'Stand Down' Near-Miss Reporting System

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Close calls involving apparatus account for the second highest number of incidents reported to the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System.

That's why program directors have developed a power point to coincide with the theme of the second annual Stand Down, emergency vehicle safety.

On June 21, departments across the nation and Canada are being asked to forego usual station duties in order to focus on vehicle safety issues. Collisions continue to be a leading cause of firefighter deaths, and fire officials say that is unacceptable.

One out of every five reports submitted to Near-Miss involve vehicle events, and Project Manager Amy Hultman said she hopes people are talking about the incidents, issues and how to prevent similar situations.

The program, initiated for departments to share close calls and lessons learned so that others will not make the same mistakes, has had 42,000 visitors since its inception last August. There have been 808 reports submitted.

The information shared about near misses is kept confidential, and the program uses the various FEMA regions to insure that departments cannot be identified.

Project manager John Tippett said he is pleased with the success of the program, and believes that firefighters and rescue personnel are using the information to trigger discussions.

"The correspondence we have received from regular visitors tells us that wer are on the right track in creating a cyber kitchen table...Early data being gleaned from the reports is beginning to provide the seeds that can be used to conduct more in-depth studies into firefighter actions and behaviors. The end result will be a safer environment for firefighters and paramedics of all disciplines," Tippett said, adding that Near Miss is establishing itself as a premier partner in reducing tragedy in the fire service."

Tippett said it's important for personnel to understand that the national Stand Down is for everyone, volunteers as well as career and combination departments.

Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) show that

18 firefighters died in vehicle crashes last year. Three others were killed after being hit by vehicles, and another succumbed to injuries after he fell from the jump seat.

Ten of the 18 fatal crashes occurred while responding to or returning from incidents, and three of the 10 victims were driving water tenders or tankers.

Investigators determined several factors attributed to one fatal crash. They included low tire pressure, no trailer brakes, driver inattention and speed too fast for conditions. The driver who was not wearing a seat belt was ejected.

Three other fatalities occurred while personnel were riding or driving pumpers, and two people were killed while responding to alarms in their personal vehicles.

Another firefighter was killed after being ejected from a converted tender after it blew a tire and overturned. The unbelted driver was headed to get a vehicle safety inspection sticker when the crash occurred.

Excessive speed and the lack of seat belt use were cited in many of the crashes in 2005.

Three firefighters were struck by vehicles and killed. One was directing traffic, while the other two were hit by driverless trucks.

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