Ch 20 Safety and Occupational Health

Question 1

Concerning control measures, these consist of standard operating guidelines/procedures, training requirements, safe practices, rules and regulations, fire compliance, inspections, industry standards, and best practices

Answer 1

Administrative Controls

Question 2

Concerning control measures these are what is needed to reduce risk and increase safety - for example apparatus, design, building construction (codes), thermal imaging and active and passive fire protection systems

Answer 2

Engineering controls

Question 3

Concerning control measures, these come in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE) and is what Firefighters more closely relate to

Answer 3

Personal protection controls

Question 4

If _______ and ______ controls are in place the need for _____ lessens, and it is more or less a last resort

Answer 4

Administrative and engineering

Personal protection controls

Question 5

____ are perhaps one of the more important, yet LEAST UNDERSTOOD, components of an occupational safety and health program

Answer 5

Risk management plans

Question 6

This NFPA standard provides minimum criteria for developing, implementing, and evaluating a departments risk management plan

Answer 6

NFPA 1250 Recommended Practices in Emergency Services Organization Risk Management

Question 7

Every department member should know and understand the safety culture and be held accountable for it. ______ is the key to the success of any program.

Answer 7

Accountability at all levels.

Question 8

Three levels of control measures

Answer 8

• Administrative controls
• Engineering controls
• Personal protection controls (FF’s
  most closely relate to)

AEP

Question 9

ICs must realize that their overall strategy involves the ____of their firefighters at the same priority level as the _____ of their customers

Answer 9

Safety

Question 10

The officer may choose to go offensive or defensive or may choose to pull a certain initial attack line. Entry is a large part of initial tactics. Entry depends on ____ (4)

Answer 10

• The amount of fire
• It’s location
• It’s possible path of travel
• If people are trapped in the building

Question 11

5 steps in the classic Risk Management model:

Answer 11

1) Identify the risk
2) Evaluate the risk (frequency/
severity)
3) establish Priorities (ratings)
4) determine risk Control techniques
(ACT)
5) Monitor the program

IEPCM

Question 12

You first consideration, when establishing priorities is to:

Answer 12

Look at the risk’s frequency/severity readings

(Difficult risks to prioritize: low/high and high/low)

Question 13

Three risk control techniques (iepCm)

Answer 13

• Risk avoidance
• Risk control
• Risk transfer

Have to ACT to control risk

Question 14

_____ % of fire service LODDs are from vehicle accidents

Answer 14

20-25 %

Question 15

Approximately _____ % of LODDs occur on the fireground from incidents of trauma

Answer 15

25%

Question 16

_____% of our service LODDs that have occurred over the past 30 years were due to stress, leading to cardiac event, strokes or similar causes

Answer 16

50%

Question 17

Ways local governments can adopt NFPA standards? (3)

Answer 17

• objectives within a standard
• individual standard
• all of them at same time

Question 18

Ways a fire service members can participate in the NFPA standard making process (3)

Answer 18

• Volunteer to serve on a technical committee
• Submit a proposal for a new project
• Participate in the final approval process

Question 19

Firefighting is risky work, and firefighters are often thrust into high risk situations; however, having _____ and knowing ____ are critical to the longevity and survival of the American firefighter.

Answer 19

• A good risk management plan
• Where the lines may be drawn

Question 20

Three-phase process to evaluate risk (firefighting)

Answer 20

• IDENTIFY what risks are inherent
• EVALUATE the risks in terms of how
  often and how bad the
  consequences could be
• CONTROL the risks through a good
  risk management program

IEC

Question 21

ICs must realize that their overall strategy involves the safety of ____ at the same priority level as the safety of _____.

Answer 21

• their firefighters
• their customers

Question 22

This NFPA standard requires the development of a separate risk management plan for a fire department

Answer 22

NFPA 1500

Question 23

A risk can be defined as ____.

Answer 23

Any chance of loss occurring

Question 24

When discussing Step 2 of the classic Risk Management model, “Evaluate the risk”, several factors are used to estimate severity and they are? CIT

Answer 24

• direct and indirect COSTS associated
  with the loss
• The IMPACT to the organization
• TIME and resources required to
  rectify the loss to its former status

Question 25

A large part of the job of the fire chief is to ensure that the people in the field doing the work have what they need to get the job done with ____ outcomes, with _____ injuries, and ____ line of duty deaths.

Answer 25

- Successful - Limited - Zero

Question 26

It is interesting to note that the Firescope field operations guide of January 2001 notes the following as “common denominators” of fire behavior on tragedy fires.

