On Thursday morning at an Atlanta fire station, Chief Kelvin Cochran was presented with a certificate from officials from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the second-leading cause of firefighter fatalities in the United States and this effort aims to reduce the number of preventable fatalities,” said NFFF Executive Director Ron Siarnicki. “Under the leadership of Chief Cochran, the members of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department are an outstanding example for all fire service members that personal safety must be the priority. This participation also demonstrates that all departments nationwide can make this same commitment.”
Over 200,000 first responders have taken the International Seat Belt Pledge, representing nearly 1,400 departments in the United States and 18 departments from other countries.
The goal of the campaign -- launched by Dr. Burt Clark, an instructor at the National Fire Academy -- is to eliminate line-of-duty deaths caused by first responders not wearing their seat belts.
Clark remains as a liaison with the project.
