Database Seeks to Lower Firefighter Death & Injury

[x635 4,066]

What a cool idea!!

Database Seeks to Lower Firefighter Deaths

By JOE MANDAK, Associated Press Writer

Sun Sep 18, 4:54 AM ET

PITTSBURGH - It's a scene that plays out in firehouses every day: Firefighters return from a blaze or rescue call and talk about a close call that could have injured or killed someone. The International Association of Fire Chiefs wants firefighters nationwide to learn from such stories through the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System.

The national database went online last month after the completion of a pilot program involving 38 fire departments across the country. The Web site lets firefighters report such incidents anonymously and without fear of punishment.

"You come back from a call and you talk about something that happened and you learn," said John Tippett, a Montgomery County, Md., fire battalion chief who helped the group develop the site. "The guys on the next shift don't always hear about it, other companies don't hear about it."

In 2003, 36 of 111 U.S. firefighter fatalities involved traffic accidents, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Fifty-one firefighters died from stress or overexertion. The rest were from other hazards.

One unusual danger reported during the database's pilot run is that vehicle air bags can deploy from static electricity, even after a vehicle's battery is disconnected.

"If you're leaning over the steering wheel, attending to the patient ... these things come out at 200 miles per hour, and that's going to put some hurt on you," said Deputy Chief Steve Mormino of South Farmingdale, N.Y.

Officials also found that drivers need to be extra careful if they are not the first emergency vehicle through an intersection. Many crashes involve motorists who stop for the first fire truck, but continue through the intersection without waiting for others, Tippett said.

The idea for the firefighters' database came from the Aviation Safety Reporting System, which has been gathering reports of close calls from pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers and others since 1976.

The system jointly developed by     NASA and the     Federal Aviation Administration resulted in safety rules travelers know well, including turning off computers and other electronic devices that can foul navigation equipment, said Linda Connell, a NASA official who directs the airline program.

The airline system was established after TWA Flight 514 crashed into a hillside on approach to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., killing all 85 passengers and seven crew on Dec. 1, 1974.

An investigation determined air traffic controllers gave an ambiguous command that the pilot interpreted as an 'OK' for the plane to begin its descent. Months later, another airline revealed that it had told its pilots — but not other airlines — about a near-miss involving a similar command from Dulles controllers, Connell said.

The firefighter site wasn't spawned by one incident.

"About 100 firefighters every year die in the line of duty and another 100,000 suffer lost-time injuries," Tippett said. "Despite better equipment and training, that overall rate doesn't seem to drop."

The near-miss site gathered some 300 reports from the pilot departments and organizers hope that will multiply as firefighters in 32,000 companies across the country learn to trust the system.

Connell said the airline system generated 500 reports its first year, but now handles about 40,000 annually.

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On the Net:

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com

Edited September 18, 2005 by x635