1. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System Lessons Learned From www.firefighternearmiss.com International Fire and EMS Safety Stand Down 2007

2. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Objectives Discuss early findings from reports submitted to www.firefighternearmiss.com. www.firefighternearmiss.com Review first hand accounts of near misses. Raise awareness of the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System among firefighters and other emergency service responders. Solicit input from the emergency services community on how a near-miss reporting system can be more responsive to their needs.

3. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Injuries 1996-2005

4. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Perplexing Fact Firefighter death and injury rate has been relatively stagnant for over 20 years despite improvements in PPE, technology, training and investigation reporting.

5. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Better protection, aggressive tactics, lighter weight construction and improved handling capabilities of heavy apparatus are putting firefighters at greater risk. Non-fatal firefighter injuries and prevention efforts cost anywhere from $2.8 billion to $7.8 billion per year. (NIST Report on Consequences of Fire Fighter Injuries - 2005) Reasons & Costs

6. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV 300 Reasons to Study Near Misses 1 Serious Accident 15 Major Accidents 300 Near Misses 15,000 Observed Worker Errors 1 Opportunity to learn Opportunity to learn 300 Opportunities to learn Based on H. W. Heinrichs Pyramid of Injury (1930)

7. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV 10,000 More Reasons 1 Fatality Industrial Fatality Pyramid 10 Career Ending Injuries 100 Recordable Injuries 1000 Minor Injuries 100,000 Hazardous Situations 10,000 Near Misses

8. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Why Share Near-Miss Experiences? Capitalize on kitchen table learning tradition Value in mentoring Identify patterns in injury-producing behaviors

9. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Near Miss/Close Call Your definition? Experienced one? What happened? Classify –Life Threatening? –Lost Time? –Property Damage? Photo Collage by Wayne Wiggans

10. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV www.firefighternearmiss.com Funded by U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and Firemans Fund Insurance Company. 1200+ reports to date. 48 states plus Canada are submitting reports.

11. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Overview Voluntary Confidential Non-punitive Secure Web based Free

12. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Program Goals Prevent injuries and protect firefighters lives Collect information/data Assist in formulating strategies to reduce firefighter injuries and fatalities Institutionalize concept that errors are an inherent part of human behavior Foster a safety-focused culture

13. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV All Hazards Reporting System No statute of limitations on reporting. Reports reviewed and coded by fire service professionals.

14. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Definition of a Near Miss Unintentional, unsafe occurrence. Could have resulted in an injury, fatality or property damage. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevents an injury, fatality or property damage.

15. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV What is being done with the collected information? Officers are using the reports in drills. Training academies are incorporating near-miss reports in building curriculum. Fire service associations and publications using reports as part of improved emphasis on member safety. Analysis beginning to determine if any patterns are evident that could lead to new/improved training techniques. Equipment failures are being documented and investigated to identify if failure is product failure or human error.

16. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV In fire departments… Virginia Beach Company Level Training Prince William County Recruit School Fairfax County Safety Officer Officer Training Los Angeles County Fire Department Recruit School Savannah Fire & Emergency Services Company Officer Development School McCall Fire Rescue (FL) Re-writing SOPs Montgomery County Fire & Rescue (MD) Safety Officer Program

17. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV When Things Go Wrong... How It Is Now...How It Should Be... You are humanYou are highly trained and If you did as trained, you would not make mistakes Humans make mistakes so You werent careful enough Lets also explore why the system allowed, or failed to accommodate your mistake so You should be PUNISHED!Lets IMPROVE THE SYSTEM! and so and

18. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV Report of the Week Weekly email containing featured report & follow-up questions. Provides ready-made drill. 3,800 recipients 40,000+ forwards To receive a Report of the Week via e-mail, please e-mail nearmiss@iafc.org with the word Subscribe-SD07 in the subject line. nearmiss@iafc.org

19. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV What can Near Miss do for you? Provide case studies to enhance learning at station level. Provide data to enhance curriculum development at regional academy. Serve as a research site for firefighters to use as a resource. De-stigmatize error. Improve safety and performance.

20. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV What can you do for Near Miss? Endorse site for members to visit. Subscribe to ROTW. Add www.firefighternearmiss.com to favorites on personal and office computer.www.firefighternearmiss.com Add www.firefighternearmiss.com to department computers.www.firefighternearmiss.com Endorse the system as a valuable training tool. Encourage members to submit reports and use the system.

21. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV This project is funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Securitys Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. Firemans Fund Insurance Company provided start up funds to launch the program. The project is supported by Chief Billy Goldfeder of FirefighterCloseCalls.com in mutual dedication for firefighter safety and survival.

22. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV The project is administered by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) in consultation with the National Fire Fighter Near- Miss Reporting System Task Force. The project is endorsed by IAFC, International Association of Fire Fighters, the Volunteer & Combination Officers Section of the IAFC and the Fire Department Safety Officers Association.

23. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV If we continue on the current LODD/injury path, the fire service will experience 1000 fatalities and 1,000,000 injuries in the next ten years. If not now, when? If not us, who? Trend

24. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV For more information Visit www.firefighternearmiss.comwww.firefighternearmiss.com –Read the FAQ section. –Use the Contact Us on the Home Page Call the Near-Miss Office Project Managers –Amy Hultman, 703-537-4848 –John Tippett, 703-537-4852

25. IAFF Instructor Development Conference October 1-4, 2006 Las Vegas, NV QUESTIONS?