The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System recently reached a milestone when it posted the 1,000th report for 2009.
This marks the first time in the program’s four-year history that 1,000 reports were received in one year. The program is administered by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the total number of reports received since it was launched in 2005 is more than 3,100.
Chief Jeff Johnson, IAFC president and board chairman, credits the increase in report submissions to the growing acceptance of near-miss reporting at every level of the fire and emergency service.
“Learning from a near-miss story told around the firehouse kitchen table has always been intrinsic to our industry,” he said. “The near-miss program has created a virtual firehouse kitchen table.”
He commended all the firefighters who submitted near-miss reports in 2009. “They have helped one of our own by sharing their stories,” he said.
Dennis Smith, chairman of the near-miss advisory board, said several developments will continue to raise awareness and acceptance of near-miss reporting, including the recent launch of a Near-Miss Facebook page that will reach new audiences. It can be found at www.facebook.com/firefighternearmiss.
FirefighterCloseCalls.com, a Web site founded by Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder and Capt. Gordon Graham, recently announced that firefighters who submit reports to that site now have the option of also submitting their reports to FireFighterNearMiss.com. Goldfeder and Graham have served on the near-miss advisory board since December 2004. “Chief Goldfeder and Captain Graham continue to demonstrate their commitment to firefighter safety, health and survival by strengthening the partnership between these two consequential initiatives,” Smith said.
The Near-Miss program is also researching downloadable mobile applications, which may be available this summer.
Analysis and overviews from many of the 2009 reports can be found in the 2009 annual report, which is available along with the 2010 Near-Miss Calendar.
For complimentary copies of the 2010 Near-Miss Calendar and the 2009 Annual Report, email info@firefighternearmiss.com with your name, mailing address and the requested quantity.
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