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Former Seattle Fire Chief Chronicles Circumstances of Firefighter Fatalities

May 13, 2005

According to Chief Gary P. Morris, former fire chief for the Seattle Fire Department and retired after 30 years with the Phoenix Fire Department as an assistant chief, over the past several years, NFPA firefighter fatality reports have identified that 10%-12% of annual deaths occurred during training, a situation he decries as intolerable. Morris is in a position to know because he is the immediate past chair of the IAFC Safety Committee.

Morris cited numerous cases where criminal and civil liabilities attached in negligent training incidents. In one fire department where a firefighter died in a live-fire training exercise, the assistant chief was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 75 days in jail and five years of probation. This was based at least in part on a failure to comply with NFPA 1403. In another case, a recruit was critically injured after falling from a 35-foot ground ladder during a training exercise. The investigation revealed that the firefighter had become severely dehydrated from training in hot weather while wearing full bunker gear for a long period. The recruit simply passed out on the ladder and fell to the pavement. The investigation identified the lack of a proper rehab function for hot weather. In this case, the fire department was fined $25,000 by the state's occupational safety and health agency, and the firefighter was awarded $1.8 million in a civil suit.

The causes of these deaths vary, from falls and vehicle accidents to medical events and live-fire tragedies. Morris feels that "while the profession has to accept a certain level of risk on the fireground, we have an absolute responsibility as fire chiefs to ensure that all training activities are conducted safely. We also must be certain that any potential hazards on our training grounds are mitigated effectively."

Recent events involving recruit firefighters in training with metropolitan fire departments that "surely had the resources and experience to carefully evaluate their training programs before such tragedies occurred," Morris said, included one fatality and another critical injury. He notes that these events "again remind us of how utterly preventable these events can be."

According to Morris, in one case the fire department was conducting a "Hell Night" where instructors put the recruits through an eight-hour series of aggressive, non-stop training exercises. During the October evening, seven recruits were transported to hospitals suffering from dehydration. One was admitted in critical condition and remained in a coma for several weeks. According to newspaper accounts, the exercises included a one-mile run in full bunker gear while wearing SCBA. By most definitions this event, in Morris' estimation, "would be called nothing short of hazing."

In another case, a recruit firefighter died during a live-fire exercise after becoming disoriented in a simulated ship's hold. Newspaper accounts indicated that instructors were unaware the victim was in trouble or missing. According to the local newspaper, the fire chief had received an anonymous complaint letter two months prior to the death stating "the recruits are constantly mentally and physically abused" by their training officers.

Morris hopes that both of these cases will be investigated in great detail and thinks they will probably result in litigation, or perhaps criminal charges. Morris identified some basic principles and individual responsibilities that the fire chief and all officers of a fire department must undertake to prevent death and injury to firefighters.

First, he notes that "the fire chief establishes the proper safety culture in the fire department, determining how safe the organization will be. The fire chief must implement policies and establish standard operating procedures related to safety, as well as hold members of the department accountable for violations of safety rules and practices. All training programs must be reviewed to ensure that proper practices are being taught, reinforced and followed." Next, training academies and recruit-training programs have a history of creating their own cultures. Left without oversight and guidance by organizational policies and proper procedures, the recruit-training program can easily evolve into rites of passage, unsafe practices and other abuses of new firefighters. Morris calls on fire chiefs to "undertake a thorough review of the entire curriculum based on safety standards, policies and practices. The training staff needs to understand that hazing, horseplay or rite-of-passage ritual activities are strictly forbidden and will result in substantial disciplinary consequences."

