Role of policies in firefighter safety

Article highlights

• How policies/SOPs/SOGs impact safety.
• Steps to improve safety through policies.

Work in the fire service requires a willingness to enter dangerous situations and sacrifice for others. But every firefighter ultimately wants to go home safely at the end of the day.

It’s incredibly important for every fire department to have measures in place for firefighter safety. Firefighters must know how to navigate dangerous incidents, avoid preventable injuries, and protect their fellow firefighters and the people they serve.

There are several aspects of firefighter safety, including health, equipment, training, and more. Firefighting policy is also a crucial aspect of operational safety.

In the fire service, policies are sometimes seen as just a formality. It is true that policies are important for risk management and liability avoidance. But they are worth much more to fire departments and firefighters.

Firefighting policy and standard operating procedures lay the groundwork for fire service safety. By establishing processes and standards, fire department SOGs help firefighters do their jobs safely.

For example, equipment policies may include timelines for regular maintenance. This helps ensure that equipment is functioning properly and is less likely to malfunction at the scene of an emergency.

SOPs also improve firefighter safety in several other ways:

Set clear expectations

Firefighting SOPs help firefighters know how to act and react in day-to-day work and in critical situations.

Policies help firefighters avoid unnecessary risks and injuries by ensuring they are following best practices for safety.

SOPs also help firefighters quickly make critical decisions. For example, if a fellow crew member is unresponsive, everyone will automatically know the procedure to follow to get them to safety. They won’t have to spend time discussing how to respond or weighing options. Instead, they can work together cohesively to address the situation.

Emergency scenes can be confusing and hectic. If crew members rush in with their own approach or go off on their own, they can quickly land in a life-threatening situation.

However, when every firefighter is following the same policies, they are better able to communicate effectively and work efficiently as a team. This improves accountability and helps ensure that everyone goes home safely.

Implement highest standards

Policies and procedures in the fire service should set the standards for operations and firefighter readiness.

Firefighting policy should spell out the performance and physical standards for each member. Making sure firefighters are healthy and physically fit is a proactive way improve firefighter safety. And having standards in writing helps ensure that every staff member is able to do their job effectively.

Department SOPs should also include specific standards for operations. Formal, written standards provide the foundation for operational safety. They also help the department meet accreditation and state standards for operations and firefighter safety.

Foster a culture of safety

Firefighter safety measures are most effective when safety is an ingrained part of the department culture.

Factors such as the department mission statement, policies, leadership, and the behaviors of individual staff members all work together to form a culture of safety in the fire service.

Formal policies and procedures communicate the department culture and emphasize the importance of safety. SOPs provide shared language and expectations leaders and staff can use to talk about safety.

Empower members to address safety issues

With set expectations and a culture of safety in place, every firefighter will be more focused on safety and aware of safety concerns. Firefighter safety is the responsibility of every staff member, and firefighters should feel the freedom to bring up safety issues. Policies should include ways for firefighters to report and address safety concerns.

However, while everyone plays a role in firefighter safety, every department should have a designated fire safety officer. The safety officer works with other department leaders to create and enforce safety measures. The National Fire Protection Association lays out standards for a health and safety officer in their list of codes and standards.

In order to be effective, the safety officer must have the authority to implement safety measures. Policies should give the safety officer the proper authority to monitor risks, take appropriate actions to address safety issues, investigate incidents, and recommend policy changes.

Firefighter policies and procedures must be properly implemented in order to be effective. SOPs should be more than a list of rules stuck in a binder on a shelf. They should be living, changing documents that guide the day-to-day operations of the department.

Here are a few ways to ensure that policies work effectively to improve firefighter safety:

Link your policies and training

Fire department policies and training should go hand in hand.

Including policies in training can help raise awareness of policies they may have forgotten. Training should show firefighters how to practically carry out proper policies and procedures.

A good policy management and training tool such as PowerDMS allows you to cross-reference and link your policies and your training content. This ensures the standards and expectations are drilled into firefighters’ heads so they know how to do their jobs safely.

Hold members accountable to policies

Firefighter SOPs are not just a backup plan or a formality. Department leaders need to ensure that firefighters are following proper procedures to maintain firefighter safety.

This doesn’t mean that the safety officer monitors firefighters’ every move. It may be as simple as the safety officer regularly conducting operational reviews to make sure procedures are effective.

Just like equipment checks, these reviews should happen proactively and not just in the case of an incident. If firefighters aren’t following procedures, they may need a refresher on the proper policies. With a policy management software, department leaders can easily distribute policies for firefighters to read and sign off on. They can even attach quizzes to make sure that every staff member understands the policy.

If firefighters aren’t following procedures, it may also indicate that procedures need to be changed to improve safety.