By John “Skip” Coleman, Technical Editor
Risk management is identifying risk and then prioritizing how that “risk” or task fits into the scheme of things. In my opinion, there are several levels of risk management. The fire department administration is responsible for setting guidelines associated with risk management. As operations deputy in my department, I established a policy called “Code Red” (similar to a traffic light). The city building maintained a list of buildings that were inspected and found to be structually unsound. We entered all of those properties into our computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. When one of these addresses came up as a reported structure fire, all responding crews knew this building was “Code Red” and no interior firefighting operations were to be conducted for any reason except for “seen or heard” rescues. Administratively, we set the tone for risk management for the department with that policy.
We also had a safety department with a captain and four 24-hour safety lieutenants. This department looked at all risks at all incidents and helped establish policy and guidelines for the department. The personnel also aided in investigating accidents, which led to future policy and guidelines to avoid recurrence.
A lot of risk assessment and management is passed down from generation to generation of firefighters and officers. Previous incidents are discussed and patterns of acceptable risk are noted and remembered for future similar incidents.
On a more basic scale, every company officer should develop his own parameters regarding acceptance of risk. How far do you go to ensure that what your firefighters are currently doing is actually worth the risk they are taking doing it?
Risk management is an attitude that starts from the top of the organization and filters down to the newest recruit. It must be followed by examples from the top as well.
This month’s Roundtable question is, At what level in your organization does risk management come from the most—firefighters, officers, or chief officers?
FIREFIGHTING PHOTOS
 |
Photo by Dennis Walus. |
On the home page, you will find the Photo of the Day gallery, which features photos of working incidents from around the United States and Canada. We continually update our photos, with more than 20 showcases every day, as well as links to galleries from specific locations, such as Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, and more. These photos can offer valuable training lessons, and we are always looking for new contributors. E-mail submissions to peterp@pennwell.com.
EXCLUSIVES
This month on the Web, George Potter, a U.S. firefighter who now lives in Spain, writes on special operations in Spain centering around the America’s Cup, which is the world’s oldest organized yacht racing event and was recently held in Valencia, Spain. Potter provides insight on how firefighting, including apparatus and staffing, and water rescue efforts were coordinated for the event, as well as for the European Formula 1 Grand Prix auto racing.
In “The Safety/Identity Conflict,” Mark Cotter, a volunteer firefighter in Maryland, looks at how firefighters view themselves. Citing a study published in 2008, Cotter discusses how safety campaigns and education are inadequate by themselves to improve firefighter safety. The more important underlying finding is the strong influence of how firefighters see themselves, which, in turn, shapes our talk and ultimately affects how we assess risk and evaluate and manage daily hazards. Find other entries in Cotter’s “From the Jumpseat” column in the “Firefighting” section of the site.
Chief Ron Kanterman writes a more personal message describing an epiphany he had while returning from FDIC in April. He reflects on a session by Chief Rick Lasky of Lewisville, Texas, that reinforced the value of the fire service.
In “Vision: Visualizing Your Future Fire Service,” Brian Ward of the Gwinnett County (GA) Fire and Emergency Services writes about how successful leaders have a vision for what we need but don’t have one for what we need to be doing and are not doing. What sets great leaders apart? The answer is, their vision. Ward’s “Leadership for the Little Guy” column runs monthly on the site in the “Leadership” section.
Also, see my thoughts on safety in the fire service. I first look at the 16 Life Safety Initiatives and how most firefighters relate to them and then present three simple things you can do so you won’t die on duty.
COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE MONTH
 |
Name: Brian Myers, Jr. Age: 39. Residence:Schuylerville, New York. Department: Schuyler Hose Company. Title/rank: fire chief/state fire instructor. Years of public service: 20. Agency structure: volunteer department. Top issues in your department: recruitment, training, budget. Professional qualifications: AAS in fire protection technology, New York state fire instructor. Topics you provide training for: recruit and basic firefighting skills. Areas of expertise: student of everything, expert of nothing. Bio: born, reared, and live in upstate New York. Joined the fire service in June 1988. Appointed chief in 1998. Appointed New York State fire instructor in 2006. Visit the Fire Engineering Training Community, which has more than 7,000 members and is still growing. Join groups, and participate in discussions concerning topics of interest to the fire service. Make friends, and network with other firefighters. It’s a fantastic place to hone your skills and grow as a firefighter. |
More Fire Engineering Issue Articles
Fire Engineering Archives
