PROGRAM MANAGER INSPECTIONS
As chief of the department, you have received several citizen complaints charging that one of your engine companies took several minutes to attack the fire during a recent structure fire. According to one complaint, the firefighters pulled the hose off the pumper but could not get water flowing, and when the water did appear, pressure and flow were inadequate. When the battalion chief investigated he discovered that the pump operator of the apparatus had been assigned to this position for the past year but lacked the practical skills needed to perform the job. Much of the training the operator had been given during the year was classroom instruction and consisted of very little practical application.
Another scenario is that the compliance officer at the State Department of Labor and Industry calls to inform you that he has received a complaint from an employee concerning the health and safety conditions at one of your department’s stations. You ask your newly appointed safety officer about the inspections of all fire department facilities. He/she replies that there is nothing on file to document that any of the department’s 16 firestations have undergone a health and safety inspection. The department receives numerous citations and is fined after the compliance officer’s inspection. he reports that all stations will be inspected within the next year.
How can you ensure that your personnel are properly trained so that incidents such as the above do not occur in your department?
The approach the Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Department chose is the “Program Manager Inspections” policy. Instituted in 1985. it provides for a complete evaluation of protectiveequipment and clothing, apparatus, health and safety aspects of facilities. and the practical job skills of company personnel. The objectives of this program include the following:
- to ensure that company officers are performing their assigned job tasks in the manner prescribed by the department.
- to evaluate the health and safety of the employees’ workplace and their protective clothing and equipment.
- to ensure compliance with NFPA 1500, Standard for a t inDepartment Occupational Safety and Health Program, Paragraph 5-1 t and Section 7-2.
- To evaluate personnel to ensure they are maintaining minimum standards of job performance.
INSTITUTING THE PROGRAM
Managers and administrators of Program Manager Inspections were selected from within the department and were required to be experienced in all department operations. At the time of its inception, the program was directed by the department’s deputy chief. The position of program manager then was established under the direction of Battalion Chief Donna P. Brehm. The safety officer serves as assistant program manager. These two managers accompanied by the duty district chief of the particular shift being inspected constitute the inspection team.
PROGRAM MANAGER INSPECTIONS
Kach station on each shift is inspected once every 18 months; inspections were pushed back from every 12 months when the number of stations grew to 18. Usually, two inspections are conducted per week. A single company inspection takes about 2½ hours and a multicompany inspection about 3½ hours on the average. The companies to be inspected are not notified until the day of the inspection to ensure the element of surprise and to allow for an “as is” inspection of personnel, equipment, and facilities
We emphasize the health and safetyaspects of the program. We tell our members that we are not coming in with white gloves and a fine tooth comb but to see what the companyofficer anti his/her personnel do on a daily basis: Are they performing their job duties and responsibilities in accordance with department policy and procedures?
The inspection team meets with all company personnel prior to beginning an inspection to ensure that personnel know exactly what is expected. The duty district chief and the battalion officer for the battalion being inspected are required to be present. Most personnel have been through at least one inspection and arc familiar with the policy. Probationary firefighters who have not been through the process are given an overview of the program.
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
The first portion of the inspection program — protective clothing — is critically related to firefighter health and safety. Kach member’s protectiveclothing—including helmet, turnout coat, turnout pants, structural firefighting boots, gloves, flame-retardant hood, and SCBA facepiece—is thoroughly inspected. Kach member is responsible for maintaining the individually issued protective clothing ensemble in accordance with department policy and manufacturers’ instructions. This portion also complies with Nl-TA 1500.
Kach helmet is inspected to ensure that all required equipment —including inner shell, rachet suspension, face shield, chin strap, and Nomex® liner—is in place. The helmet is inspected for cleanliness, cracks, deformities. and any other visual abnormalities. The face shield is checked for cracks, distortions, and obscured vision.
Cleanliness and maintenance of the turnout coats and pants are vital for ensuring a long wear life. As with the helmets, the primary objective of the turnout gear inspection is to ensure that personnel are properly maintaining their gear. This inspection process has revealed several manufacturer quality-control problems with turnout gear over the past several years. The seams in both turnout coats and pants required repair with as little as six months of use. After evaluating the number of garments in use and the problems with quality control, we revised the specifications and changed manufacturers.
The condition of every turnout coat and pants is checked for cleanliness, wear, anil tears/rips in the outer shell, moisture barrier, and thermal barrier. If there is any question as to the garment’s safety, it is repaired or replaced. A part-time seamstress, whose work has been evaluated by the turnout gear manufacturer, provides a repair service for department members’ turnout clothing. The department warehouse maintains a large inventory of protective clothing, including station uniforms. Repairs, alterations. and replacements of protective clothing are handled by the logistics staff.
Structural firefighting boots are evaluated for tread thickness, dry-rot, tears/rips, and overall appearance. Virginia Beach is currently studying several different ty pes of NFPA-compliant structural firefighting boots, including those made of leather. We are currently using gloves that are not NFPA-compliant but are evaluating different types of NFPA-compliant gloves. The leather gloves currently in use are checked for seam durability, tears/cuts, and wear of the leather. If the leather has become very brittle and rigid, the gloves are removed from service —to prevent the possibility that personnel will lose their grip on tools and equipment and possibly cause an accident or injury. Each firefighter is issued two sets of gloves in the event one set becomes wet, damaged, or lost.
The flame-retardant hood is examined for cleanliness, tears/rips in the material, and the fit of the elastic facepiece around the SCBA facepiece (it should have no gaps). The last piece of equipment examined is the SCBA facepiece. All personnel are issued a personal facepiece and are responsible for its upkeep. The identification number is checked to ensure that the facepiece being inspected is the one that was assigned to that particular individual. The facepiece is checked for cleanliness, both inside and out. Every member must have a protective garmet in which to carry the facepiece when it’s not in use.
