Basic Firefighter Safety

Transcription

1 Manchaca Fire Rescue Probationary Firefighter Program Basic Firefighter Safety SFFMA Section 23: Firefighter Safety

2 Safety Firefighting is a dangerous undertaking. However; with proper training and attention to the job at hand as well as the surrounding environment (situational awareness), firefighter injuries and loss of equipment can be minimized. Most accidents can be predicted. If the occurrence of an accident can be predicted, steps can be taken to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

3 Personal Safety Safety applies at all levels of the fire department from the Chief to the newest member. EVERYONE is responsible for safety. Safety is addressed in most training subject areas Several department policies are designed to increase firefighter safety. A-1.31 Apparatus Maintenance A-1.41 Personal Protective Equipment Inspection C-1.25 Firefighter Self-Survival C-1.26 Firefighter Personal Safety C-1.43 Two In / Two Out C-2.11 PPE and SCBA C-3.22 Starflight Landing Zone And others

4 Safety in the Fire Service Every year the American fire service looses, on average, about 100 firefighters in the line of duty. Most of these deaths are predictable, and therefore preventable. Example: year after year ¾ of the LODDs are attributed to the following: Cardiac (50%) Vehicle Accidents (25%) Maintaining personal fitness and adhering to department SOGs on vehicle operations can address the majority of LODD causes.

5 Physical Fitness We operate in an environment where we may go from a dead sleep to full exertion in a matter of minutes without the luxury of a warm up period. Maintaining one s fitness to the highest degree possible will help minimize the stresses of operating in this environment. Personnel should: Participate in a physical fitness program Maintain good flexibility, strength, and endurance Get annual physicals Maintain current vaccinations Use proper lifting techniques Use issued PPE appropriately Maintain a healthy diet and eliminate the use of tobacco products

6 Mental / Emotional Fitness Emergency service operations are stressful on many levels. Responders must pay as much attention to their mental and emotional state and the state of their fellow firefighters as much as we concern ourselves with our physical readiness for duty. MVFD has access to assistance through our Chaplaincy program. The department can also access CISM professionals through our own in house personnel. These members have been trained for conducting defusing's and debriefings and can also access outside agencies for assistance.

7 Nation Fire Protection Association Standard 1500 (NFPA 1500) Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program The fire service s most comprehensive document addressing firefighter health and safety. It addresses matters such as firefighter physical and mental fitness, training, apparatus safety features, and incident operations.

8 Risk Management Risk management is the process of looking at a situation and determining the benefit that will be achieved by performing a task and weighing the danger of performing that task against the benefit. The text refers to IFSTA Principles of Risk Management on page 58. Other plans include one enacted by Chief Alan Brunacini in the Phoenix Fire Department and the International Fire Chief s Association Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting.

9 Phoenix's Risk Management A simple, to-the-point process of determining the degree of risk we will take in protecting ourselves and our community: 1. WE MAY RISK OUR LIVES A LOT WITHIN A STRUCTURED PLAN TO SAVE SAVABLE LIVES 2. WE MAY RISK OUR LIVES A LITTLE WITHIN A STRUCTURED PLAN TO SAVE SAVABLE PROPERTY 3. WE WILL NOT RISK OUR LIVES AT ALL TO SAVE LIVES OR PROPERTIES THAT ARE ALREADY LOST

10 IAFC s Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting 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 Can Not 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 May Day As Soon As You THINK You Are in Danger.

