Emergency Vehicle Operations Unit I It Can’t Happen Here…..Can It? 1 Dave Denniston Loss Control Training Specialist

Emergency Vehicle Operations Unit 1 Objective: The apparatus operator will be able to describe and list the causes of emergency vehicle accidents. 2

Emergency Vehicle Operations 3 Total LODD vs. Responding/Returning SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF LODD

USFA Report Motor vehicle collisions accounted for of all emergency related LODD’s 34%

Emergency Vehicle Operations Highlights from 2004  Three (3) firefighters were killed when fire apparatus backed over them  Four (4) firefighters were killed in falls from fire department vehicles.  Seven (7) deaths involved the crash of the firefighter's personal vehicle 5

Occupational Fatality Rate Per 100,000 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Line of Duty Death By Duty USF A

Arrive Safely…Save Lives Over 15,000 Fire Apparatus Accidents/Yr. 26% Increase Over 15 Years

Number of Fire Responses

Arrive Safely…Save Lives 2 nd Leading Cause of LODD > 1,000 Firefighter Injuries/Yr.

Arrive Safely…Save Lives #1 Cause of Legal Actions Against Fire Departments

Arrive Safely…Save Lives #1 Cause of Criminal Actions Against Firefighters

Arrive Safely…Save Lives Matt Schumann, Fairfield, OH. Killed a 73 year old woman. Guilty of vehicular manslaughter. 90 days in jail, 2 yrs. Probation, $750 fine, license suspended, 250 hours community service

Arrive Safely…Save Lives ESIP Cory Carlton, Traverse City, MI. Killed a 28 year old woman and her 11 month old child. 2 counts of criminally negligent homicide. Lawsuit settled for over $2.2 Million

Fire Truck Kills Motorist

Why 25% per Year? 16

Emergency Vehicle Operations Intersection Accident Details Type of Response Warning Devices Percent  EmergencyLights/Siren 68 %  EmergencyLights Only 8 %  EmergencyNeither2 %  EmergencyUnknown1 % 17

Causes of Accidents Improper Backing  Accounts for large portion of all EV accidents.  Most Avoidable accident we have  Easiest to prevent 18

Causes of Accidents Urban/Suburban  Intersections  Racing  Inattention  Traffic Control Devices  Technology 19

Causes of Accidents Rural  Loss of Vehicle Control  Highway Design/Geometry  Speed  Apparatus Size 20

Causes of Accidents Tanker/Tender Accidents  38 Fatal Incidents  31 Operators/11 Pass.  25 wheels left the road  21 Excessive Speed  Over Correction  No Seat Belts 31 of 42 deaths 21

Causes of Accidents A Different Animal  Weight  1,000 Gals. = 4 Tons  Center of Gravity  Design  Surge  Operator Experience? 22

Causes of Accidents Additional Factors  Highway Geometry  Road Conditions  Level of Training 23

Causes of Accidents Special Considerations  Railroad Grade Crossings  Driver error 24

Causes of Accidents Limited Access Highways  Traffic Volume  High Speed  Traffic Control  Access 25

Merging & Lane Changing 26 ECISION: Decide where you want to go. NTENT: signal your intention. HECK: your mirrors, lean in your seat to reduce the blind spot. XECUTE: make gradual lane changes and merges. Avoid rocking of the vehicle. D I C E

27 2.As the driver of the fire apparatus, what issues are you concerned with while merging? B.Check your left mirror, increase speed to overtake Black Suburban, and abruptly move to the left. C.Check your left mirror, signal your intension, identify that the silver car is traveling too fast and stop on the merge ramp until it’s safe to proceed. A.Check your left mirror, signal your intension, ensure your speed matches the flow of traffic, gradually merge into traffic.

28 Decision: decide which way you want to go. Intent: signal your intention, let others know what you are about to do. Check: check your mirrors, lean forward in your seat to reduce the blind spot. Execute: make your merge a gradual one, do not perform maneuvers that cause excessive swaying of the apparatus.

Causes of Accidents Volunteer Issue  Speed  Disregard for Traffic Control  North Carolina  80 MPH 29

Causes of Accidents POV  Not an emergency response  Green lights  8 LODD’s in

Causes of Accidents  Driver Error  Inattention  Fatigue  Distraction  Environment  Inexperience 31

Causes of Accidents Intersections  Traffic Volume  Right of Way  Traffic Control Device  Siren Use  Pedestrians  Dangers of Crosswalks 32

Emergency Vehicle Operations Impact of Vehicle Accidents  Personnel Injury or Death to Emergency Responders  Peripheral Injury or Death to Others  Vehicle and Equipment Loss  Long Term Impact  What action may have prevented the incident 33

Causes of Accidents Turnabouts U-Turns Two-Point turns Three- Point turns 34

Emergency Vehicle Operations Case History  Chicago Fire Department  Lieutenant L. C. Merrell  43 years old with a wife and five children  Assigned to Truck 24 35

Emergency Vehicle Operations  1982 Seagraves 100 foot straight, rear mount ladder  1150 hours, responding to automatic alarm in a residence  Responding with red lights and siren activated  Weather was clear and the roadway dry  Approached a four way stop intersection and did a “rolling stop” 36

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Emergency Vehicle Operations Summary- The 4 Questions t responding to a True  Was the unit responding to a True Emergency?  Did the driver exercise due regard for the safety of others?  Did the driver violate any local or state laws or recognized standards?  What action may have prevented the incident 39

Emergency Vehicle Operations Review Unit I Objective: The apparatus operator will be able to describe and list the causes of emergency vehicle accidents 40