Morris identified that the objective for training officers who manage recruits "is to teach the recruits how to work safely, not push them to the point of injury." He says that fire chiefs also must keep an eye on training officers who manage recruits with an "autocratic, military style, as that can lead to verbal and physical abuse of trainees, along with unsafe training practices. Intimidation is not appropriate for the drill yard or classroom environment." The fire chief "must ensure proper balance and fair treatment of recruits." In addition to the culture of recruit training, standards apply as well. All training should be conducted in compliance with NFPA standards and other recognized professionally established guidelines. Morris cites NFPA 1582, Comprehensive Occupational Medical Programs for Fire Departments, which should always be applied when selecting firefighters to identify hidden medical problems. The IAFC/IAFF Wellness-Fitness Initiative CPAT exam also should be used as part of the hiring process. The NFPA standard for live-fire training evolutions, NFPA 1403, must always be applied for that high-risk training. Standard operating procedures are also an essential component for creating a training culture based on proper safety practices. Procedures, Morris says, provide the clarity and foundation for how recruit training, as well as all department-wide training, will be conducted. For recruit training, procedures should clearly define how the recruits will be tested, evaluated, disciplined, and ultimately graduated or terminated. They should describe the proper and fair treatment of recruits and must specifically prohibit abusive conduct, rituals or hazing.

Safety procedures must be systematically applied to all training activities. They should identify all exercises considered high-risk or conducted in a potentially hazardous environment that require a safety officer to be present. Procedures also must require at least one training officer to be the designated safety officer for all other training activities. Procedures also must require an effective rehab operation for all outdoor training.

Morris stated that a qualified and designated safety officer must "always be on scene for all live-fire training to ensure compliance with safety standards." The designated safety officer must check and confirm that all equipment, such as power saws and outriggers, and support mechanisms, such as rope anchors or RITS, are working properly and are in place. The same requirement of the presence of a safety officer applies to any other training that involves known hazards, such as above-ground rope training or aerial ladder training.

Morris said that one "essential component" of a safe culture is a procedure that allows any firefighter to say no to an unsafe practice or situation, without retribution. Should a recruit or any other firefighter raise a concern about a safety issue, the training officers must stop the activity, evaluate it and then decide on the safest course of action. In particular, training conducted in adverse weather can be considered high-risk. This is particularly applicable to training in hot and humid weather, but also applies to cold or wet weather operations.

Morris identified how to prepare for extreme conditions in training. For training in hot weather, the department must have an established procedure that identifies the restrictions that apply and the rehab function that must be provided. These procedures should limit the type of outdoor training that can be conducted, based on daytime temperatures and the heat index. As the weather heats up, restrictions should begin. For the first level of restriction, outdoor training may be permitted without full bunker gear - wearing helmet, gloves and boots only - for exercises that don't involve live fire or similar hazards.

Training in the morning hours can reduce the heat risk but may still require restrictions. Even modest warmth in the morning can create risks to firefighters engaged in heavy physical training. At some point, based on rising temperatures and the increasing heat index, all outdoor training should cease. Based on the heat index and the type of physical training being conducted, a limit should be applied to the continuous time a firefighter can engage in training before a required break and rehab. The hotter the weather, or the more intense the physical activity, the shorter the period before rehab must be conducted.

Ultimately, recruits are responsible for complying with all legitimate training and instruction. This includes complying with all safety policies, procedures and practices. To remain safe, students must also advise an instructor of any evolving health concerns or injuries. They should clearly understand the policy that authorizes saying no to any unsafe practices, conditions or abusive behavior by instructors. The students must understand that they are responsible for learning and progressing to success. Failure to learn, which includes learning how to be safe, is cause for corrective action, including termination. The proper rehabilitation of firefighters in training is just as important as when operating at a fire. The same rehab procedures should be followed for training and actual emergency operations, especially during hot weather. The rehab function in training must be structured. Following each training period, firefighters should be sent to a rehab area for fluids, cool down, rest and medical evaluation before resuming training. One training officer must be designated to supervise rehab. Evaluation should follow medically recognized rehab guidelines based on adequate hydration, pulse rates, blood pressure and body temperature.

One of the most important principles of safety, Morris said, is that any accidents or injuries that occur during training must be reported and then investigated by the fire department safety officer. The fire chief will be responsible for holding accountable any officer or member who's involved in any safety violations, and appropriate corrective action should follow.