Have fire departments across the nation embraced the 16 life safety initiatives established to reduce line-of-duty deaths and injuries?
That's what national fire service leaders will discuss next year when they meet in California for the second Firefighter Life Safety Summit.
"It's been two years since the initiatives were set during a summit in Tampa. We have to see what's going on out there. Where are we?" said National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Executive Director Ron Siarnicki.
While there have been successes, Siarnicki said the number of firefighters killed or injured is still unacceptable. More than 200 firefighters have died in the past two years.
During that initial summit, officials agreed that changes are needed to insure that Everyone Goes Home. They developed 16 initiatives to help fire departments modify their operations.
Siarnicki said the NFFF remains committed to helping the U.S. Fire Administration in its goal to reduce the number of firefighter deaths by 25 percent in five years, and 50 percent in 10 years.
The second summit will be held at the headquarters of Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. in Novato following the Firehouse World conference in San Diego.
Officials will be discussing the findings of six mini summits held to address various issues such as health and fitness and apparatus safety. During the final session, set for January, the topic will be prevention and codes.
"The summaries of the mini summits are being compiled into a handbook for the main summit," Siarnicki said, adding that the effort has involved people from all facets of the fire service.
The sessions were paid for by a FIRE Act grant and Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.
