OSHA should not “handcuff” firefighters U
Michael J. Milner
Rescue 4
City of New York (NY) Fire Department
Reference is made to “The `Final Rule`: Ideal Collides with Reality” (Editor`s Opinion, February 1998). Again, a well- thought-out opinion, this time on OSHA 29CFR 1910.134. What concerns me is what happens when civilian deaths in-crease and more buildings are lost. Will it take the involvement of the insurance industry, when profits tumble, to make OSHA take a more reasonable stand on firefighting? Firefighters realize the risks involved in their job. Risks are inherent to this profession when lives are in jeopardy. No firefighter should be handcuffed by OSHA if there is a reasonable chance to save a life. Maybe if the people responsible for this law had pulled a civilian to safety and breathed life into the motionless victim, they would see our job in a different light.
Safety is utmost in all firefighters` minds. All we ask is the ability to do our job with a little breathing room!
