Every firefighter should have the ability to act as a “crew safety officer” for their partners and other crew members at incidents. In a limited manpower situation, a formal safety officer may not be available so you must rely on each other to watch out for hazards and to monitor the effects of your actions on the incident.
True “brotherhood” means that we watch out for each other all the time and don’t let each other do things that could hurt or kill them. Experience and training help prepare you for this challenge and better hazard recognition must be a part of every firefighters continuing education. Review these sample situations that have caused firefighter injuries and deaths and identify methods of monitoring the safety of the crew during the operation.
Download this week’s firefighter training drill as a PDFHERE.
Forest Reeder began his fire service career in 1979. He currently serves as Battalion Chief / Director of Training & Safety with the Pleasantview (IL) Fire Protection District (www.plvw.org),是西南联合国培训主任ited Fire Districts (www.sufd.org). In these capacities, he is responsible for the design, implementation and coordination of in-service training activities as well as a full-service fire training academy program. Forest holds numerous Illinois fire service certifications and holds a Masters Degree in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University.