The results of the inspections arcnoted on the “Program Inspection” form. Any needed replacements or repairs also are noted and acted on promptly after the inspection.
Department members must be responsible for maintaining their own station uniforms at the workplace. This portion of the inspection program involves checking to ensure that personnel have their required uniforms, including flame-retardant station pants, a Class B (dress) shirt and badge. Class C (tee) shirts, and badges for both the dress coat and hat. Each individual also must possess a valid driver’s license from the state in which he/she resides (the commonwealth of Virginia or the state of North Carolina). Several expired driver’s licenses have been discovered during inspections. When this occurs, personnel may not drive city vehicles until they produce a valid driver’s license—and they must do so within 48 hours.
(Photos by author.)
APPARATUS
While the personal protective clothing and equipment are being examined, a member of the inspection team (usually the district chief for the shift) inspects each piece of apparatus assigned to the company. The second segment of the program consists of recording apparatus mileage, examining the overall general appearance of the apparatus, and checking the logbook to ensure that all entries are up to date, including the daily check-off as well as other scheduled maintenance.
An evaluation of driver/operator skills also is performed. The driver/ operator is evaluated in four categories: safety, operation, technique, and attitude/attention. The test’s purpose is to determine the member’s ability to handle a large piece of apparatus. This part of the program ensures that drivers/operators have been properly trained and are maintaining this training. This test is a nonemergency operation, though the unit stays in service and answers calls during the evaluation. During the driving evaluation, the hydrants assigned to the shift are inspected to ensure that they meet department guidelines.
Equipment such as ground ladders, hose, hand tools, high-rise packs, power tools, and rope is checked to ensure cleanliness and proper operation (if applicable). Each wagon, engine, or ladder must have a minimum of five SCBAs per unit. All SCBAs are checked for proper operation, maintenance, and adequate air supply (a minimum of 2,000 psi). An up-to-date inventory must be maintained on each unit and be part of the maintenance log.
RECORD KEEPING
A third segment of the inspection process takes place when the program’s battalion chief meets with the company officer to discuss the record keeping. The department mandates that each station maintain a logbook of daily activities. The station logbook must reflect proper and legible entries by each shift. Other records examined include the station’s hose maintenance program. Documentation must show that each section of hose assigned to the station and having an inventory number has been tested during the year. The company officer and every firefighter must complete and maintain emergency medical technician worksheets from the date of their last certification. A copy of the station’s fire reports must be maintained for a 12-month period. Prefire plans of businesses, facilities, and so on in the first-due area must be maintained and located in an accessible area, usually in the cab of the wagon. Each company officer must maintain a monthly planning schedule, which can be kept in a variety of ways such as a wall calendar or monthly planning calendar. The company officer also must keep copies of his/her monthly activity reports
FACILITIES
After the completion of the personal protective clothing, equipment, and records inspections, the safety officer inspects facilities (again, in compliance with NFPA 1500).
The inspection must include the living areas, apparatus area, shop/ maintenance area, and the outside. Facilities are inspected for safety, appearance (housekeeping), and cleanliness. Noted deficiencies are documented on the inspection form, and the safety officer and duty battalion chief follow up on compliance.
The Virginia Department of labor and Industry conducted noncompliant inspections in the department’s 15 fire stations in 1985. During the past six years, 95 percent of the noted deficiencies found have been corrected or eliminated. During the inspection process, the company officer can voice any safety and health concerns encountered at the station.
The inspection process is the same as that used by a fire prevention bureau. An inventory of the station’s cleaning supplies is conducted to ensure that an abundance of materials is not in one station. If an abundance of cleaning supplies or materials such as paper towels is found, the supplies are returned to the logistics office after the inspection.
PMUI MANAGER INSPECTIONS
The hazard communication program is examined in conjunction with tlte inventory of the cleaning supplies. As mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 1910.1200 —Hazard Communication— members using chemicals in the workplace must be provided information concerning their hazards through the use of this program, including container labeling, material safety data sheets, and a membertraining program. Each station maintains a hazard communication notebook with all the required MSDSs applicable to its facility. This program was initiated in February 1986 and has been very successful and beneficial to all department members.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
The final portion of the inspection process involves the performance evaluation. The department has established a list of performance objectives for engine and ladder company operations. Personnel are evaluated on one of these objectives each quarter by their battalion chief and during this inspection process. Several evolutions used by the Virginia Beach Fire Department include:
- donning protective clothing and SCBA.
- pulling and placing into service a TVeinch handline with full protective clothing and SCBA.
- pulling and placing into service l Vr-inch and 2‘/2-inch handlines with full protective clothing and SCBA.
- placing a deck gun in operation 200 feet from the wagon and laying a minimum of 100 feet of supply line.
- placing a ladder pipe in service with at least a 75-foot extension of the ladder.
- required ropes and knots.
The performance is timed and is rated either satisfactory or unsatisfactory according to department standards. Factors considered in the evaluation of these performance standards include safety, correct operation of equipment, correct use of protective clothing and equipment, and correct techniques.
As evaluators, we try to maintain an informal setting within an atmosphere conducive to getting the job done. There are no surprises and no tricks. The program is delivered as written in the department’s standard operating procedures.
This is a very cost-effective program: it costs the department nothing more than the time spent with personnel. It provides the means by which the department adequately can monitor the safety and health of the personnel as well as their job performances. Virginia Beach has greatlybenefited from this program both in terms of reduced costs and liabilities and in the increased safety and welfare of ail personnel.
