This chapter discusses key safety concepts for fire department incident safety officers (ISOs). It describes the safety triad of procedures, equipment, and personnel that are necessary for operational safety. Formal written procedures and informal processes are differentiated. The five steps of classic risk management are outlined as hazard identification, evaluation, prioritization, control, and monitoring. The hierarchy of hazard controls aims to eliminate risks through various means. Risk/benefit thinking considers whether risks taken by firefighters are worthwhile given the potential benefits, such as saving lives. ISOs must understand these recognized safety concepts to properly do their job.

1. Fire Department Incident Safety
Officer
Third Edition
Chapter 2 — Safety Concepts

2. ‣ Describe the safety and health practices accepted by the risk-
reduction industry.
‣ Identify management principles needed to promote safety in
the response environment.
‣ List the three components of the safety triad for the
operational environment.
‣ Differentiate formal and informal processes as well as
procedures and guidelines.
‣ List the qualities of a well-written procedure or guideline.
Knowledge Objectives (1 of 2)

3. ‣ Discuss the external influences on safety equipment design
and purchase.
‣ List and discuss the three factors that contribute to a person’s
ability to act safely.
‣ Define risk management.
‣ Identify and explain the five steps of classic risk management.
‣ Describe the hierarchy of controls used to reduce accidents
and injuries.
Knowledge Objectives (2 of 2)

4. ‣ Many fire officers would prefer to skip the theory
‣ ISOs must be well-grounded in recognized safety concepts
– Safety triad
– Five-step risk management model
– Risk/benefit thinking
Introduction: Theory Versus Reality

5. ‣ Creating a safe operational environment is dependent on
three components: procedures, equipment, and personnel
The Operational Safety Triad
Courtesy of David Dodson
Courtesy of David Dodson Courtesy of David Dodson

6. The Operational Safety Triad: Procedures
(1 of 4)
‣ Formal (written) process
‣ Defined in writing and can take on many forms:
‣ Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
‣ Standard operating guidelines (SOGs)
‣ Departmental directives
‣ Temporary memorandums
‣ Some fire departments recognize both procedures
and guidelines

7. ‣ Informal process
– Operation or process that is part of the department’s
routine but that is not written
– Typically learned through new member training, on-the-job
training, and day-to-day routine
The Operational Safety Triad: Procedures
(2 of 4)

8. ‣ Writing SOPs
– Perform a needs
assessment and flag areas
in which firefighters and
officers need guidance
– Look at external influences
The Operational Safety Triad: Procedures
(3 of 4)

9. The Operational Safety Triad: Procedures
(4 of 4)
‣ Qualities of a good SOP
– Simple language and clear direction
– Tested technique and easy interpretation
– Applicability to many scenarios
– Specificity only in relation to critical or life-endangering
points

10. The Operational Safety Triad: Equipment
(1 of 2)
‣ Department mission
‣ Scope of offered services
‣ Equipment necessary
‣ External influences
‣ Look at required equipment
‣ Equipment maintenance
‣ Complete documentation of repairs and maintenance is
essential

11. ‣ Seven items to consider when writing equipment guidelines:
‣ Selection
‣ Use
‣ Cleaning and decontamination
‣ Storage
‣ Inspection
‣ Repairs
‣ Criteria for retirement
The Operational Safety Triad: Equipment
(2 of 2)

12. The Operational Safety Triad: Personnel
(1 of 4)
‣ Training
‣ Specific qualities should be present in the training
‣ Clear objectives
‣ Applicability to incident handling
‣ Established proficiency level
‣ Identification of potential hazards
‣ Definition of the acceptable risk to be taken
‣ List of options, should something go wrong
‣ Accountability to act as trained

13. ‣ Training
‣ The training program must
include the right subjects
‣ Training vs. education
The Operational Safety Triad: Personnel
(2 of 4)

14. ‣ Health
‣ Safety and well-being of firefighters are enhanced when they
improve their overall health
‣ Physical health
‣ Annual health screening, vaccination and immunization
offerings, fitness, education, rehabilitation
‣ Mental health
‣ Training firefighters to recognize incident stress signs and
symptoms; professional and peer outreach options,
including for firefighters’ families; accessing local and
national resources
The Operational Safety Triad: Personnel
(3 of 4)

15. ‣ Attitude factors
‣ Safety culture
‣ Death and injury history
‣ Example set by chiefs, line officers, and veteran
firefighters
The Operational Safety Triad: Personnel
(4 of 4)

16. Five-Step Risk Management (1 of 7)
‣ Risk management is the
process of minimizing the
chance, degree, or
probability of damage,
injury, or loss.

17. ‣ Step 1: Hazard identification
‣ Identifying hazards
‣ Primary function of an ISO
‣ Real-time process
‣ Spot current and evolving hazards
‣ Loss history
‣ Spot trends
‣ Identify hazards
Five-Step Risk Management (2 of 7)

18. ‣ Step 2: Hazard evaluation
‣ Value is established
‣ Frequency (probability: high, medium, low)
‣ Severity (harmful consequence or cost)
‣ Risk matrix can be plotted
‣ Judgments
‣ Training
‣ Education
‣ Intuition
Five-Step Risk Management (3 of 7)

19. ‣ Step 3: Hazard prioritization
‣ Divide the matrix into three
hazard classes
‣ The ISO must address
Priority 1 hazards
‣ Some Priority 3 items may
not get addressed
Five-Step Risk Management (4 of 7)

20. ‣ Step 4: Hazard control
‣ Overall strategy is called mitigation
‣ Design
‣ Guard
‣ Warn
‣ Complex hierarchy
‣ Eliminate through design
‣ Substitute
‣ Isolate
‣ Adopt engineered controls
‣ Apply administrative controls
Five-Step Risk Management (5 of 7)

21. ‣ Step 4: Hazard control (cont.)
‣ Countermeasures are actions used for mitigation
‣ Hazard reduction
‣ The fire service mitigation hierarchy
‣ Elimination
‣ Reduction
‣ Adaption
‣ Transfer
‣ Avoidance
Five-Step Risk Management (6 of 7)

22. ‣ Step 5: Hazard monitoring
‣ Changes in equipment, staffing, and procedures:
‣ Create hazards
‣ Alter hazards
‣ Eliminate hazards
‣ The ISO is always monitoring hazards
‣ Cyclic thinking
‣ Fire is dynamic
Five-Step Risk Management (7 of 7)

23. Risk/Benefit Thinking
‣ Weakness of the five-step model
‣ No provisions for acceptable risk-taking
‣ Simple question
‣ Are the risks being taken by firefighters (hazard
exposure) worth the benefit that can be gained (such
as saving another human)?