Wednesday, April 11

All of us have a stake in firefighter safety > General News > Stories > Evergreen > YourHub.com


All of us have a stake in firefighter safety > General News > Stories > Evergreen > YourHub.com
From the article:
On average, a firefighter in America dies in the line-of-duty every 78 hours. Few departments have escaped that horrible trend.

Fire code enforcement, although often misunderstood by the community, is another strategy for reducing the potential for line-of-duty injuries and death. Blocked exit ways can trap customers inside, and prevent firefighters from either finding those trapped customers or escaping an engulfed building in danger of collapsing. Preventing fires outright -- the goal of all firefighters -- reduces the risk faced by firefighters in the first place.

In addition to following the requirements of the fire code, community members can decelerate and switch lanes when approaching emergency scenes on roadways and pull to the right as emergency vehicles approach from behind.

The NFFF has developed 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. To view them, visit www.everyonegoeshome.com or www.evergreenfirerescue.com.

That a firefighter somewhere in America dies every 78 hours is unacceptable. We all have a stake and a role to play in the safety of our firefighters, paramedics and other emergency response personnel.