Answer 26

- Most incidents happen on smaller fires or on isolated portions of larger fires - Most fires are innocent in appearance before the flareups or blowups - Flareups generally occur in deceptively light fuels - Fire runs uphill surprisingly fast in chimneys, gullies, and steep hills - Suppression tools, such as helicopters or air tankers, can adversely affect fire behavior

Question 27

The keys to safe operations at technical rescues are what three things?

Answer 27

- Knowledge - Skills - Abilities

Question 28

_____ who are trained and well-versed into rescue will make the best rescue branch Directors

Answer 28

Field operations personnel

Question 29

Chief officers need to have a ____ of technical rescue in order to be effective incident commanders at incident such as these.

Answer 29

Working knowledge of concepts of operations

Question 30

The only way to protect Firefighters on the roads, highways and byways is ____.

Answer 30

Convince them that the general traffic pattern is designed to kill them

Question 31

From ESRI‘s sample SOGs and SOP’s for safe roadside operations, note the following basics that they offer for an on scene officer:

Answer 31

- Request additional police assistance - Establish more than advance warning. Remember that cones; they don’t block - Consider a spotter upstream - Use LADDER for upstream block on highways; block additional lane, block shoulder, 150 FEET upstream and start cones.

Question 32

Personnel must be reminded that protecting themselves from bodily fluids is as important as ____

Answer 32

- Blocking two lanes on a highway - The only difference is that the impact will be slower and take more time.

Question 33

Often times, a new firefighter or the oldest officer is chosen for the Safety Officer. This is a mistake. It should be the ___ who has the ___ and who can ___on the fireground.

Answer 33

- The most knowledgeable seasoned person - Most experience - Act and react

Question 34

NFPA 1561, the standard for ISO‘s, notes some key functions as follows:

Answer 34

- Has the authority to suspend alter or terminate unsafe acts, or hazardous activities - Must make the IC aware of needs - Monitors the scene and reports conditions and assessment to the IC - Must be aware of traffic zones, collapse zones, access, and egress

Question 35

In many instances, the Safety Officer also takes on the role of ______ as well. This can rarely work.

Answer 35

Accountability officer

Question 36

At a minimum, one member of each team must have a radio. The obvious advantage of all members having communications is when a team member _______. _____ on the scene of an emergency is critical to operational safety and lends itself to the very basic structure of command, control, coordination, and incident management.

Answer 36

- gets separated, or lost - connecting all personnel

Question 37

These two capabilities allows for the communication systems to work the way it was intended

Answer 37

- Numbers of channels - Staffing

Question 38

Managing a mayday or a firefighter rescue is different from other rescues because of the raw emotion of the onscene personnel. To this end, ______ (C.I.C) must learn how to manage this type of incident so it doesn’t escalate to a larger incident.

Answer 38

- Chiefs - Incident commanders - Company officers

Question 39

Concerning saving our own, some say that our firefighters are becoming dependent on the system, knowing they going further and deeper, and perhaps getting in trouble because they know in the back of their mind that someone will come and get them. This is a ____ and ____ issue that needs to be addressed at the ____ level.

Answer 39

- management and training - department

Question 40

Things can go rapidly out of control when a mayday call is made. ____ along with ___ is of paramount importance when an incident such as this occurs.

Answer 40

- Command and control - Fireground discipline

Question 41

As the everyone goes home program launched in 2004, the goals of the program aligned with the goals of the US fire administration at the time: - Reduce preventable firefighter fatalities by 25% in ___ years - Reduce preventable firefighter fatalities by 50% in ___ years

Answer 41

- 25% - 5 years - 50% - 10 years

Question 42

For Courage to Be Safe/Everyone Goes Home, there is a chief self assessment, departmental assessment and then the next step is to _____.

Answer 42

- Evaluate the staff, officers, line officers and firefighters.

Question 43

Once the staff officers, line officers, and firefighters have been evaluated in the assessment for Courage to Be Safe/Everyone Goes Home, these individuals will then be the basis for a _____. Their first task will be to perform a ______ analysis or perhaps a ___ analysis is in order.

Answer 43

- Safety committee - gap - SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

Question 44

Over the past 25 years, statistics from the US Fire Administration report an average of ____ firefighters killed during training each year in the United States, and many more injured.

