Safety Leadership By The Company Officer

I recently asked a group of more than 100 company officers (current ones, new ones and wannabees) to contemplate their role in maintaining a safety-conscious attitude and safe practices within their crew at the fire station, during training and at emergency scenes.

They discussed the issue in small groups and were instructed to develop some specific (realistic) behaviors or approaches that a company officer could use that would assist them in accomplishing this goal. Each group made a presentation to the class and turned in their work to me in written form when we were finished. I was so impressed with the results of this exercise that I thought I would consolidate the information and share it with you.

Group Responses:

• Each member of the company should be encouraged to be a team player and be held accountable for his or her actions.
• Company officers should be attentive at all times. They must stay alert and try to see the big picture at emergency scenes to enhance overall scene safety.
• Be calm and consistent with safety matters in the company. Be willing to correct behavior or performance when necessary.
• Be flexible and adaptable. This helps the company officer stay open-minded and helps them accept changes in safety procedures and regulations. They must be able to be a coach and a safety salesperson.
• An overall "positive" work environment can help create a "safe" work environment.
• Company officers must do their part to create trust within the company.
• Training exercises and emergency incidents should be critiqued. Part of the critique should include a review of safety hazards, problems, good solutions, and any other pertinent situations that may have occurred.
• Certain safety responsibilities can be pre-assigned and delegated within the company.
• Company officers should be careful not to overwork a crew. Rehab should be an important part of the overall work process.
• Make sure that company members are aware of safety policies and procedures and that your expectations are in concert with them. This should be done up front to minimize confusion and improve performance. This includes driving, use of equipment, and all other aspects of safety.
• Know the strengths and limitations of crew members. To the extent possible, this should include new firefighters and firefighters temporarily assigned to the company.
• Remember that company officers lead primarily by example. Safety behaviors are just one of the many areas where this applies.
• Company officers should not compromise safety. There should be a line drawn somewhere when it comes to safety issues. Safety is a good thing to stand for.
• Company officers should be advocates of total wellness. This includes medical, physical, emotional and psychological elements.
• Training creates habits, so companies should train consistent with the way they want to perform in real situations.
• Using case studies of actual incidents can be excellent tools for safety training within fire companies.
• Positive reinforcement and recognition are powerful motivators and can be effective in improving safety practices.

Expectations For Your People

Rather than spend a lot of time simply discussing what to do with people who don't follow safety procedures, I find it beneficial and productive to discuss ways to prevent people from operating outside of our expectations in the first place. We don't do enough training in those techniques. The officers in this training session did a thorough job of covering the topic with very little facilitation, and I hope you find their input interesting and beneficial...I sure did.

I've got several other subjects that I've taken a similar approach with, perhaps we can share them once in a while. Safety was (and always is) a good place to start. Be careful - and please help other crew members to do the same.