FIRE ENGINEERING’S Firefighter Safety Questionnaire

FIRE ENGINEERING’S Firefighter Safety Questionnaire

FEATURES

SAFETY

A Report To The Readers On

Part I

In the December 1984 issue of FIRE ENGINEERING, the first part of a two-part firefighter safety questionnaire appeared. A response was requested, and this is a report concerning the results. The respondents were from 21 states and comprised of 49% volunteer, 22% career-volunteer, 22% career, 4% military, and 3% industrial. One of their major concerns was achieving safety through training and the use of proper equipment. Other areas of interest involved hazardous materials and the use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

The questionnaire was developed as a device to elicit information from you, the readers. This information has been analyzed, and we are now sharing it with you in the hope that it will be helpful. With that purpose in mind, let us now look at the responses for each question.

SHARING THE INFORMATION

Safety legislation

We asked (Question 4) if a rightto-know law was in effect in your community; 71% said yes. At the present time, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a right-to-know law. That means that the entire nation is now covered under the federal law, but it does not necessarily mean that all firefighters are covered.

Approximately 25 states have elected to waive the federal OSHA coverage for employees of the state and its political subdivisions. Although the firefighters in these states will not be covered by federal OSHA, some may be covered by a state right-to-know law. It gets a bit confusing. If you want your state to adopt federal OSHA in its entirety, you should lobby your state representatives. (See “Firefighter Safety, A Legal Direction,” FIRE ENGINEERING, March 1984, for more information on the rightto-know law.)

Specific legislation

There was almost an even split on the question (Number 5) that asked if any specific state or community safety legislation for the firefighter was in effect; 51% said yes, 45% said no, and 1% reported that they did not know. The individual responses did not always directly address the question. The following is a list of legislation that is either being developed by the state or desired by the respondents:

  • State control over the type of protective gear worn by firefighters;
  • State training programs for firefighters;
  • Health and accident insurance for firefighters;
  • Heart and lung bill;
  • Mandatory standard operating procedures (SOP) for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) with an emphasis on its use at all fires, except brush or wildfire operations;
  • Voluntary firefighters’ benefits law;
  • Minimum standards, especially for entry level of firefighter;
  • Firefighters’ compensation act;
  • Firefighters’ education act;
  • Mandatory SOP for use of protective gear with an emphasis on strict enforcement;
  • State tax for firefighters’ welfare.

Details concerning specific legislation were not supplied with the questionnaires returned to me. However, if you would like to receive or offer additional information on this legislation, you may contact me through the magazine. For those firefighters in states that have elected to be covered by federal OSHA, your concerns may be alleviated in the near future. Your employer must follow the law and provide proper equipment and training.

Employee

Question 6 asked if a fire or emergency scene is considered by your community to be part of your workplace; 95% responded in the affirmative. In effect, firefighters become employees once on the site, especially if they are covered by Workers’ Compensation. If your state has elected to adopt the federal OSHA standards in their entirety, then Subpart L of the General Industry Standards apply, specifically section 1910.156 entitled “Fire Brigades.” Read it. It’s full of information relating to equipment, SCBA, and training—all of the areas that most of you have written about.

Actual safety experiences

Question 7 asked for potential areas of concern within your individual response areas (present or future). The following will give some idea of what 79% of the respondents considered to be significant issues:

  • Transportation of toxic materials;
  • Hazardous material leakages and spills;
  • Industrial manufacturing plants using hazardous materials;
  • Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bulk storage;
  • Freight yards;
  • Railroad tracks, particularly those going through towns;
  • Farm storage buildings;
  • Agricultural chemicals and pesticides in buildings and on farms;
  • Pesticides used on trees and for undergrowth in forests;
  • Transportation of hazardous materials and toxic substances;
  • Illegal toxic dumping and waste storage;
  • Ammonia used for refrigeration, leaking;
  • Nuclear power plants, laboratories;
  • Electrical transformers of power utilities;
  • Hospitals and nursing homes.

There are many more potential areas of concern, but the ones listed here sufficiently show the wide scope and severe nature of the issues with which firefighters are trying to cope. The results of this question take into account 71% of both the volunteer and career-volunteer firefighters who responded to the questionnaire. Also keep in mind that it is possible that these firefighters are basically volunteers—people who don’t get paid for what they are doing.

What happened to your fire company?

Question 8 asked for specific incidents in which safety was threatened. The following is a sample of the interesting and varied responses that I received:

  • Rescue of worker(s) from inside of a large industrial storage tank;
  • Car crash into a propane tank;
  • Herbicides on trees in a forest fire;
  • Nuclear plant incident;
  • Train wreck with chemical spill;
  • Icy roofs and chimney fire operations;
  • Explosion at a chemical plant;
  • Flood;
  • Aircraft crash;
  • Gasoline station explosion;
  • Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) incident at a utility plant;
  • Backdraft in a large storage area;
  • Trailer truck crash and chemical spill onto a busy highway.

