Protecting Our Own - Fire Station Safety

The job of the fire department is to protect the community from the hazards and loss that a fire can bring.  However, we cannot effectively accomplish this goal if we do not take care of our own. The following standards have been developed for this purpose:

• NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program
• NFPA 1581, Standard on Fire Department Infection Control Program
• NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments
• NFPA 1583, Standard on Health-Related Fitness Programs for Fire Department Members

The starting point for firefighter safety programs is NFPA 1500. This standard addresses safety issues, requirements, and responsibilities related to administration, professional development, apparatus, PPE, operations, medical and physical fitness, and behavioral health and wellness.

This standard also addresses concerns associated with fire department facility, fire station, safety. Section 9.2 requires all fire department facilities to be inspected at least annually, with a monthly walkthrough to address issues.  These inspections are to ensure compliance with the facility safety standard of NFPA 1500, chapter 9.  Model facility inspection programs consist of observance of OSHA standards, general housekeeping, egress, fire extinguishers, life safety, electrical issues, apparatus bay, and the building exterior. To assist in this inspection process we have created an inspection tool for you to download.

FIRE STATION SAFETY ASSESSMENT

WNYF - With New York Firefighters

WNYF - With New York Firefighters is the official training publication of the FDNY.  I recently became a subscriber to the quarterly magazine.  I am thoroughly impressed.  The quality, relevance, and applicability of the articles is first-rate.  The magazine is zero advertising, no frills, all training content.  It is the only fire service periodical that I read cover-to-cover.

The magazine features real, fire calls.  Each call is clearly described, and all actions taken on-scene are explained.  The incident articles end with a comprehensive list of lessons learned, and additional resources to consult.

The magazine features a profile of a specific section of the FDNY.  These provide administrative and operational insight that can be applied to your operation.

Recurring columns are Safety First, Learn from History, and Fire Prevention Matters. These address, respectively, functions of the incident safety officer, a historical New York City fire, and a hot topic in Fire Prevention.

At only $25 a year (4 quarterly issues), this is the most efficient cost to benefit expenditure that an individual or department can spend.  

5 Takeaways from WNYF 3rd/2015:

1. The FDNY and the US Army have a training agreement which allows members of both organizations to receive cross training in fire fighting (from FDNY) and leadership (US Army).  What training partnerships can we develop? How can these partnerships be mutually beneficial?
2. 'Taxpayer' definition (from the FDNY Probationary Firefighters Manual) - The term "Taxpayer" is not defined or recognized in the building code. The term originally referred to the practice of real estate investors who, while holding land for speculation, resorted to minimal investment in construction to produce income to offset the cost of taxes. These structures were usually of cheap and flimsy construction with little or no fire retarding features. Supermarkets and one story shopping centers of more recent construction do not fit the above description but contain many of the inherent hazards associated with taxpayers. A taxpayer building is commonly taken to mean a business structure one or two stories in height. Their areas vary from 20' x 50' to areas of whole city blocks, the most common size being approximately 100' x 100'. They can be built on one or more lots with adjoining structures of greater heights on three sides. These buildings are usually single structures commonly sheltering from one to as many as 15 different businesses with weak non-fire resistive partitions and no fire stops in the cocklofts.
3. www.disasterengineer.org - resource for urban search and rescue and shoring operations
4. KO Fire Curtain - tool developed by FDNY firefighters that allows personnel to control the effects of wind on and within a structure. www.kofirecurtain.com
5. Recommended resources for storage battery technology - Pv Magazine, Leveling Solar and Energy Storage: A Nontechnical Guide (book)

Get this resource.  You can subscribe at, www.FDNYFoundation.org.

11 Rules To Live By

Internation Fire/EMS Safety and Health Week is being observed this week, June 17-23. 


You can get all the resources at safetyandhealthweek.org.


Rules of Engagement for Firefighter Survival

1. Size up your tactical area of operation.
2. Determine the occupant survival profile.
3. DO NOT risk your life for lives or property that cannot be saved.
4. Extend LIMITED risk to protect SAVABLE property.
5. Extend VIGILANT and MEASURED risk to protect and rescue SAVABLE lives.
6. Go in together, stay together, come out together.
7. Maintain continuous awareness of your air supply, situation, location and fire conditions.
8. Constantly monitor fireground communications for critical radio reports.
9. You are required to report unsafe practices or conditions that can harm you. Stop, evaluate and decide.
10. You are required to abandon your position and retreat before deteriorating conditions can harm you.
11. Declare a Mayday as soon as you THINK you are in danger.