Risk Management & Safety Terms

• Behavioral health refers to behaviors affecting physical or mental health.
• A hazard is anything capable of causing harm or posing an unreasonable risk.
• The Health and Safety Officer manages the fire department's safety and health program.
• IDLH conditions pose an immediate or delayed threat to life or health, preventing escape.
• The Incident Safety Officer monitors hazards and develops safety measures at incidents.
• Incident scene rehabilitation provides medical evaluation, rest, and relief at incidents.
• Rehabilitation involves rest, rehydration, nourishment, and medical evaluation for members at extended incidents.
• Risk Management is the process of minimizing detrimental effects on an organization through planning and control.
• The Safety Unit assists the Incident Safety Officer in providing safety supervision.

Performing Risk Management

• Identifying and analyzing risk exposures.
• Formulating risk management solutions.
• Selecting risk management solutions.
• Implementing risk management solutions.
• Monitoring risk management solutions.

Fire Chief Responsibilities

• Managing the community's fire risk.
• Providing risk management services.
• Maintaining fire department readiness.

Methods of Managing Risks Types of Control

• Administrative controls limit losses through guidelines and policies.
• Engineering controls use built-in systems to remove or limit hazards.
• Personnel protection involves using equipment, clothing, and devices to protect individuals.
• Establishing and enforcing a brush control ordinance is an example of Administrative control.
• Adding fire sprinklers in residences is an example of Engineering Control.
• A smoke hood for escaping a high-rise fire is an example of Personal Protection.

Five Principal Risk Management Steps

• Identify risk exposure.
• Evaluate risk exposure.
• Rank and prioritize risks.
• Determine and Implement risk management control actions.
• Evaluate and Revise risk control actions.
• Step 1: Identify Risk Exposure aims to identify elements creating risk.
• Step 2: Evaluate Risk Exposure determines the likelihood and consequences of injury or loss events.
• Step 3: Rank and Prioritize Risks involves creating a list with probabilities and outcomes.
• High-frequency events with catastrophic results create the greatest Risk Management outcome - will be considered first.
• Step 4: Determine and Implement Risk Management Control Actions involve Administrative, Engineering, and Personnel Protection. It can be an interim step while waiting for funds.
• Step 5: Evaluate and Revise Risk Control Actions includes monitoring progress.

Injuries and Fatalities

• Strains and Sprains make up 48% of injuries during fire ground operations.
• Wounds, cuts, bleeding, and bruising account for 15% of fire ground injuries.
• Smoke or gas inhalation accounts for 7% of fire ground injuries.
• Thermal Stress accounts for 5% of fire ground injuries.
• There have been approximately 26 firefighter fire ground fatalities per year since 2007.
• Sudden Cardiac Death accounts for 39% of firefighter LODDs.
• Internal Trauma/Crushing accounts for 36% of firefighter LODDs.
• Asphyxia accounts for 9% of firefighter LODDs.
• Burns account for 5% of firefighter LODDs.

Organizations

• NFPA, USFA, NIOSH, and IAFF publish reports and statistical analysis.
• Every One Goes Home is a program by the NFFF to prevent LODD and injuries.
• The NFFF held a Firefighter Life Safety Summit, resulting in 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives.

Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives

• Cultural Change: Advocate for a cultural shift regarding safety, leadership, and accountability.
• Accountability: Enhance personal and organizational accountability for health and safety.
• Risk Management: Integrate risk management with incident management at all levels.
• Empowerment: Empower firefighters to stop unsafe practices.
• Training and Certification: Develop national standards for training and certification.
• Medical and Physical Fitness: Develop national medical and physical fitness standards.
• Research Agenda: Create a national research agenda and data collection system.
• Technology: Utilize technology to improve health and safety.
• Fatality/Near Miss Investigation: Thoroughly investigate all fatalities, injuries, and near misses.
• Grant Support: Grant programs should support or mandate safe practices.
• Response Policies: Develop national standards for emergency response policies.
• Violent Incident Response: Develop national protocols for response to violent incidents.
• Psychological Support: Provide counseling and psychological support for firefighters and families.
• Public Education: Champion public education as a critical safety program.
• Code Enforcement & Sprinklers: Strengthen advocacy for code enforcement and home fire sprinklers.
• Apparatus Design & Safety: Prioritize safety in the design of apparatus and equipment.
• The goal of the Every One Goes Home program is to raise awareness of life safety issues, improve safety practices, and allow every to return home at the end of his or her shift
• The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) launched a web-based system to report near misses.
• The Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System is based on the Aviation Safety Reporting System.

Standards and Mental Health Assistance

• NFPA 1583 is the Standard on Health-Related Fitness Program for Fire Department Members.
• The IAFC and IAFF partnered to develop the Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative (WFI), which produced the CPAT.
• Share the Load by the NVFC, Helping Heroes by Med University of South Carolina, IAFF guides, and Under the Helmet are professional organizations assisting with mental health.
• NFPA 1500 is the Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program.

Safety Practices and Investigations

• Wearing a seat belt could prevent 3-6 fatalities a year.
• Higher root causes of firefighter fatalities related to crew integrity include under-resourcing, inadequate preparation, incomplete adoption of IC procedures, and sub-optimal personnel readiness.
• NIOSH investigates firefighter line-of-duty deaths.
• A lack of an effective incident management system is a common scenario in firefighter deaths investigated by NIOSH.
• Whole Skill training allows experienced firefighters to improve their group performance.
• Deaths and serious injuries during live fire training are caused by inadequate training, staffing, orientation, planning, IMS, and lack of rehab or EMS.
• NFPA 1041 is the Standard for Fire Service Instructor Professional Qualifications.
• NFPA 1521 is the Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer.
• The Incident Safety Officer must be qualified to function in a Sector Officer Position.
• Effective incident safety officers need knowledge of safety hazards, building construction, personnel accountability, and incident scene rehabilitation.
• Near miss reports, The Secret List, ERSI, Statter911 videos, and NIOSH case studies are other sources to review safety policies.
• NFPA 1581 is the Standard on Fire Department Infection Control Program.

NFPA 1581 Components

• Written policy to identify/limit exposures.
• Written plan to identify risks and control measures.
• Annual training and education on infection control.
• Designated Infection Control Officer.
• Access to immunizations.
• Instructions for handling exposures.
• Minimum recording of an infectious exposure includes how the exposure occurred, mode of transmission, entry point, PPE use, and medical follow-up.

Key definitions for behavioral health, hazards, and safety roles. Covers IDLH conditions, incident safety, and risk management processes. Essential terms for health and safety programs.