The question asked for an incident that caused or could have caused an excessive number of injuries. Therefore, the report of a trailer truck crash and chemical spill represents a serious event. The incidents listed are not minor. Their nature does reinforce the need for proper equipment and training to avoid accidents and prevent injuries from occurring.

What’s happening

Question 9 asked the firefighters to describe any personal interest they had in the latest developments concerning safety; 61% responded that they were interested in a safety activity. That is a healthy statistic—an indication of the number of people who are or will be potential sources of strength in safety. I’ll list some of the areas of interest that were mentioned:

  • Which helmet is best;
  • Haz-mat training;
  • Working towards mandatory SOP for SCBA and turnout gear use;
  • Safety belt campaign;
  • Hazardous waste control;
  • Developing a union safety committee;
  • New state building code;
  • Nuclear incident training;
  • Allotting more time for training.

Question 10 was directly related to Question 9. It asked if any new legal actions concerning safety during incident operations were in progress; 57% said no. The responses, for the most part, did not directly address the question. However, there were interesting replies. For example:

  • Every man should have his own gear;
  • Better gloves should be a union issue;
  • Seat belt use should be enforced;
  • A bill should be enacted to prevent a volunteer firefighter from being fired from his or her job if out of work due to a fire or emergency-related injuries;
  • A policy should be established that prohibits firefighters to ride the back step or any other unprotected area of an apparatus;
  • State OSHA should be improved.

Firefighters who live in states that are covered by a form of federal OSHA will have their equipment needs, such as turnout gear and gloves, taken care of. The suggestion to improve state OSHA is a good one. Of course, for those firefighters who are still operating in what I refer to as the Neanderthal States and who are not going to enjoy the weight of federal power, something must be done. I have received two very good suggestions that I will mention later in the article.

For the other issues, such as riding the back step of an apparatus, a different and more immediate approach is needed. These areas must be addressed by you and your fellow firefighters. No amount of law or policy will solve such problems. You and your fellow firefighters must see to it that a policy is established and then—the hard part— you must see to it that it is obeyed.

I have received a very strong letter from a Long Island, NY, volunteer. He was justifiably upset over a firefighter’s death that resulted from his riding the back step. No one, he felt, should lose his or her life in such an unnecessary way.

What don’t you like?

Questions 11 and 12 were related. They asked the respondents to list any safety-related issues that were a source of concern to them or their department; 75% said there was nothing that made them feel uncomfortable; 25% said there was something that they did not like. A sample of the responses follow:

  • Management just doesn’t want to see;
  • Firefighter standards should be set by the state, not by the locals;
  • The department is not keeping up with the times;
  • They built a firehouse in an unsafe place;
  • The cost of complying with OSHA should be phased in;
  • Support from officers and firefighters on mask procedure is not common;
  • Laws on illegal waste dumping are too lax;
  • Current legislation does not adequately address the problem of firefighters—alternatives should be sought.

Although these questions elicited basically positive responses, some dissatisfaction was noted. For example, imagine the frustration bottled up inside of the respondents who wrote, “Management just doesn’t want to see” or “Firefighter standards should be set by the state, not by locals” or “The department is not keeping up with the times.”

Frustration has a negative influence on our outlook. One way to deal with it is to break down the blocking mechanisms that are making us unhappy with ourselves and our surroundings. Changes in an organization can be made through the effort of just one individual.

If your department is not keeping up with the times, or management doesn’t want to see, find a way to wake up the department. Become a leader by doing your homework. You will be surprised what can be accomplished, especially if you obey two rules: First, act for the good of your department, not your own good (these two ideas are not necessarily contradictory). Second, be constructive. Build, do not destroy. Before making a change, be prepared to offer an acceptable alternative.

What has gone wrong

Question 13 asked about specific equipment failures at particular incidents. A relatively healthy equipment situation was indicated by a 69% negative response. Some of the responses addressed different aspects of equipment problems. For example:

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  • There is not enough gear;
  • SCBA is not properly maintained and is in short supply;
  • There should be a firefighter’s consumer union for equipment purchases;
  • There is too much trust in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and equipment manufacturers;
  • We need SOPs;
  • SCBA valves stick—should switch to another make;
  • Helmets have melted in fires;
  • Driver training is needed to keep apparatus in service;
  • Burns on right cheek sometimes result from the metal clasp of helmet strap—there is a gap between hood and mask facepiece.
  • Though many of the responses did not directly address the question, they did cover important topics related to safety. For example:
  • The need for SOPs;
  • The need to wear hoods;
  • The use and maintenance of power tools;
  • The failure of many members to wear turnout gear;
  • The lack of money to purchase SCBA.

I am not able to verify the exact cause of these failures. For example, the reasons for a helmet melting certainly need to be explained. Was someone wearing it? Did it fall into a fire? The statement about valves on a mask sticking also needs looking into. If anyone is interested I can try to contact the respondents for further information. Again, if firefighters are in a state that has adopted federal OSHA in its entirety, the responses concerning equipment should be resolved as far as quality and quantity is concerned. The standards are explicit.

