Chesapeake Fire Department Traffic Accidents And Property Loss Policy PDF

Policy 327 Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Traffic Accidents and Property Loss - 1 Traffic Accidents and Property Loss 327.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of this policy is t...

Policy 327 Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Traffic Accidents and Property Loss - 1 Traffic Accidents and Property Loss 327.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for the reporting and investigation of equipment and property damage or loss, traffic accidents involving department vehicles and department personnel on official business. This policy applies to accidents involving any department-owned vehicle and to accidents any time department business is being conducted, regardless of who owns the vehicle involved. 327.2 POLICY It is the policy of this department to investigate the loss, or damage of equipment and all department traffic accidents with the intent of learning the cause of the accident/loss, identifying contributing factors and implementing corrective measures when appropriate. All such matters will be reviewed and evaluated by the Safety Review Board. 327.3 SAFETY REVIEW BOARD The Safety Review Board shall review all reportable incidents involving vehicle and equipment accidents, personal injuries, property damage, and safety citations. It is the goal of the Safety Review Board to identify preventable and non-preventable incidents and how they impact the safety of our members. The Safety Review Board shall consist of Fire Department employees appointed by the Fire Chief or designee, and shall consist of a minimum of a chairperson and three other members. The chairperson position will rotate as needed determined by the Chief Health and Safety Officer. A minimum of three members of the Safety Review Board shall be present for all reviews. The Health and Safety Officer shall facilitate all Safety Review Board meetings, and shall participate in the review process as requested by the chairperson. Disciplinary actions associated with an incident shall be administered by management in accordance with City Administrative Regulation 2.11: Disciplinary Policy and may occur prior to the hearings of the Safety Review Board. Appropriate disciplinary action is based on each incident and previous accident / point history. The Safety Review Board may also recommend further training regardless of their findings. If an employee disagrees with the Safety Review Board's findings they may request a Formal Review. This request must be submitted to the Health and Safety Officer withing thirty days of receipt of the Safety Review Board's findings. The Formal Review shall be scheduled within thirty days of the employee's request and shall be held withing 60 days of the employee's request. The employee shall be present during the Formal Review. The employee may clarify details and explain extenuating circumstances to the Safety Review Board. The Safety Review Board shall review the information and provide findings within 72 hours. Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Traffic Accidents and Property Loss Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Traffic Accidents and Property Loss - 2 If an employee disagrees with the Safety Review Board's Formal Review findings they may request an Appeal. This request must be submitted to the Health and Safety Officer within thirty days of receipt of the Safety review Board's Formal Review Findings. The appeal shall be heard by a three- person panel consisting of fire department personnel. The employee shall select the first member of the panel, the Deputy Chief shall select the second member of the panel, and these two panel members shall select the third member of the panel. The panel shall be selected within thirty days of the employee's request. The panel shall hear the appeal within 45 days of the panel's selection. Safety Review Board findings shall be forwarded to the employee and the employee's supervisors. The employees point history shall be included with the findings. 327.4 VEHICLE ACCIDENT/PERSONAL INJURY/PROPERTY LOSS REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES All department members involved in a traffic accident in a vehicle owned by the Department or while conducting department business, regardless of who owns the vehicle, shall immediately report the accident to the appropriate local law enforcement agency and notify an on-duty supervisor. All department members involved in a traffic accident, that sustain personal injury, or are involved in loss of property shall also complete and submit to the supervisor a Vehicle Accident/Personal Injury/Property Loss Report , in addition to any report taken by law enforcement. If the member is incapable, the immediate supervisor shall complete the report. Supervisors are responsible for notifying the Battalion Chief of any such incidents. Once notified the Battalion Chief will notify the Health and Safety Officer (HSO). Once the HSO has been notified of an incident, they are responsible for ensuring that the department investigation and review occurs in a timely manner. 327.5 INCIDENT REVIEWS All incidents subject to this policy and evaluated by the Safety Review Board will be classified as Preventable or Non-preventable.If an incident is deemed Preventable, demerit points will be assessed as follows: 327.5.1 DEMERIT POINTS (a) Level I Incident: • 0 Demerit Points - Employee was not negligent and did not violate policy. (b) Level II Incident: • 3 Demerit Points - Employee's negligence contributed to or caused accident/ incident. No violation of policy. (c) Level III Incident: • 6 Demerit Points - Employee violated policy but resulted in no bodily harm. (d) Level IV Incident: Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Traffic Accidents and Property Loss Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Traffic Accidents and Property Loss - 3 • 12 Demerit Points - Employee willfully violated policy resulting in bodily harm. 327.5.2 DEMERIT POINT ACCUMULATION AND TRACKING • An accumulation of more than 12 points in a 12-month period may merit disciplinary action, up to and including termination, subject to the Fire Chief's discretion. • An accumulation of 24 points in a 24-month period shall be grounds for dismissal, subject to review by the Fire Chief and the Department of Human Resources. • Point Tracking: Points remain on record for two years. The recording period starts on date of occurance. 327.6 ACCIDENT AND PROPERTY LOSS REPORTS The investigation team leader is responsible for the preparation and completion of a written report that describes the traffic accident, any contributing factors, all persons and equipment involved and recommendations for preventing a recurrence. Estimates from the City Garage for the damage to the City owned vehicle should accompany the accident report whenever possible or should be sent to the Chief's office as soon as possible. Following review by the Fire Chief, the completed report and all related documentation from the investigation will be forwarded to the department’s Custodian of Records for filing. A completed report should include the following: (a) Investigation methods: Identify the members of the investigation team and the agencies involved in the investigation and describe the process of the investigation, including the names of any persons interviewed. (b) People, vehicles and equipment: List and identify all people, vehicles and equipment involved in the traffic accident. (c) Accident scene and environmental conditions: Describe the location, roadways, vehicle positioning, weather conditions, road/ground surface condition and/or visibility. Include diagrams, drawings, photographs and reports from any investigating law enforcement agencies. (d) Accident description: Describe the accident based on the facts gathered. Provide time frame sequence, movements, relative positioning, performance of vehicles and equipment and the actions of persons involved. (e) Policies and procedures assessments and recommendations: Identify any department policies and procedures that are relevant to the accident. Assess the effectiveness of such policies and procedures as applied to the accident and, with the intent of preventing future injury, property loss or liability, make recommendations regarding changes. (f) If it is determined that an employee may have violated any department policies or procedures, the Battalion Chief should recommend that the matter be submitted for the initiation of possible administrative action. Chesapeake Fire Department Policy Manual Traffic Accidents and Property Loss Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2023/03/29, All Rights Reserved.Published with permission by Chesapeake Fire Department Traffic Accidents and Property Loss - 4