Everyone Goes Home - Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives Program

The nation's fire service is now working to confront the biggest challenge in its history - to change the life safety culture of our fire departments. The fire rescue service in this country has always stepped up to meet the ever increasing challenges confronting them, whether adding services in order to better address the needs of the community, or creating new ways to overcome shrinking budgets while still delivering essential services to those who rely on our protection each day. The challenge to prevent (whenever possible) firefighter line-of-duty deaths is testing the very core of our culture. It will ultimately shape the success of future generations in eliminating these unnecessary deaths.

Over the last 10 years, according to the United States Fire Administration, there have been 1,090 firefighter deaths and nearly 822,000 injuries. The leading causes of death have been heart attacks and strokes (47%), followed by deaths from crashes responding to or returning from incidents (25%). The most unfortunate thing that these statistics show the fire service is that these numbers are predictable, and thus, in many cases, preventable. The lessons that we learn from these tragic incidents serve the fire service best if they are used as the basis of preventing future deaths.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation continues its primary mission in developing effective tools that will work as a catalyst in reducing firefighter line-of-duty deaths across the country. The "16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives," created in 2004, were developed for the specific purpose of significantly reducing firefighter line-of-duty deaths by identifying common objectives for all fire departments that, if met, could dramatically decrease the number of preventable firefighter deaths and injuries.

This Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives Resource Kit Volume 4 is aimed at providing specific tools for departments to use in promoting and advocating cultural change within their organization as it relates to safety, leadership, managing risk, accountability and personal responsibility. By design, this resource kit can be implemented at any level in the organization as well as utilized as an educational tool down to the company level in any department. The measurable effectiveness of these resources, just as in any tool, is reliant upon the commitment to adapt and apply these in our responses each day.

The time for change is now, and every firefighter shares in taking responsibility not only for themselves, but for those they work alongside of each day. There has never been a more noble cause, a more important mission, nor a more difficult challenge, than having the courage to change the safety culture of the fire service. Simply put, preventable firefighter deaths are unacceptable.

Have the courage to stand for change, make the difference each and every shift so that - Everyone Goes Home!

Volume 4 contains the following programs and resources:

DVD 1:

» Kit Volume 4 Introduction
Howard Cross, EFO Program Instructor, National Fire Academy
» Download: Kit Volume 4 Introduction (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» Challenge to Change
Chief Ron Siarnicki, Executive Director, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
» Download: Challenge to Change (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» Seatbelt Related LODDs - "Needless Tragedies"
Greg Cade, Former U.S. Fire Administrator and Chief of Virginia Beach Fire Department (Ret.)
» Download: Seatbelt Related LODDs - "Needless Tragedies" (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» "Who's in your wallet?"
Billy Goldfeder, Deputy Chief, Loveland-Symmes Fire Department (OH)
» Download: "Who's in your wallet?" (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» The Mayday - "Are you ready?"
Kevin Sehlmeyer, Chief of Training, Grand Rapids Fire Department (MI)
» Download: The Mayday - "Are you ready?" (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» Reading Smoke: The First Step in Safe Decisions
Dave Dodson, Battalion Chief, Loveland Fire & Rescue, CO (Ret.)
» Download: Reading Smoke: The First Step in Safe Decisions (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

Seatbelt Safety Support Videos:

   » Seatbelts: "No excuses"
   Dr. Burton Clark, EFO, CFO, National Fire Academy
   » Download: Seatbelts: "No excuses" (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

   » Responding with Seatbelts
   Denver Fire Department (CO)
   » Download: Responding with Seatbelts (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

   » Hugh Lee Newell Story
   Duane Hughes, Captain, Columbus Fire Department (MS)
   » Download: Hugh Lee Newell Story (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

   » Seatbelt Safety on Fire Trucks
   Special Thanks to Russell Rees, Chief Officer, and the Country Fire Authority, Australia
   » Download: Seatbelt Safety on Fire Trucks (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» RIT: "The Denver Drill"
The True Story of Mark Langvardt, Denver Fire Department (CO)

» Rapid Intervention Team Drills
Sterling Heights Fire Department (MI)
» Download: Rapid Intervention Team Drills (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» "Be Bright, Be Right" - New Standard on High Visibility Safety Vests
Courtesy of the Cumberland County Firemen's Association and ResponderSafety.com

» Download: "Be Bright, Be Right" - New Standard on High Visibility Safety Vests (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)
» Fire Service Pre-Planning - Before We Respond
Peter Vlahos, Lieutenant, Bloomfield Twp. Fire Department (MI)
» Download: Fire Service Pre-Planning - Before We Respond (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» "Bosses, Recruits, and Veterans"
Alan Brunacini, Chief (Ret.), Phoenix Fire Department (AZ)
» Download: "Bosses, Recruits, and Veterans" (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» Situational Awareness: Key to Survival
Bobby Halton, Editor-in-Chief, Fire Engineering Magazine;
Deputy Chief (Ret.), Albuquerque Fire Department (NM)
» Download: Situational Awareness: Key to Survival (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

DVD 2:

» Fit to Fight
(Available in Four Parts) Courtesy of the Indiana University
» Download: Fit to Fight (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» FDNY Legends Video
(As seen in the EveryoneGoesHome.com Media Section - Full 30 Minute Video!)
» Download: FDNY Legends Video (Play from your Desktop - No Internet Connection Required)

» "From Burn Victim, to Burn Survivor"
Phoenix Burn Society for Burn Survivors, Grand Rapids (MI)

CD-ROM: (Additional Resources)