Week 8 Seminar Role Of The Company Officer And The Safety Officer

Objectives The roles and responsibilities of the Company Officer Qualifications of the fire officer The roles and responsibilities of the safety officer, including the incident safety officer and the health and safety officer The events that led to the deaths of two volunteer firefighters in Marks, Mississippi The results of the NIOSH investigation and the investigators recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring

Role Of The Company Officer And The Safety Officer Tactical level of incidents –Manage specific tasks –Ensure personnel safety –Ensure operation is conducted safely –Ensure safe environment –Personnel accountability –Proper PPE Safety Officer –Incident safety officer –Health and safety officer

Role of the Company Officer This level of supervision is one of the most difficult –Friends –Promotions –Transfers Supervises personnel Performs tactical tasks Supervising personnel is a skill in which little training is provided

NFPA 1021 Standard for Fire Officer professional Qualifications Four levels of requirements Establishes minimum qualifications for company officers Safety and health requirements necessitate a broader approach

Role of the Safety Officer Historical background –ISO first introduced –1970, Occupational Safety and Health Act –OSHA –1977, NFPA fist standard for fire department safety officer –NFPA 1500 –NFPA 1521

Safety Officer Responsibilities Essential in developing and managing the departments safety and health program Fire Chief has ultimate responsibility Risk management program –Ensures risks associated with operations are identified and managed and is communicated to department members Assist with safety sections in local government agencies

Safety Officer Responsibilities (cont.) Infection control Critical incident stress management Incident management safety Data collection and post incident analysis Record management

FDSOA Fire Department safety Officers Association Established in 1989 Mission Communications conduit for safety officers Certification program –National Board of Fire Service Professional Qualifications –ISO –HSO

Firefighter Fatalities, Marks, Mississippi 12:58 a.m August 29, 1998 Florist shop Fire origination and early fire spread Fire development to structure Structure location and additional hazards

Unit Arrival Fire and smoke conditions Mutual aid request Fire knock down Salvage and overhaul Additional smoke increasing Fire chief orders

The Victims Two firefighters ordered to the roof to evaluate is ventilation needed PPE Smoke conditions worsened One firefighter went down for SCBA while other progressed and fell through roof without anyone knowing Location of victim unknown

The Second Victim Smoke conditions within florist shop Fire attack Search and rescue for lost firefighter Lack of air cylinders hampered search Additional mutual aid Body location Timeline of events including victim locations and incident conclusion

Significant Contributing Factors Fireground accountability Ineffective use of IMS Failure to use PASS devices Lack of knowledge of construction features Insufficient resources Absence of RIC How did the decisions of the incident commander effect the outcome?

Summary Company officers are responsible for firefighter safety Safety officer is generic title for wide range of responsibilities –Incident safety officer –Occupational health and safety program –Incident command staff Marks, Mississippi- similar to other events discussed Preventable tragedy?