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Firefighter Safety / Line of Duty Death prevention through honor and lessons learned
Imagine for a moment if there was a single location on the internet where fire academy students, firefighters, company supervisors and training officers could visit to always easily find the lessons learned from Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) incidents from all across the country. This site does not provide links to the information...this site contains the information in a database...therefore it is never lost due to bad links. The information within the database can be searched by categories relevant to the needs of the fire service, such as building type, incident type, operational mode, department type, time of day, year, etc.
This database would include anything directly related to the incident:
· investigative reports (NIOSH and those from the AHJ, for instance)
· multimedia (pictures, video, radio transmissions, NIST models)
· training media (such as the AHJ response to prevent the incident from reoccuring or powerpoints created using factual data and a non-judgmental attitude)
· educational materials related to the incident (magazine articles or professional papers)
The idea for this website already exists...
and has since September 2008 when a Texas based not-for-profit was founded - HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES.
Please read further...
The fire service does a great job as individuals and organizations paying tribute to our brothers and sisters ultimate sacrifice with honor guards, pipe and drum bands, elaborate ceremonies, tributes and memorials.
However our brothers and sisters sacrifice deserves more from us.
Part of honoring their sacrifices includes honoring the lessons their sacrifices have taught us...
If we truly want to make a significant impact on the "History Repeating Events" - repeated LODD incidents occurring for the same reasons - then we must use the lessons learned from those incidents to prevent their reoccurrence.
Our organization has been working hard for the last sixteen months to accomplish our mission. We have attempted to work with / gain the support of national fire service organizations (you know - the common acronyms) - and have gotten their vote of support but not a helping hand.
We realize that for some we have lost our credibility because we have been "promising this site for so long" - that is why now more than ever we need that helping hand...so if you believe in our cause then we need your support…everything you do helps:
· First and foremost remember to honor their sacrifices
· Support our efforts financially - we have t-shirts, helmet decals and a leather helmet raffle to provide a return gift to you for your support.
· Join our group on Facebook, Myspace, here on Firefighter Nation or the Fire Engineering Training Community
· Promote our organization by word of mouth
· Join our team - help us by coordinating the gathering of information and promoting our mission and organization in your area.
Take care and be safe,
John Barrett
President / Founder
HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES
T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R WE CAN SAVE LIVES!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Reg Mathis on
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Okay...that is one severely beaten deceased equine.
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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As stated in another thread, I mentioned with no disrespect to you or the organization, but why start your own site, and repeat the process? The NFFF has complied data, statisitics, survivorship stories, studied and produced professional training programs for free dissemination, they have built a national database and obtained state training advocates, have delivered t-t-t's and are delivering cultural change already.
Seems we should be focusing the money, resources and training efforts into one cause instead of having multiple organizations and lack of funding.
Just a thought
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Permalink Reply by John Barrett on
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Quite simply put the impetus behind HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES is similar to any other organization's beginnings: a need was identified and a solution was created.
Prior to founding HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES I had for years looked for LODD information (particularly on the internet). I was aware of other websites and "databases" ... with a few that are particularly close in scope and nature:
www.everyonegoeshome.com and
www.firefighterclosecalls.com.
Both sites are great sources of information...and HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES was not created to "compete" with these other noble organizations. We also mean nothing negative when we talk about how the information in their sites (or the EGH database) is linked to other sites...but links go bad. HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES is very passionate about keeping LODD lessons learned information available for anyone...our database (and the information in it) is not just links to other sites...it is in fact a true database on our server that is backed up. The electronic files are stored and backed up by us...this way they will never be lost. Individuals are encouraged to submit information to us so we can ensure it's accessibility as well as "safeguard" it.
Additionally, part of our solution involves creating a database that better serves the search needs of the fire service. Again, not trying to speak negatively, but the EGH "database" is searched through keyword or through the 16 life safety initiatives only...ours is searched by multiple categories and sub-categories...50+ actually (this was referenced in my original post).
With regards to working with these other organizations, almost every national fire service organization was contacted about our idea during our initial planning and development in 2008...Chief Goldfeder (FFCC) was interested in our work and was waiting for our new site to come live before we discussed anything further. I personally visited with Chief Siarnicki (NFFF) and Chief Marinucci (EGH Program Coordinator) in March of 2009...and there was talk of a partnership...even the possibility of them developing our idea under the umbrella of the Everyone Goes Home program and placing our database on their server. I am not sure why that partnership fell through.
Despite all of this, our organization has pushed on as we believe in the importance of our mission...as of today I still cannot find LODD lessons learned information quickly and efficiently on the internet. HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES has the solution to that problem.
If the NFFF, EGH or FFCC approached HTS today and said let's make this happen we would be happy to work with them....all of us working TOGETHER is what is going to make a difference anyway. HONOR THEIR SACRIFICES is an organization with nothing to hide, no agenda to push...just a few firefighters from around the country passionate about making a difference.
Thank you for your concerns...they are valid...and I hope that I have addressed them.
John
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