Safety Officer

Safety officers are a vital role in the fire service. This can be one designated individual per department, but is better suited through a NIMS system to select a qualified individual at the fire scene. Often it appears a lot of volunteer departments select an "old timer" who isnt certified to go inside with a SCBA. This is great because your utilizing manpower which may be strained. My major concern with having this happen is the role should be designated for someone who can walk around the scene. The job is to ensure scene safety completely around the scene, not stand around the command post and make comments to the IC who is up to their neck in other more important things. Again the downside of having a department safety officer (who misses the big call) is members have an issue with taking criticism from a person who wasn't on the scene. Whats your take? How does your department handle the Safety Officer Position?

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Permalink Reply by Olivia Jones on May 4, 2010 at 1:21am

Jason there is no online version of this course. I am both a certified ISO and HSO. I have to say I have a constant flow of both good and bad in my slot. While I am lucky and we have multiple Safetys we also have a difference of opinion among our other officers. My Chief (who is a cert ISO) demands a safety officer be on scene and he wants us to be vocal about any issues we see. Now because of the type of Department we are there have been time where I also run accountability. My Chief will come to me many times on scene and ask how long a team has been in or what the structual integrity status is based on my most recent 360.

Now the other side of that coin is that I have other officers that say "I want everyone to be safe" but they constantly try to disregard safety if it is inconvient to their operation. Needless to say heads have butted and more than one heated debate has insued after a call.

There are both up and down sides to being an ISO up side if you do your job well you personally are helping insure everyone goes home and noones family has to have a Chaplin knock on a door. The down side is there are times I forget what a nozzel or charged line feel like in my hands. But having had to call a firefighters mother once to say your son is in the hospital but will be fine, I will sacrifice line time for trying to insure me or the other ISO's dont have to make another call like that.

As to the role of a HSO while little seen and rarely talked about this job is even more important than that if a ISO. the HSO helps develop the SOP's that everyone has to follow to be safe. They are also the ones that write the fitness guidelines and tests that we all hate. But no offense to anyone out there the fact is in an emergency you will NOT rise to the occasion you will SINK to the level of your training. This includes fitness, you may be able to talk me through a RIT in vast detail but if you arent fit enough to last more than 10-15 min in full gear conducting a search you arent helping anyone.

So safety.... thanks to those officers out there that realize most of us are not out there to bust balls just for fun. And those of you that arent on board, I just hope your family never gets that door knock.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on May 5, 2010 at 6:25am

Badger....this is a case of a disaster waiting to happen....Our SO is in charge of ALL safety aspects of the scene and has expressed authority to STOP any operation he/she sees fit to stop...(of course notifying the IC) and also has the responsibilty of accountability.....NOT having one is probably the worse case scenario....How can an IC operate without the extra set of eyes, ears on site. If I were you I would push to get this position filled...Hopefully by a trained SO or at least by a senior Firefighter......Paul