Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 - (Page 7)

executive director’s report By Dr. Jim Gaston ith all of the sad news lately about firefighters line-ofduty deaths nationwide, I decided to give my column space in this issue to Assistant Chief Danny Kistner of the Garland Fire Department. Chief Kistner is helping lead the way toward a safer workplace for Texas firefighters by raising safety awareness and attitudes among the fire service leadership. There is no more important issue in the Texas fire service than preventing on-duty injuries and fatalities. That is why the Texas Fire Chiefs Association took the lead many years ago to formalize LODD reporting and investigations. That is why the Texas Fire Chiefs Association encourages every firefighter to sign the seat belt pledge and every fire chief to enforce seat belt use policies. The services fi refighters provide are inherently dangerous, but Texas W fi refighters deserve protection from workplace hazards whenever it is possible to do so. Improvements in procedures, equipment, PPE, building safety systems and fi refighter fitness should be reducing the number of fi refighter deaths and injuries. But way too many fi refighters lose their lives every year. More on Safety from Assistant Chief Danny Kistner According to the United States Fire Administration, 88 firefighters have been killed in the line of duty in 2008 to date. Three were from Texas. This number does not ref lect the scores of firefighters injured. It seems the fire service will fall short of missing the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation goal of reducing line-ofduty deaths 25 percent by 2009 and 50 percent by 2014. Despite the discouraging numbers, there is still time to alter the future if every fire service leader and firefighter makes a concerted effort to study, understand and change behaviors. Fire does not care if we are career, combination or volunteer fi refighters. Fire does not care if response times are under five minutes or if we respond alive. Fire does not care if we respond with 16 fi refighters to the scene. Fire does not care if we are physically fit or if we understand the effects of construction materials under attack. It will behave as it behaves. Resources to educate and prevent fatalities are plentiful and easily obtainable. As fire service leaders, we must not discount these resources as coffee table fodder and dismiss them as irrelevant. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation launched the LifeSafety Initiatives Program to identify factors that contribute to fi refighter fatalities and to devise a strategy for reducing or eliminating these factors. Sixteen firefighter LifeSafety Initiatives were promulgated. A formal educational venue exists in the Courage to be Safe program offered by Everyone Goes Home. Classes can be scheduled through TEEX or http://www. everyonegoeshome.com. Over 1600 Texas firefighters have received training in this program. Captain Willie Mora (ret.) of the San Antonio Fire Department has analyzed multiple scenarios resulting in firefighter fatality. He discovered a firefighter disorientation sequence that contributed to fatal consequences in each of the fires studied. Capt. Mora further proposes a re-evaluation of the fire service understanding of building type and firefighter behavior within these buildings. His thoughts are published in Firehouse Magazine (July, 2008; p. 156). Captain Mora’s research can be found in www. Firehouse.com and a program will soon be offered through Everyone Goes Home. Other research has been made available including a study 7 TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2008 http://www.everyonegoeshome.com http://www.everyonegoeshome.com http://www.Firehouse.com http://www.Firehouse.com

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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