WASHINGTON-- Changes in attitude and education are keys to reducing firefighter injuries and deaths.
Those were among the conclusions during the final mini-summit on Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives held this past weekend.
Although the groups discussed five separate topics all shared a common theme -- firefighters must get involved. Whether it is burn care, training or codes, nothing will change until everyone gets on the same page, participants said.
The summit on prevention, held in conjunction with a conference hosted by the Home Safety Council, addressed measures that must be implemented to reduce the number of firefighter injuries.
Reports on all six mini-summits will be available soon on the Everyone Goes Home Web site.
In addition, white papers are being prepared on each of the 16 life safety initiatives. They will serve as a guide for national fire officials attending the second national summit in California.
"The package will be available prior to the summit in March, and will provide participants with background," said Ron Siarnicki, executive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
"We're two years out. While there's been a lot going on out there, we need to know where we are and where we're headed. What do we need to do to accomplish our goals and be effective?"
Statistics show at least 100 firefighters die annually in the line of duty, and thousands are injured. However, officials say data is incomplete on just how many are hurt on the job.
The goal of Everyone Goes Home is to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities by 25 percent in five years, and 50 percent in 10 years.
Acting USFA Administrator Charlie Dickinson said he was impressed with the passion of the summit participants, many of them life safety educators. "These people are putting their hearts and souls into their work," he said, adding that their target audiences, the young and senior citizens, are the most vulnerable.
Including the educators was a good idea as they added a different perspective on the issues, he said.
Former patients and others discussing burn care suggested it's essential that a close partnership be established, one that involves the fire service, burn centers and burn survivor organizations.
Another panel said prevention and educational programs will be successful only if they are embraced by fire administrators.
They also suggested that the importance of public education programs be stressed during recruit training. Personnel being considered for promotion also should be able to demonstrate their knowledge in the subject.
Also, firefighters need to be staunch advocates for codes and standards. In addition to promoting issues in their own communities, they must insist that their interests are represented on the state and national level, another group concluded.
Chief Dennis Compton said he was impressed with the work and suggestions provided by the individual panels. "It was clear they took their work very seriously..."
