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FIRE SERVICE HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS��HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE GOES HOME

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ROB GRIMWOOD

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SAFETY CULTURE

Safety????

Are we really going to spend the next hour talking about safety????

What is the alternative?

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WHO IS THIS GUY?

Deputy Chief – Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services

President – Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs

Management Co-Chair – Ontario Fire Services Health & Safety Advisory (Section 21) Committee

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LET’S TALK

About suicide

About cancer

About modern hazards

About learning lessons

About what a health & safety program should look like in 2025 to be successful

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ANATOMY OF A HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAM

IT USED TO BE SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS AND FIRES, EXPLOSIONS & COLLAPSES…….

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ANATOMY OF A HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAM

  • Now its:
    • Slips, trips & falls
    • Fires, explosions & collapses
    • Sudden medical emergencies
    • Infectious diseases
    • Vehicle/traffic incidents
    • Cancer
    • Traumatic mental stress & suicide

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SUCCESSFUL HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS

  • To be successful, a modern firefighter health & safety program must be:
    • Open to data analysis, analytics & identification of trends
    • Ready to tackle hard to talk about subjects like firefighter suicide
    • Willing to learn from past incidents, near misses and mistakes
    • Proactive and willing to make the effort
    • Willing to challenge the norm and champion a culture change

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MODERN HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS

A successful modern health & safety program is more than just having a health & safety committee and meeting minimum regulatory requirements

Today’s program should incorporate a number of sub-programs and plans within it that focus on specific hazards and prevention strategies

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MODERN HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS

These health & safety plans/programs should be incorporated into a departments training program, operating guidelines and operations

They should be supplemented by firefighter safety & survival training, a strong incident command system and the effective use of an Incident Safety Officer

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MODERN HEALTH & SAFETY PROGRAMS

  • Cancer Prevention Program
  • PTSD & Suicide Prevention Program
  • PPE Selection, Care & Maintenance Program
  • Traffic Safety & Control Program
  • Respiratory Protection Program
  • Fire Ground Rehabilitation Program
  • Infection Prevention & Control Program
  • Hearing Protection Program
  • Firefighter Survival & Rescue Program

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CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM

  • Education/training
  • Self-screening
  • Early detection
  • Exposure reduction
    • Decontamination / Hygiene / Respiratory Protection / PPE Care & Maintenance
  • Exposure reporting/tracking/trending

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PTSD & SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM

  • Education/training
  • Peer support
  • Chaplaincy programs
  • EAP/EFAP programs
  • Therapy animals
  • Access to definitive care
  • Critical incident response guidelines

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PPE SELECTION, CARE & MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Selection and use (training)

Issuing, storing and identifying

Inspecting and maintaining

Decontaminating and cleaning

Repairing, replacing and retiring

Station wear

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TRAFFIC SAFETY & CONTROL PROGRAM

  • Education/training
  • Apparatus design
  • Resource deployment
  • Fend-off/blocking positions
  • Visible advanced warning markers
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Public education

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RESPIRATORY PROTECTION PROGRAM

Education/training

Respirator use

Respirator fit testing

Inspection, care, maintenance

Testing

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HEAT STRESS & REHABILITATION PROGRAM

  • Education/training
  • Resource allocation / rotation / rest
  • Medical monitoring
  • Cooling
  • Hydration (pre/during/post)
  • Heat stress guidelines

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INFECTION PREVENTION & CONTROL PROGRAM

Education/training

Exposure reduction

Exposure reporting

Designated Officer programs

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HEARING PROTECTION PROGRAM

  • Education/training
  • Testing/identification
  • Apparatus design
  • Hearing protection equipment
  • Procedures

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FIREFIGHTER SURVIVAL & RESCUE PROGRAM

  • Mayday training & culture
  • Fire ground survival
  • Firefighter rescue / RIT

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ON SCENE OPERATIONS

  • Crew Integrity/Accountability
  • Incident Safety Officer
  • Patient Care Capability
  • Rapid Intervention
  • Egress Ladders/Options
  • Proper PPE/SCBA Use
  • Collapse Zones

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  • Rehabilitation/Rotation/Medical Monitoring
  • Appropriate Resources/Staffing
  • Situational Awareness (violence)
  • Proper Blocking (roadways)
  • Fall Protection

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TRAINING

  • Building Construction
  • Fire Science & Behaviour
  • Firefighter Survival & Rescue
  • Incident Command

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  • Driving/Apparatus Operations & Placement
  • Working at Heights
  • Specialized (Tech Rescue/Hazmat)

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LEARNING LESSONS

  • Post Incident Analysis
  • Accident/Incident Investigations
  • Best Practices
  • Benchmarking
  • Near Miss Reporting

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ONTARIO FIRE SERVICE

  • Ontario has a population of ~16,000,000 people
  • Ontario has 437 fire departments
  • Ontario has over 30,000 firefighters
    • ~12,000 career
    • ~18,000 volunteer

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QUESTIONS?

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PLEASE REACH OUT

  • Rob Grimwood

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