The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System reached another milestone this month when it posted its 2,000th report to the website.
Report #08-511 was submitted on October 14; it documents a highway incident that has a favorable outcome because the crews maintained situational awareness and employed best practices to avert injury. Visit www.firefighternearmiss.com to view the report.

Comments from around the fire service industry are hailing this milestone as a sign that the fire service, particularly users of the Near-Miss System, recognize the value of sharing experiences and how contributing these reports is a change toward a safer fire service. IAFC President Chief Larry Grorud said, “Although mistakes are inevitable, the key is to learn from them. The Fire Fighter Near-Miss System provides an excellent forum for individuals to share their experiences so we can all learn from them and be safer if faced with similar situations.”

Ed Mann, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner, added, “The fact that we now have 2,000 near misses reported means many things to many people. In my eyes it means the fire service is talking and taking action regarding safety. This is a shift in our culture and will no doubt assist in obtaining the goal of reducing line of duty deaths.”

Danielle Cagan, National Heritage Program Director at Fireman’s Fund® Insurance Company said, “We proudly support the Near-Miss Program as part of our efforts to improve firefighter safety and reduce line-of-duty deaths. This is a significant milestone and each new report allows more firefighters to learn from each other’s experiences.” Fireman’s Fund generously provided funding for the development of the program and since 2004 has awarded more than $20 million in grants to support the fire and emergency service.

A line firefighter shared his thoughts by commenting, “2,000 reports submitted with one goal in mind and that is to share a lesson learned with my brothers and sisters in the fire service that will hopefully prevent them from injury or harm.”

Near-Miss, as the system is coming to be known, continues to become a more familiar tool for firefighters and fire and emergency departments to use. Data from the system has already made its way into the fire service in the form of case studies for fire service texts, training curricula, CEUs for FDSOA members and drills, data for departments to use as they build their safety programs and even as references for SOP development.

Near-Miss has many elements to offer the fire and emergency community through aspects like the website’s resources page. The page has useful tools, such as PowerPoints, photos and original pieces like the 2009 Near-Miss Calendar. The 2008 Near-Miss Calendar, “Safety 24/7/365” was such a success last year that we’re bringing it back to share with the fire and emergency community for 2009. A copy can be obtained one of three ways:

Through the resources section of www.firefighternearmiss.com
From your copy of the November issue of Fire Rescue Magazine
By emailing nearmiss@iafc.org with requests
If you have any questions, please contact us at nearmiss@iafc.org or 703-537-4848.

About the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System
The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System is a free, voluntary, confidential, non-punitive and secure reporting system with the goal of improving firefighter safety. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program and is managed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/
http://www.iafc.org/
http://www.iafcsafety.org/