Seat Belt Use

**FFRobG** · 02-06-2007, 07:02 PM

How often do you wear your seat belt at work? I am conducting a poll so I can collect data for a project, to complete a degree in Fire Safety. Please comment on your department policy, enforcement, and what attitudes or conditions affect your seat belt use.

**Weruj1** · 02-06-2007, 07:52 PM

Do a search ..................it has only been discussed 90000089085902458 times here.

**ElectricHoser** · 02-06-2007, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by Weruj1

Do a search ..................it has only been discussed 90000089085902458 times here.

**FFRobG** · 02-06-2007, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by Weruj1

Do a search ..................it has only been discussed 90000089085902458 times here.

Yeah, I have done many searches. Seen polls that say 91% of FH forum reader think we SHOULD wear seat belts. 100% of the people who have responded to the poll so far claim to wear their seat belt all the time.

However the U.S. Fire Administraion says we only wear it 45% of the time. The 2nd leading cause of firefighter fatalities occurs while responding to, or returning from an alarm. I know what goes on in the Houston Fire Dept. Not near 100% compliance.

I want to no why they are not worn. What attitudes or conditions at your fire dept prevent you from wearing your seat belt 100% of the time? How is it enforced?

**nmfire** · 02-07-2007, 07:47 AM

Well try reading those 9 million other posts and you see the answers to your question.

**Jasper 45** · 02-07-2007, 09:31 AM

I'll answer right here. We had 11 runs yesterday, and I didn't wear my seatbelt for any of them.
The shift before, we ran 13, and the only time I wore my seatbelt was for our inservice at the school.

**firepiper1** · 02-08-2007, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by jasper45

I'll answer right here. We had 11 runs yesterday, and I didn't wear my seatbelt for any of them.
The shift before, we ran 13, and the only time I wore my seatbelt was for our inservice at the school.

It amazes me that people have been trained to put on a seatbelt in an airplane.....like thats going to do you any good hitting the ground at 300MPH....but wont put one on in a moving vehicle.

The driver and officer of Eng 17 in Detroit were both ejected last night in this accident when the rig was spun around. The driver was killed.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/pa...Y&pageId=1.1.1

**Chief2700** · 02-08-2007, 10:57 AM

Can I get a hallaluya? How *$#&ing stupid do you have to be to not click that belt. No disrespect to the DFD. How many examples do you need. Be a man! Click it and go home to your family at the end of your day. They don't want someone to hand them the folded flag at a funeral.

**Jasper 45** · 02-08-2007, 11:14 AM

It amazes me that people have been trained to put on a seatbelt in an airplane.....like thats going to do you any good hitting the ground at 300MPH....but wont put one on in a moving vehicle.

Blast my post all you want to, I was answering the first post in the thread, honestly. Notice, I wasn’t condoning it, I was stating it as a fact. Take a good hard look around the next time your in a department vehicle. See how many people are really wearing their seatbelt. I think you might be surprised.
I will also guarantee that I am not alone with my post, if people are honest about it.

As far as the Detroit incident is concerned, I know I’ll wait for the official report before I make a judgment, rather than a foolish statement about it, however, we all know the forums don’t operate that way.

The thread asked for policies, opinions, attitudes, etc... regarding seatbelt use in departments. My department, along with probably every department out there has a seat belt policy in place. You can preach all of the safety you want to, but guys will still not wear seatbelts. That is a reality. I have almost hung myself, between my harness straps, seatbelt, and so on. I even once connected my MSA waist strap into my seatbelt, and had two guys behind me pile into me when I couldn't get off the rig.

See the seatbelt/shoulder harness hanging next to the drivers seat? Why?

I don’t know why, but, please inform all of us as to why. You know for a fact they weren’t wearing them? Do you know for a fact they were operating properly? Do you know any hard facts, other than what you read in the paper?

**Pipeman2** · 02-08-2007, 11:18 AM

Here we go again safety nazi's out in force ..When you do his job and been there done that nothing else you have to say matter's..

GOD Bless you Brother.

FTM PTB RFB
Box Alarm 8087

**dragonfyre** · 02-08-2007, 11:18 AM

Here in PA the state's fire commissioner is pushing his "Everyone goes home safe" campaign. He's even made his home company take the air packs out of the seats and put them in their boxes in compartments so that no one tries to pack up while en-route.

You hate to see something like Detroit happen but you also have to say I told you so.

Wonder if they wore their seat belts on their way to their shift that day.

**lvwrench** · 02-08-2007, 12:33 PM

Just ask one of our former Capatains, who can't move from the neck down, if he wishes that he had worn his seatbelt when the rig went over on its side.I know what 45 is eluding too and I agree that there are many who still don't buckle up but that seems like gambling to me.

**firepiper1** · 02-08-2007, 01:39 PM

"My department, along with probably every department out there has a seat belt policy in place. You can preach all of the safety you want to, but guys will still not wear seatbelts."

