TinEar
Member
Just saw this come across my newswire and thought some of you in the business might be interested....
August 13, 2004 01:10 PM US Eastern Timezone
IAFC Announces Near-Miss Reporting System for the Fire Service; IAFC Partners with DHS, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company to Develop Critical Program for America's Fire Departments
FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2004--The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) today announced that it will develop and implement a Near-Miss Reporting System for the fire service. Supported by more than a million dollars in grants from the Department of Homeland Security and Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, the IAFC system will track "close call" incidents in the fire service -- those incidents that do not lead to physical harm, but that would have, were it not for some fortunate break in the chain of events.
"The IAFC is committed to improving the safety of millions of fire fighters with this grant," said Chief Ernest Mitchell, 2003-2004 president of the IAFC. "This anonymous reporting system will be crucial in providing the fire service with the information it needs to create change in operations and training to avoid injuries and deaths in the future."
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that for every 100 incidents of injury, one million close call incidents go unreported. The Near-Miss Reporting System will help the fire service track these incidents and learn from these errors to increase its overall ability to protect fire fighters and the communities they serve.
The airline industry founded a near-miss reporting system 25 years ago and can prove statistically that tracking near-miss incidents has significantly decreased the number of aviation injuries and deaths. Several other organizations, including the Department of Transportation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. military, have addressed near-miss reporting and are receiving similar results in changing the number of injuries and fatalities.
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded the IAFC a grant in the amount of $750,000 under the Assistance to Firefighters grant program. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company is providing a $322,000 grant for the program through its Fireman's Fund Heritage(SM) initiative, which supports fire fighters for safer communities.
"Fireman's Fund is proud to be partnering with the IAFC on this important program," said Darryl Siry, vice president, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. "Ensuring that fire fighters are safe on the job allows them to be there for us when we need them."
"The Department of Homeland Security and USFA are aware and very concerned about the fire fighter death and injury rates," said R. David Paulison, the United States fire administrator. "These unacceptable figures will only be reduced when we stop focusing solely on line of duty deaths, and begin to gather and study the near-miss information which will ultimately lead to the prevention of fire fighter losses."
"The partnership with Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and the Department of Homeland Security is critical to the success of the program -- and to the lives of the more than one million fire fighters in the United States," said Mitchell. "We thank them for their generous support of the fire service."
About the International Association of Fire Chiefs
The International Association of Fire Chiefs is the professional association for senior fire and emergency service leaders around the world with a membership of more than 12,000 fire chiefs and associated officials. An international organization, the IAFC counts among its members representatives from more than 30 foreign countries including Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Ghana.
The mission of the IAFC is to provide leadership to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers and managers of emergency service organizations throughout the international community through vision, information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.
August 13, 2004 01:10 PM US Eastern Timezone
IAFC Announces Near-Miss Reporting System for the Fire Service; IAFC Partners with DHS, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company to Develop Critical Program for America's Fire Departments
FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 2004--The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) today announced that it will develop and implement a Near-Miss Reporting System for the fire service. Supported by more than a million dollars in grants from the Department of Homeland Security and Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, the IAFC system will track "close call" incidents in the fire service -- those incidents that do not lead to physical harm, but that would have, were it not for some fortunate break in the chain of events.
"The IAFC is committed to improving the safety of millions of fire fighters with this grant," said Chief Ernest Mitchell, 2003-2004 president of the IAFC. "This anonymous reporting system will be crucial in providing the fire service with the information it needs to create change in operations and training to avoid injuries and deaths in the future."
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that for every 100 incidents of injury, one million close call incidents go unreported. The Near-Miss Reporting System will help the fire service track these incidents and learn from these errors to increase its overall ability to protect fire fighters and the communities they serve.
The airline industry founded a near-miss reporting system 25 years ago and can prove statistically that tracking near-miss incidents has significantly decreased the number of aviation injuries and deaths. Several other organizations, including the Department of Transportation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. military, have addressed near-miss reporting and are receiving similar results in changing the number of injuries and fatalities.
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded the IAFC a grant in the amount of $750,000 under the Assistance to Firefighters grant program. Fireman's Fund Insurance Company is providing a $322,000 grant for the program through its Fireman's Fund Heritage(SM) initiative, which supports fire fighters for safer communities.
"Fireman's Fund is proud to be partnering with the IAFC on this important program," said Darryl Siry, vice president, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. "Ensuring that fire fighters are safe on the job allows them to be there for us when we need them."
"The Department of Homeland Security and USFA are aware and very concerned about the fire fighter death and injury rates," said R. David Paulison, the United States fire administrator. "These unacceptable figures will only be reduced when we stop focusing solely on line of duty deaths, and begin to gather and study the near-miss information which will ultimately lead to the prevention of fire fighter losses."
"The partnership with Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and the Department of Homeland Security is critical to the success of the program -- and to the lives of the more than one million fire fighters in the United States," said Mitchell. "We thank them for their generous support of the fire service."
About the International Association of Fire Chiefs
The International Association of Fire Chiefs is the professional association for senior fire and emergency service leaders around the world with a membership of more than 12,000 fire chiefs and associated officials. An international organization, the IAFC counts among its members representatives from more than 30 foreign countries including Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Ghana.
The mission of the IAFC is to provide leadership to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers and managers of emergency service organizations throughout the international community through vision, information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.
