By Richard Marinucci
A few weeks ago, I attended a meeting at Drexel University where a group of scientists met with fire professionals to discuss work being done on firefighter safety. The overall project is called FIRST—Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends. Drexel’s Dr. Jenn Taylor and her staff have done some great work compiling and analyzing data to better identify the risks faced by firefighters. As a nonscientist, I find this fascinating. From my perspective, the fire service has always relied heavily on the emotional aspects of the job to gain support. That is changing as there are more requests from policymakers to “show me the data.”
One of the issues discussed was safety “climate,” which is similar to safety “culture.” This may be a subtle difference, but that is not the issue. What the research indicates is that the safety climate is the best predictor of injuries within an organization and/or occupation. There are questions that can be asked to determine if your climate is positive or not so much. This climate is based not only on the leadership of an organization but the beliefs of the entire workforce. If everyone (or a vast majority, since it is almost impossible to get everyone to agree) believes the department is concerned about safety, then the end result regarding injuries will be better. It seems like such a simple concept and one that would appear to be intuitive. But, not there is data to support that viewpoint.
What happens when emotions and science collide? I have been present when members of the fire service have questioned science based on their experiences and viewpoints. I think in these cases the firefighters are relying more on their belief system than on what is being shown. Throughout history—from the times of the earliest scientists like Copernicus and Kepler—society has initially denied science in favor of its long-held belief systems. Those who have stepped forward to challenge the status quo often get ostracized by others. They do not want to believe what they are hearing. Certainly there is evidence that some of this is happening with recent developments in the fire service that have their roots in scientific research.
I am probably guilty of this on occasion. I understand the desire to hold on to long-held beliefs. I don’t always want my thought processes changed. But, eventually I either go along willingly, get forced to change, or continue doing things as I have always done and taking the consequences. Change is not always easy to accept. Of course, I am not an advocate of blindly following everything. There has to be some questioning and some research. If someone is going to challenge the status quo, then those holding on to those beliefs must ask the right questions to make sure what is being sold is really science and not some pseudo effort in this area.
We are in some great times in the fire service profession. Fire Act grants have attracted many research universities along with other organizations such as UL and NIST. They are doing some incredible work that will only help to advance the profession. There is great opportunity to look at the work being done and evaluating its affect on service delivery and firefighter safety. In the end, regardless of our views on aggressive fire attack, interior vs. “hard from the yard”, or whatever else is challenging our views, we must look at everything to help minimize the risks firefighters take. If improving a safety climate eliminates just one serious firefighter injury, then it is worth it.
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Posted: May 30, 2016
Ringle (WI) Fire Department, pumper. Freightliner M2 cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 350-hp engine; Waterous CXVK 1,250-gpm pump.
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Posted: May 27, 2016
HORNELL - When a brand new Pierce Brand platform ladder truck was delivered to the Hornell Fire Department on Wednesday morning it was hard for firefighters to contain their glee.With beaming smiles they explored every inch and gave the engine its first wash."There isn't any comparison.
This is a beautiful truck,” said Chief Dan Smith.The last time a ladder truck was purchased was in 1986 for the price of about $300,000. The newest addition to the fleet was previously priced at $1,006,782.Above all, Smith praised the new truck for its updated safety features.
“It’s got a lot of options that allow for safer more efficient operations,” he said.For example it’s much easier to carry a saw for cutting into roofs; the platform which holds up to four men also has lighting the older unit did not; and the deployment of water is less labor intensive thanks to a 2,000 gallon per minute pump.“Fires burn so much hotter now and faster, that we need faster water and this allows us to have that quickly,” Smith said. “We can literally pull right up put it in the air, and throw water,” he said.
“When this thing pulled down the street I was very proud of it, and I know all the guys are. We will be proud of how we can utilize it to help people. That the thing I care most about.”During the build, firefighters traveled to Wisconsin to inspect the truck and make final adjustments to the design.
“They found 14 or 15 minor things they wanted to change, and the company was great,” Smith recalled.
“Chief Smith and firefighter Todd Smith were really the catalysts in the department who did all the leg work and review and put together the specs for the truck. It was a lot of time and effort,” Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan credited.
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Posted: May 27, 2016
Crouched in a dark storage unit, flames flittering along the ceiling and a layer of hot black smoke descending, Corona City Manager Darrell Talbert shot a stream of water into the fire burning in the corner. As the wood pallets hissed and crackled, several more city officials in full firefighter garb hustled toward the rear exit under the command of Corona Fire Capt.
“I have great respect for what these firefighters do” City Councilman Dick Haley said after the fire demonstration Saturday, May 21, at the city’s fire training center on Public Safety Way. “It was a graphic example of why they ask us to keep certain levels of manpower and why they need certain equipment.”
Fire Ops 101 – a demonstration that challenged city officials with tasks such as cutting into a damaged vehicle, climbing a four-story tower while wearing 80 pounds of turnout gear, finding a body inside a smoke-filled room and spraying a fire hose without losing grip – was held two days after the City Council agreed to spend $250,000 to pay for upgraded fire equipment.
Fire Chief David Duffy called the training a perfect opportunity for those making financial decisions affecting his department to see how equipment is used.
“I think it’s important for our city council and managers to understand the hands-on work that we do everyday, and the specialty tools we need to do that,” Duffy said.
Mayor Jason Scott hefted a 50-pound hydraulic cutter into the wedge of a car door, simulating the process firefighters go through to free crash victims. Within minutes, he was sweating and breathing heavily under the weight of the machine.
“To see what that tool is going through, how it manipulates you around, it gives you a new appreciation for (firefighters’) work,” Scott said.
In January, the department took stock of its assets to determine which gear had exceeded its useful life expectancy, according to the report used to request money from the City Council on Thursday, May 19.
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