysis of your safety culture to other similar departments who have participated
- Objective evidence to inform safety related policy decisions
Please direct any questions to either of the following FIRST Team members:
Andrea Davis Lauren Shepler
Senior Project Manager