Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 - (Page 15)

involved from the chief of the department to the newest fi re fighter. The purpose of these interviews is to gather pertinent information needed for a complete evaluation. Random interviews will be conducted to provide information on how well understood the plan is, whether it reaches the people it is designed to protect and whether the goals of the plan are being realized and achieved. • A review of pertinent SOPs and SOGs that have a direct impact on health, safety or other risk management factors, and any that the evaluator believes should be reviewed as a result of the review of past losses. a more serious incident. Accident/ incident investigations are a tool for uncovering hazards that either were missed earlier or have managed to slip out of the controls planned for them. It is useful only when done with the aim of discovering every contributing factor to the accident/incident to prevent future occurrences. In other words, your objective is to identify root causes, not to primarily set blame. Non-Punitive Close-Call Reporting Generally, the only time that we learn from the mistakes of others is when they end in a tragedy. At that point it is too late. The foundation of the non-punitive close-call reporting program is for our personnel to report near misses without the concern of any disciplinary action. This will help educate our personnel to learn from the nondisastrous mistakes of others prior to injury or death. Evaluation Report Once the reviews and interviews are completed, the evaluator will process the information. The intent is to have a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the risk management plan, and make a determination on whether these goals and objectives are appropriate and whether they are being met. If any goals and objectives are not being met, or if other areas needing improvement are identified, recommendations are to be formulated to modify the plan to help get it back on track. All findings, both positive and negative, and recommendations need to be documented in a written report and submitted to the chief of the department. Near Miss One of the key factors for evaluating and prioritizing risks is the review and analysis of accident and injury data. More importantly is to recognize the need to investigate near misses and learn from these incidents. All incidents, whether a near miss or an actual injury-related event, should be investigated. Near miss reporting and investigation allow you to identify and control hazards before they cause TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2008 353313_IFSTA.indd 1 15 11/15/07 3:17:13 PM http://www.ifsta.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 Contents Executive Director’s Report Texas Fire Chiefs Academy Project Reports Southwest Fire Rescue Conference Program Membership Application Customer Service Orientation in Fire Rescue Departments A Visit to the E-One Plant Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

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