Keeping It Safe

by Robert Tutterow

Industry Observations From A Safety Officer

I was impressed by what I saw in apparatus cabs on display this past August at Fire-Rescue International in Atlanta. Many of the manufacturers were showcasing trucks with cabinetry inside the cab.

It seems many fire departments are getting the message that loose equipment inside the cab is similar to shrapnel awaiting detonation. For several years, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has required only equipment needed during the response shall be carried in the cab.

For the equipment needed during the response, NFPA says it shall be properly stowed and secured to withstand a 9g (gravitational unit) force frontal impact if the apparatus were to run into something. For all other impacts, a 3g-force rating is required. Cab cabinetry is a good way to meet this requirement, and it also de-clutters the cab. It should be noted all cabinets spotted in Atlanta were in custom fire apparatus, since there is no room to do so in commercial apparatus.

Speaking of commercial apparatus, I wish the manufacturers would do something to “beef up” their cabs to better protect the occupants. A recent accident in my area revealed how weak commercial cabs are in rollover accidents. A volunteer firefighter lost his life when he lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. The body of the pumper remained intact, but the cab was destroyed. The accident was characteristic of most apparatus rollovers. The driver ran off the road and was unable to safely bring it back on the road without losing control. Inevitably, a rollover occurs. As this type accident occurs far too frequently, rollover protection for commercial cabs needs to be addressed.

Reactions Vary

Moving on, is it not interesting how we react when someone messes up. For instance, let’s say a firefighter is killed when he is ejected during an apparatus crash. (Let’s pray it doesn’t happen.) So, the first thing the fire department does is it investigates the door latches. How about the windshield seal, if that was the point of ejection? Or, how about a firefighter who falls out of a truck, and the response is, oh well, it’s dangerous work, from dealing with traffic on the way to the fire, to actually doing the work.

I think the response here should be “Duh!” Why can’t we just state the obvious and say the firefighters in both instances failed to buckle up? And then promise we’re going to do everything we can to make sure it never happens again.

It was a breath of fresh air when the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department admitted shortcomings when they were unable to rescue a woman from a burning structure. Instead of denial or making excuses or pointing fingers, they simply said the woman should have been rescued and they would make sure they have the right training and policies in place to keep it from happening again.

The Phoenix Fire Department reacted in a proactive manner when they lost a firefighter in a supermarket fire a few years ago. They left no stone unturned in the investigation and initiated a comprehensive overview of everything related to that fatality to make sure it does not happen again. Again there was no finger pointing, and no denial.

While on the topic of no denial, the days of he-said-she-said in vehicle accident investigation may soon be over. Big brother is already watching. Black boxes are on the majority of vehicles being built today and will be on all new passenger vehicles soon.

Recently, a black box revealed that an assistant chief, responding in an SUV, was averaging 79 mph during a response. He slowed to 64 mph a half-second before colliding with another vehicle at a school intersection. He never touched his brakes. All of this type information and much more came from the black box. My guess is that the assistant chief had no idea his vehicle had a black box. Do you know if your vehicle has one?

While speed can have an obvious and dramatic affect on vehicle handling, so can low tire pressure.

Tire-Related Crashes

An article titled “Avoiding Tire-Related Vehicle Crashes,” referenced in a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigation of a tanker rollover crash in Texas, revealed that tire pressure in 39 percent of dual-wheel tire and wheel assemblies on emergency response vehicles could not be checked because there was no access to the valve stem. Of those that could be checked, two-thirds were found to be under-inflated by at least 25 percent.

Under-inflated tires can have a dramatic impact on the steering of an apparatus. Unfortunately, most departments have no idea if their tires are properly inflated or not. Fortunately, NFPA will require tire pressure indicators for all apparatus manufactured starting in 2009. If you are buying a rig soon, go ahead and put it in your specifications. You do not have to wait until 2009.

NFPA also recently released a study earlier this year looking at firefighter fatalities for the past 30 years. It’s hard to believe, but it was not until 1977 that anyone started to take a serious look at firefighter safety. The study showed that the number of fatalities had dropped by one third since the late 1970s. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the decline occurred during the first 15 years of the 30-year period. No drop is indicated in the past 15 years. And, this year is not shaping up to be a good year either.

The report is notable in several areas. Cardiac on-scene deaths have decreased by one third. However, crashes continue to be the second-leading cause of death, and there is no upward or downward trend in the 30-year period. Of particular note is the fact that falls from apparatus have practically disappeared during the 30-year period.

Falling From Apparatus

For the first 11 years of the study, an average of three firefighters a year lost their lives by falling from apparatus. For the past 15 years, there have been a grand total of four such deaths. What happened? There was new emphasis on safety with the first edition of NFPA 1500, and NFPA 1901 established requirements that all cabs had to be fully enclosed. Now that is illustrative of the kind of progress we need to see across the spectrum of firefighter fatality reduction.

That scenario of education, combined with technological improvements, led to success. A similar thing is happening now. Overall, the trucking industry reported a five percent decline in truck crash fatalities last year. Responding to the report, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peter stated: “Tough safety requirements and new technologies are helping make our vehicles safer and our roads less deadly.”

Education, situational awareness, tougher requirements and new technologies – that’s the recipe for success in safer firefighter transport.

Editor’s Note: Robert Tutterow, who has 30 years in the fire service, is the Charlotte (N.C.) Fire Department health and safety officer. He is the chair of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Department Apparatus Committee’s Safety Task Force Group and is on two other NFPA committees, the Structural and Proximity Firefighting Protective Ensemble Technical Committee and the Technical Correlating Committee for Fire and Emergency Services PPE.