According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2023, an estimated 19,225 collisions involved fire department emergency vehicles responding to or returning from incidents, resulting in 1,450 injuries.
Although motor vehicle collisions are an unfortunate reality of the fire service, it is important that fire chiefs recognize that each accident offers a learning opportunity for themselves and the members of their department. One way to help ensure that lessons are learned after each accident is to ensure a comprehensive accident review process is undertaken. It is vital that each accident is properly investigated so immediate and root causes can be identified and hopefully prevented in the future. Accident review protocols should be established within all departments to ensure information is shared and identified issues are addressed before a recurrence. A proper accident review process includes five main steps.
STEP ONE: IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND SCENE PRESERVATION
The first priority of any accident is to ensure that the scene is safe from further hazards and that anyone who may have sustained injury during the accident is promptly assessed and provided medical treatment or transported to an appropriate medical facility. Once the scene is safe and protected from further hazards, the investigation process should begin as soon as practical. The investigator should work with responding police officers to control the scene and access to the site. The investigator should also ensure the preservation of evidence from alteration or removal, attempt to determine loss potential, and make the appropriate contacts per department protocols.
As with any investigations, the sooner an accident investigator can speak with witnesses and those involved, the more likely it is to obtain accurate information. If it is impossible to conduct full interviews at the scene, at a minimum the investigator should attempt to obtain the names of those injured and the names and contact information of all the witnesses. As with most investigations, the more time that passes between the event and interviews, the more likely it is to forget or miss details.
STEP TWO: COLLECT RELEVANT INFORMATION
The second step includes collecting information. This can be done through observations on scenes, the collecting photographs and videos, and interviews with witnesses and those involved. While there is often much information to collect on the scene, additional information will likely be collected at other times and locations following the event.
The main goal of investigators on scene should be to observe and collect as much information related to the circumstances of the accident as possible. They should note weather and road conditions, take photographs/videos, and draw a sketch of the position of all vehicles and any objects involved in the collision. Additionally, investigators should collect and note the identification numbers of the vehicles involved and collect any relevant operating logs or records.
Conduct interviews as soon as possible to ensure the most accurate information. This is often the most important information an investigator will collect in the cause determination process. Fire chiefs should ensure that investigators are trained in proper interview techniques so that the most information possible can be retrieved.
STEP THREE: ANALYSIS OF COLLECTED INFORMATION
The next step is analyzing the information collected from the scene and reviewing any follow-up information collected or subsequent interviews. During this step, the investigator should begin to draw some preliminary conclusions about the likely immediate causes and root causes of the accident. This is a very important step, as it has implications for all remaining processes.
An immediate cause of