NVFC B.E.S.T. Practices for Volunteer Firefighter Health and Safety - Part 1-"Behavior"

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The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) established its Health and Safety Committee in 2008 to continue their focus of protecting first responders.  They established the Volunteer Firefighter Health and Safety Priorities, a guidance program for volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel. They named these priorities B.E.S.T. Practices which stands for Behavior, Equipment, Standards and Training.

"The B in B.E.S.T. is Behavior. We're looking to change behaviors for safety. We're looking to reduce preventable accidents, injuries, deaths, especially line-of-duty deaths," explained Deputy Chief Kevin Quinn of the Union Fire District in South Kingston, Rhode Island, an NVFC Board Member. 

Under the heading of Behavior there are four different parts. The first is supporting the physical, emotional and mental well-being of all personnel in a department. That includes exercising as often as possible and getting a physical every year. 

As Quinn explains, "The job we do, number one, it's inherently dangerous. But, number two, it's very physical, it's constantly physical and if you're not able to do the job, you then become a liability on the job."

There is also the emotional support that a volunteer needs. That includes briefings after critical incidents and support from fellow firefighters. "If anything happened, these are actually brothers and sisters to me. It's like family, I would do anything for them and they would do anything for me," said Ed Hughes, of the Sierra Madre Volunteer Fire Department.

More than 70% of fire departments in the United States are all-volunteer department, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Sierra Madre is a volunteer department completely surrounded by paid departments so they have to answer to some different standards because of where they are located.   

Under the Behavior heading, the second part is operating all emergency apparatus and privately owned vehicles to the highest safety standards. "We want you to take the time when you're driving through an intersection to clear the intersection, use caution and care going through each lane. The difference is not going to matter, ok, take the time and be safe. And get there and then do your job," said Quinn. 

This includes always wearing seatbelts.  "Our rules here are you don't move the engine unless everybody has their seat belt on," said Stephen Heydorff, Fire Chief for the Sierra Madre Volunteer Fire Department.

The NVFC also wants departments to make sure their apparatus are safe and conforms to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.   

"If you look at new equipment now that's rolling off the line there's a lot of reflection on the back so we're not getting hit on the roads. Too many accidents are happening on the roadsides," Quinn said.

Ensuring all active emergency scenes are safe are the last part of this priority. On highway calls, the proper placement of apparatus and cones on calls along with wearing safety vests. Fireground accountability is the other part. Sierra Madre uses accountability tags as one safeguard.

Posters with a list of these priorities, made possible by Provident Agency, can be ordered from the National Volunteer Fire Council from www.nvfc.org.

Log on to FDNNTV.com tomorrow to watch Part 2 of the series, which focuses on the second Priority, Equipment.     


Author:Barbara Brooks - FDNNTV.com