People problems

Question 14 asked if there had been any people failures involving officers, firefighters, etc.—failures that affected the safety of others; 54% said yes. I appreciate your honesty. The following responses indicate that in some instances rather severe problems do exist:

  • Officers pass the buck, try to cover up for mistakes;
  • There are some ignorant chief officers;
  • Some men who failed to use SCBA were sent to the hospital;
  • First level leaders need training;
  • Officers can’t make command decisions—they are gutless;
  • There is a need for improved promotional screening and testing;
  • There is improper training of personnel, especially at the entry level;
  • Drinking buddies have influence on chief;
  • Lazy people hold responsible jobs—no real solution for it;
  • One firefighter was ordered by chief to fight fire in an area where there were explosives;
  • Incidents we respond to are poorly handled;
  • Alcohol and order giving.

It’s all too easy to equate the lack of safety with a lack of equipment or training. They are related to some degree, but let’s stop kidding. All the sophisticated equipment, training, and SOPs are worth nothing if drinking and drugs are officially or unofficially allowed.

I have seen many firefighters fall victim to the use of alcohol. I have worked in areas where great danger existed. In one instance, a firefighter fell off the apparatus, landed on his head, and died. He was given a military funeral, but he died because he was drunk. If you are an officer, do not set yourself up for a disastrous situation by allowing firefighters to drink. Such a death can be a heavy load to carry for the rest of your life. If you are an officer who drinks on duty, stop. Stop before you hurt yourself or someone else.

The way to stop a drunk or a drug addict is to report that person to the proper authority. Anyone can do it. It’s the only way that really works. Try it.

In today’s age of advanced technology there is very little room for an officer who does not have the ability to understand what must be understood. Some of the responses indirectly stated that incompetency is a problem. Some blatantly said that it is. One respondent wrote, “Our chief has a fifth-grade education. Haz-mat? How can you explain isopr^pylamine to him?” I can’t help but agree with other respondents who indicated that the popularity vote promotional procedure is a basic cause of many leadership problems. What do you think? Let me know. Include suggestions for a change or reasons to support your position.

OSHA IS IMPORTANT

It is interesting to note how important OSHA is becoming to the fire service. I can remember 10 years ago attending workshops where businessmen were thinking of ways to abolish it. All too often, workers say the same thing. OSHA was created to make the American worker safe on his or her job site. It is incomprehensible to me that a worker could be against OSHA.

OSHA represents a potential national safety standard for the fire service (see “A National Fire Safety Standard,” FIRE ENGINEERING, May 1984). This is gradually becoming a reality. There are other sections of OSHA, in addition to those directly related to Subpart L, that will also apply to the fire service. For example, sections of Subpart I, Personal Protective Equipment, deal with respiratory protection. A section such as this provides a national standard for the use and maintenance of SCBA. It’s a natural national SOP.

An OSHA committee

I recommend that each volunteer firehouse appoint an OSHA committee and that one firefighter be selected to stay abreast of OSHA developments. If you do not have OSHA as part of your state law, then lobby for it. You must make sure that you will be included in your state’s version of OSHA. Remember, if you are covered by Workers’ Compensation you are an employee of the community organization that you represent, i.e., a town or a city.

OSHA law is written for employees, so it’s important to be considered as such. Get in touch with other communities that are familiar with OSHA. If you can’t obtain information from the authorities in your state, it is available from other states that are covered by OSHA, like New York. Write to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Two World Trade Center, New York, NY 10047, and ask for information on how they relate federal OSHA to their state’s firefighters.

Career firefighters should have their unions form OSHA committees and follow through with what has to be done. Don’t sit back and let it happen. Stay on top of things. Get OSHA into your workplace. It will make a great difference for the future. The reduction of noise levels alone will help stop your hearing loss.

Although OSHA will be an expense for your employer, just think of the risks that you are taking. If you are a volunteer you are doing something that very few people do anymore. You are providing a service for no money—and putting your life in danger in the process.

CONCLUSION

I have received letters from some of you and phone calls from others. I would like to comment on two letters. The idea of establishing a firefighter’s union for volunteers was suggested. It seemed like a good idea, especially if it is used to lobby for the needs of firefighters.

The second idea dealt with establishing, through Congress, a national bank for volunteer fire departments. Low interest rate loans would be available for capital building and improvement and for equipment purchases. It seemed like an excellent idea. The concept of a bank could also be established on a more modest scale, perhaps at the state level. I can put you in touch with the individuals who are responsible for these ideas. If you are interested, drop a line to the magazine.

The questionnaire’s results indicate that there is a need to concentrate on the basics. Remarks such as, “We have two air-packs”—that’s basic. Many also expressed concern over the use of improper turnout gear, gloves, helmets, etc. These individuals must be from states that are not covered by OSHA. If they are in a covered state, they probably do not fully understand what they are entitled to demand. For those who are not covered, there must be another way to secure proper equipment and training.

The results of the fire safety questionnaire, Part II, will appear in a future issue.

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