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I can't believe that we are still this stupid.
We recently received several new fire engines. These beautiful Pierce Quantums are everything you could want in a fire engine. However, it seems there is at least one thing that some people don't want. The seats in the engines have sensors that can tell if someone is sitting there and whether or not the seat belt is buckled.
Last week, as I was gathering my gear from the engine, the Captain who relieved me asked the engineer if the engine had one of those seat belt warning alarms. When he was told that it did, he proceeded to buckle the seat belt and place the shoulder strap behind the seat. I couldn't believe it. I confronted the Captain about this. He says he never wears a seat belt in the engine, claiming that seat belts get in the way. Not a good example for the company officer.
BTW, we have a policy stating the seat belt must be worn whenever the a department vehicle is in motion.
I am amazed that in 2011 we still have people who believe that not wearing a seat belt in a fire engine is an acceptable practice. After asking around it appears that at leas 25% of the people in my department do not wear seat belts in the apparatus and higher percentage don't wear them when responding to structure fires. Everyone gives the same excuse: They get in the way and slow us down.
What can the fire service do to change this attitude? Last March, San Antonio's Fire Chief made a statement for his department members, issuing lengthy suspensions because they were not wearing seat belts when their apparatus was involved in a collision. The collision seriously injured one firefighter. The day the collision occurred was the injured firefighters first shift.You can read the story here.
Not wearing your seat belt is just plain stupid. Check out the LODD reports. In most, if not all, LODD's from vehicle collision the dead firefighter was not wearing a seat belt. If you don't wear the seat belt for yourself, at least think about your family and the others that you will leave behind.
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Comment by John R. Eeten, Jr. on September 20, 2011 at 4:29pm
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Sounds like you have your own version of "Don't ask, don't tell!" Firefighter Safety is everyone's concern. We have a Policy here that states, "If you see a wrong doing, and you ignore it, your just as guilty as the person who did it!" If you do, what you think is right, and just talk to that Firefighter, you should also watch for a change. If no change occurrs, you then should report that Firefighter to the next level of the Chain of Command. If you fail to do so, then your just as at fault as the Firefighter doing the wrong.
If one uses the excuse, "This slows me down!" Then ask, "What happens when you do not arrive?" This Firefighter not only puts the entire response in jepardy, but also puts the rest of the Fire Department in jepardy by causing a greater resultant response to his accident and injury or worse yet fatality, but will also impact everyone surrounding him from his shift mates and subordinates to the rest of the department and even incorporating a hardship to the community.
Wake up! Smell the Coffee! Even drink the cup if it will help! This Captain is detrimental to all who surround him and either needs remedial education on the Policies / Procedures / Guidelines of the Department, Put on Probation until he gets it, or even demoted for Flagrant Disregard to not only departmental rules and regs, but impacting the Safety of others.This is a Dinosauer we do not need to live with.
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Comment by FETC on September 20, 2011 at 3:05pm
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Your department policy is purely lipstick. If a captain can superceed a major safety policy from the Fire Chief, then you probably have bigger problems.
You guys might as well stop wearing them altogether in this truck.... I would hate to explain to someone's wife or mother, sorry the captain who was not wearing his seat belt flew accross the cab and killed your loved one, who was belted.
I love the excuses, "It gets in the way" thats pretty lame.... the same voice that says "the treadmill is too tiring" as well. Hey if you get in your gear before the truck leaves (I bet they don't don their PPE either) it doesn't get in the way.
We have the same seat belt policy as you. To make it work we don our gear before getting on the truck, we put our arms through the shoulder straps of the SCBA and then buckle the seat belt before the driver releases the parking brake. It takes 5-10 additional seconds to shut the door.
But yeah I know, I know.... it doesn't look as cool.
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Comment by lutan1 on September 17, 2011 at 10:43pm
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What's more stupid is that a Captain is condining this.
He needs to be removed from his position- NOW!
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