11 Apparatus Safety Annually, approximately 25% of the Line-of-Duty- Deaths (LODDs) involve apparatus accidents or firefighters struck by vehicles Firefighters should never ride on the outside of the apparatus Seat belts need to be on before the apparatus rolls Do not remove a seatbelt to don PPE in a moving apparatus Wait for the apparatus to come to a full stop and set the brake Use handrails, steps, and handles when climbing on the apparatus Always be aware of the potential for an apparatus to move unexpectedly especially when working behind or on top of the apparatus When operating in a roadway, watch for other traffic, stay in a shielded area whenever possible

12 Apparatus Safety When working at a roadway incident, wear a traffic vest, bunker coat, or reflective jacket Maintain situational awareness as to not wander into the traffic area stay shielded Mark boundaries of the shielded area with cones as a visual aid to responders and passing vehicles

13 Station & Personal Safety Be aware of slick floors, trip hazards and hazardous processes (I.e. SCBA cylinder refilling) in the firehouse. We do a lot of lifting and carrying and often with limited assistance. Use proper lifting techniques every time. If you need help get help Watch you footing both on and off the emergency scene, in both good and poor lighting Darkness, uneven ground, mud, ice, water, loose footing, dangerous locations (roofs, roadways, dangerous atmospheres) all contribute For this reason, it is a standard rule in the fire service that we DO NOT RUN at the incident scene

14 Tool and Equipment Safety Tools (and apparatus) undergo periodic maintenance checks to ensure that they are in good working order Wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when working with tools and equipment Especially eye and hand protection If a tool shows signs of damage or does not operate properly, it should be reported up the chain of command and possibly tagged as out of service depending on the nature of the problem Don t use equipment you are not familiar with. Get trained on equipment before using it. Don t use tools / equipment in a manner for which it is not intended.

15 Training and Scene Safety Training in itself is a form of safety Learning the proper way to do a job makes you safer at doing that job Proper PPE must be used for the drill at hand Do not participate in training (or emergency activities) when ill, or impaired. Training must be taken seriously. You will perform duties on the fireground the way you trained. On an emergency scene, follow the lead and direction of the incident commander (IC) We accept different levels of risk based on circumstances We risk a lot to save a life We accept some risk for the protection of property We take no risk to try to save what is already lost

16 Training and Scene Safety FIREFIGHTER SAFETY is our 1 st priority Safety of the public is our second priority Protection of property is third We are not in the business of adding additional victims to an incident. As professionals, we are there to bring order to a chaotic situation. Other people s emergencies should not be an emergency to us.

17 Training and Scene Safety Another avenue of safety is in accounting for both civilians and firefighters at an incident. Civilians can be protected by crowd control measures. These actions keep people who are unprotected and uneducated in emergency operations from getting in harms way. The use of an accountability system allows command officers to be aware of firefighter s location and assignment on the fireground.

18 Electrical Safety Often we respond to incidents that are the result of malfunctioning electrical equipment or the incident involves electrical equipment In many cases, the first action is to establish a safe perimeter and either deactivate power ourselves or await assistance from the power utility before we proceed with further action Beware of warning signs indicating the presence of high voltage systems Be aware of the possibility of back-up power supplies such as generators

19 Electrical Safety When dealing with downed power lines or damaged equipment assume the lines are energized, even if they are not sparking or arcing. Maintain a safety distance of one pole span from downed power lines Prevent eye injuries by not looking directly at electrical arcs

20 Firefighters should terminate power at the main panel, using the breaker switches or main switch DO NOT PULL THE METER Electrical Safety Be careful in operating ladders, hoses, streams, or other equipment overhead near power lines Do not use solid or straight nozzle streams near electrical hazards Watch for fences or metal guardrails that may be in contact with electrical lines. The charge can be carried great distances

21 Electrical Safety DO NOT touch a vehicle that is in contact with electrical wires. If you are on an electrically charged vehicle and you must get off, DO NOT touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time jump clear of the vehicle Take heed of a tingling sensation in the feet when near downed power lines. The ground may be charged Charged ground can create a ground gradient. This is when one point in the ground holds a different charge than another point. If the two points are connected (i.e. the stride of a firefighter walking across this space), the charges will equalize by traveling trough the connecting media (the firefighter). If caught in this situation shuffle your feet to leave the area to avoid creating a difference in charges between the feet.

22 Electrical Safety MVFD carries an electric current detection device called the Hot Stick. It is available on Engine 503 and Rescue 502. The link below is the instructional video for the proper use of the Hot Stick.