Answer 44

10

Question 45

Firefighters have gotten seriously injured or killed at training doing things other than live burn evolutions. Some of these are apparatus and equipment, drills, physical, fitness activities, underwater, and dive training, or in classes and seminars. Every lesson plan needs to have a ____

Answer 45

Safety element in it

Question 46

Comprehensive occupational safety health programs are used as a means to address the hazardous nature of the fire service. There are several factors that motivate or influence the development of such programs such as: (4)

Answer 46

- Chiefs believe that protecting their employees is simply the MORALLY right thing to do - The potential for LEGAL issues to arise, such as negligence and liability - FINANCIAL reasons have also motivated the development of occupational health and safety programs (expensive) - REGULATIONS also drive safety programs

Question 47

What are the steps taken when developing a department occupational safety and health program? (4) (CPIR)

Answer 47

1) detailed comparison between identified requirements and existing practices 2) prioritize those areas were compliance is required 3) implementation plan for noncompliance areas 4) reviewed and then approved or adopted

Question 48

What are the two key elements in the development of an occupational safety and health program? (P’s)

Answer 48

- Preparation - Planning

Question 49

When administering an occupational safety and health program, although the fire chief bears the ultimate responsibility for the program, this person should be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the program?

Answer 49

Health and Safety Officer (HSO)

Question 50

Who should actively assist the HSO with the day-to-day administration of the department’s occupational safety and health program?

Answer 50

Health and Safety Committee (HSC)

Question 51

When determining specific components of an occupational safety and health program, the question “what does an occupational safety and health program look like” is not as important as what corresponding question?

Answer 51

“What should be included in the program?”

Question 52

This individual is tasked with developing the fundamental groundwork of the fire department health and safety program, most of which would be based on NFPA 1500

Answer 52

Health and Safety Officer (HSO)

Question 53

In essence, this person becomes the risk manager for the fire department. They look at emergency operations or the risks are how to manage the risks and use various tools to do so such as pre-plans SOP’s/SOG’s, the departments management plan and the training program

Answer 53

Health and Safety Officer (HSO)

Question 54

Parameters of OSHA

Answer 54

- Carries weight of law - 29 CFR 1901 and 1910 - OSHA regulations for private sector employers - OSHA regulations apply to fire departments were an employer- employee relationship can be established

Question 55

The Occupational Safety and Health Act established two important agencies, which are?

Answer 55

- NIOSH - OSHA

Question 56

The mission of this agency is to generate new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health, and to transfer that knowledge into practice for the betterment of workers

Answer 56

NIOSH (knowledge)

Question 57

The mission of this agency is to prevent work related injuries, illnesses, and deaths

Answer 57

OSHA

Question 58

The mission of this association is to reduce the burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life, accomplishing this mission through the development of codes and standards, research, and education

Answer 58

NFPA

Question 59

Any existing national safety standard developed from a consensus system, such as the NFPA, can be introduced in court to establish what?

Answer 59

“Reasonable behavior”

Question 60

Although anyone can volunteer to serve, NFPA regulations prevent any one special interest group from holding more than ____ of any committee member membership

Answer 60

1/3

Question 61

This organization is the primary advocate for providing firefighters and paramedics with the tools they need to perform their jobs

Answer 61

IAFF

Question 62

Opinions on firefighter safety vary throughout the fire; however, major national fire service organizations have all agreed that too many firefighters are still killed or injured every year. Training fire service veterans to improve their work performance will be difficult. As discussed here and in the fire service at large, ____ is the toughest task of all.

Answer 62

Changing the culture

Question 63

It’s the ___ job to ensure that the crew is doing everything they can to bring all members home after every call and ___ is key.

Answer 63

- Fire Chief - Setting the example

Question 64

What are the main preventable causes of fire service line of duty deaths over the past 30 years? (4)

Answer 64

- Heart attacks - Strokes - Vehicle accident - Trauma

Question 65

The real issue of health and safety is that it has to be a total package of culture change, starting with what?

Answer 65

Organizational values and beliefs

Question 66

Every department member should know and understand the safety culture and be held accountable for it. Accountability at all levels is the ____?

Answer 66

Key to the success of any program

Question 67

The decisions made on arrival are key to successful outcomes. It has been said that the first ____ determine the next five hours at a fire

Answer 67

Five minutes

Question 68

What does NIOSH continue to cite as a contributing factor in traumatic fire ground line of duty deaths?

Answer 68

Lack of command and control

Question 69

The fire chief needs to keep up on technology, know what the new tools look like, go to school, and discuss things with personnel but ____

Answer 69

Keep his or her hands off the line

Question 70

For a chief to effectively manage the courage to be safe/everyone goes home program, two things are required

Answer 70

- Self-assessment - Departmental assessment