If the city doesnt adhere to a part of the contract, the union files a grievance in a heartbeat. But firefighters are allowed to disregard department safety rules? WTF? The answer is that officers have to lead by example or be held accountable.

I spent over 21 years dealing the same mess of SCBA's, seatbelts and headsets all getting tangled up in a jumpseat. So I know it is a hassle. But, I also receive every NIOSH report on firefighter line of duty deaths and read them carefully. It amazes me how many LODD's are preventable, especially when dealing with apparatus accidents. Many departments are taking a hard look at removing SCBA's from the jumpseats vs. saving 30 seconds at the scene so that firefighters will use seatbelts.

**lutan1** · 02-08-2007, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by ElectricHoser

Well done!!!

**Jasper 45** · 02-08-2007, 03:32 PM

If the city doesnt adhere to a part of the contract, the union files a grievance in a heartbeat. But firefighters are allowed to disregard department safety rules? WTF?

Your making assumptions here, and you can’t do that. I recently had a member of a large east coast department spend some time with me, the name of the department doesn’t matter because it isn’t important.
This fireman showed me pictures of some of the rigs that they are using, and I was shocked. One of the pictures that he showed me, was of a rig that had a slide bolt lock to keep the door closed. In fact, one of their members had fallen out of that very same door. It was my understanding that there was no seat belt available, either. This was but one example that was told to me, and was one in which he had pictures to support.
The local of this department is very good, and very strong, and yet these conditions still exist. What are they supposed to do? Not respond? Go home? Let people die? We’re all firefighters (I think?) and will still do our job, no matter how much they cut us, or how much equipment they take away. If we don’t do our job, people will surely die.
None of us here has any cold hard facts about this accident in Detroit, unless you’re going to tell me that the NIOSH report has already been released. Keep the speculation about this tragedy to a minimum. Since we’re all in such a speculating mood though, why doesn’t anyone speculate about why the driver of the SUV was traveling at over 70 mph, his speeding certainly was a significant contribution. After all, it’s not like he was going to a fire.

You can also sit on here, and preach about how guys should be wearing seatbelts. I will never tell anyone to not wear them. All I did was answer a question on this thread honestly. I also asked my brother about his department, and he told me pretty much the same story. I see the same thing here on overtimes, relief days, and everywhere I else I go. I also think that if others would be truly honest, they would see much the same thing in their departments.

**firepiper1** · 02-08-2007, 06:19 PM

"All I did was answer a question on this thread honestly"

Your answer was............

"We had 11 runs yesterday, and I didn't wear my seatbelt for any of them.
The shift before, we ran 13, and the only time I wore my seatbelt was for our inservice at the school."

You said that your department has a seatbelt policy so why dont you wear them? I have been to way too many LODD funerals and I hate it when they seem so preventable.

I worked part time for an air medical program in the '90s. The pilots would not lift until all occupants were belted in. That was part of their job as the pilot in command, to make sure all of the safety rules were followed on his aircraft. Every rig, no matter if its from a paid or volunteer department, has a "pilot in command." That person has to make sure that all of the occupants follow the rules when operating on that piece of apparatus.

The discussion isnt about who runs with broken rigs because we all have. I drove a 1974 Sutphen that had holes in the floors. It should be: We have seatbelts that were provided for my safety, and I choose not to wear them.

**ElectricHoser** · 02-08-2007, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by lutan1

Well done!!!

And that was only a search for "seatbelt", and I only pulled the really obvious ones from that query. Imagine the fun if I had also searched for "seat belt"?

Nonetheless the dead horse is taking a whaling. I guess Lairdsville isn't the only subject that people have not learned from.....

**Jasper 45** · 02-08-2007, 08:07 PM

You said that your department has a seatbelt policy so why dont you wear them?

I don’t put it on because I am usually getting my mask on, grabbing tools, and on the times that I have worn a belt, I have become tangled up. There are a lot of straps, belts, and stuff to get tangled when you are in a hurry.

The discussion isnt about who runs with broken rigs because we all have.

Oh, it could be about broken rigs, because broken rigs sometimes have seat belt issues. I’ll still wait for factual evidence to be presented before I will comment on the brothers from Detroit. Why is it, that in every thread, fireman take the heat first? It happens every time.

How often do you wear your seat belt at work? I am conducting a poll so I can collect data for a project, to complete a degree in Fire Safety. Please comment on your department policy, enforcement, and what attitudes or conditions affect your seat belt use.

This is the opening post from the thread starter, in case you missed it. Like I said before, I just answered the question honestly.

**firepiper1** · 02-08-2007, 09:45 PM

Well, we have beat this one to death. As a former member of my union's safety committee, I spent many hours reading up on firefighter injuries and deaths. Too many were preventable. My only point is be safe!

**lutan1** · 02-09-2007, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by ElectricHoser

And that was only a search for "seatbelt", and I only pulled the really obvious ones from that query. Imagine the fun if I had also searched for "seat belt"?

Nonetheless the dead horse is taking a whaling. I guess Lairdsville isn't the only subject that people have not learned from.....

hehehe! Some will never learn....

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