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Firefighters Quarterly Magazine
Winter 2006 Issue >> Contents >> Switched On
The Database That Saves Lives
Firefighters risk their lives in the line of duty every day. That’s a given—one that every firefighter understands. Often, however, the firefighter’s life is not only put in jeopardy by dangerous conditions on-scene but, unfortunately, by errors or accidents that could have been avoided. What’s even more disturbing: the realization that many such errors and accidents have happened before, and have already cost firefighter lives. Now a bold new program seeks to eliminate these mistake-driven deaths, and warn firefighters about potential dangers they may en-counter on the way to that very next call.
The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Re-porting System was de-veloped with the help of 38 fire departments across the country, and with grants from the De-partment of Homeland Security (DHS) and Fire-man’s Fund Insurance Company.
This online computer database is a voluntary reporting system that al-lows firefighters to share near-miss experiences in complete confidentiality and without fear of departmental reprisals. The goal is simple: to identify unintentional, unsafe actions or events that may result in firefighter injuries, fatalities or property damage and then notify firefighters and departments about these safety issues—ultimately warning a firefighter of a life-threatening situation before it happens.
The system is remarkably easy to use and can be found online at www.firefighternearmiss.com/home.do. With a series of drop-down menus, it quickly allows firefighters to report an incident or search other incident reports left by fellow firefighters. Reporters leave relevant event information, such as an account of the event and lessons they may have learned from it. Contributing factors can include command, accountability, equipment, human error, horseplay, procedure, protocol, SOP/-SOGs, situational awareness, training, teamwork, and even weather.
Filing a report is a simple five-step process that takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. (As it turns out, though, participants in the pilot program were found to be agreeable to spending as much time as needed to log an event, if they felt the incident was important enough to record.)
The core concept of the database was borrowed from a similar system developed by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. Called the Aviation Safety Reporting System (which has been in use for nearly three decades, since 1976) the ASR system helps collect data on close calls from air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants. When similar events were reported and logged into the system, a common thread became apparent: incidents could be avoided if this data was properly analyzed and dispersed. While the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System is still new (it was launched in early September) the concept and pilot program have already been a tremendous success, with several key examples of improved safety performance already demonstrated throughout the system.
According to the U.S. Fire Administra-tion, 36 of the 111 firefighter deaths that took place in 2003 resulted from traffic accidents alone. The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System offered valuable information to explain why. Based on reports submitted to the system, often it’s the second emergency vehicle responding to a call to be involved in a crash, since motorists routinely stop for the first fire-truck they see, but don’t realize there could be more emergency vehicles. Often, that’s when these motorists are struck by a second firetruck. Such incidents—and the count-less times when it al-most happens are one of the prime targets of the new reporting system.
Dennis Smith, the chairman of the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Task Force, Smith, a former Bronx, N.Y., firefighter and author of Report from Engine Co. 82, helped champion the system. “Firefighters die every day using the best equipment available, and they die the same way their predecessors did 25 years ago,” Smith says. “If these firefighters had read about the near miss of a colleague in another city maybe they would have taken steps to save their lives.”
Training new firefighters can be a long and costly process, while helping to ensure the safety of those currently on-duty is now as simple as clicking a mouse. (For more information about the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System, visit the Web site at www.firefighternearmiss.com/home .do.) FQ
Author Bio
Technology writer Vince Matthews is a consultant to the software industry and an analyst on Internet matters. He lives in Los Angeles, California
Winter 2006 Issue >> Contents >> Switched On
The Database That Saves Lives
Firefighters risk their lives in the line of duty every day. That’s a given—one that every firefighter understands. Often, however, the firefighter’s life is not only put in jeopardy by dangerous conditions on-scene but, unfortunately, by errors or accidents that could have been avoided. What’s even more disturbing: the realization that many such errors and accidents have happened before, and have already cost firefighter lives. Now a bold new program seeks to eliminate these mistake-driven deaths, and warn firefighters about potential dangers they may en-counter on the way to that very next call.
The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Re-porting System was de-veloped with the help of 38 fire departments across the country, and with grants from the De-partment of Homeland Security (DHS) and Fire-man’s Fund Insurance Company.
This online computer database is a voluntary reporting system that al-lows firefighters to share near-miss experiences in complete confidentiality and without fear of departmental reprisals. The goal is simple: to identify unintentional, unsafe actions or events that may result in firefighter injuries, fatalities or property damage and then notify firefighters and departments about these safety issues—ultimately warning a firefighter of a life-threatening situation before it happens.
The system is remarkably easy to use and can be found online at www.firefighternearmiss.com/home.do. With a series of drop-down menus, it quickly allows firefighters to report an incident or search other incident reports left by fellow firefighters. Reporters leave relevant event information, such as an account of the event and lessons they may have learned from it. Contributing factors can include command, accountability, equipment, human error, horseplay, procedure, protocol, SOP/-SOGs, situational awareness, training, teamwork, and even weather.
Filing a report is a simple five-step process that takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. (As it turns out, though, participants in the pilot program were found to be agreeable to spending as much time as needed to log an event, if they felt the incident was important enough to record.)
The core concept of the database was borrowed from a similar system developed by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. Called the Aviation Safety Reporting System (which has been in use for nearly three decades, since 1976) the ASR system helps collect data on close calls from air traffic controllers, pilots and flight attendants. When similar events were reported and logged into the system, a common thread became apparent: incidents could be avoided if this data was properly analyzed and dispersed. While the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System is still new (it was launched in early September) the concept and pilot program have already been a tremendous success, with several key examples of improved safety performance already demonstrated throughout the system.
According to the U.S. Fire Administra-tion, 36 of the 111 firefighter deaths that took place in 2003 resulted from traffic accidents alone. The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System offered valuable information to explain why. Based on reports submitted to the system, often it’s the second emergency vehicle responding to a call to be involved in a crash, since motorists routinely stop for the first fire-truck they see, but don’t realize there could be more emergency vehicles. Often, that’s when these motorists are struck by a second firetruck. Such incidents—and the count-less times when it al-most happens are one of the prime targets of the new reporting system.
Dennis Smith, the chairman of the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Task Force, Smith, a former Bronx, N.Y., firefighter and author of Report from Engine Co. 82, helped champion the system. “Firefighters die every day using the best equipment available, and they die the same way their predecessors did 25 years ago,” Smith says. “If these firefighters had read about the near miss of a colleague in another city maybe they would have taken steps to save their lives.”
Training new firefighters can be a long and costly process, while helping to ensure the safety of those currently on-duty is now as simple as clicking a mouse. (For more information about the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System, visit the Web site at www.firefighternearmiss.com/home .do.) FQ
Author Bio
Technology writer Vince Matthews is a consultant to the software industry and an analyst on Internet matters. He lives in Los Angeles, California
BRAVEST AWARDS DINNER Our annual Bravest Awards Dinner honors New York City Firemen who go above and beyond the call of duty. • Learn more about the event • Watch Videos from past dinners |
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