By Captain Ryan Pyle

How can you know where you are going in terms of safety and culture change if you do not know where you are at? As a leader in your organization, can you accurately quantify your risk level for a possible firefighter injury or line-of-duty death? (LODD) This may sound like a daunting task or to some a needless activity; an activity that would eat up valuable manpower and time. In speaking with my colleagues, it appears to me that the vast majority of the fire service is stuck in the mindset that...if it has not happened in our department then we must be doing the right things in regards to a proactive approach to safety. That may be true, or maybe you or your respective department has been lucky thus far. I am not willing to take that enormous gamble and it is my hope that the issues discussed in this article will give the reader a framework for a conducting a vulnerability or risk assessment for their department. It is my belief that it is beneficial to cite an applicable Firefighter Life Safety Initiative in the articles that I write for this newsletter. To me, the obvious choice for this piece is initiative number three, which states: Focus greater attention on the integration of risk management with incident management at all levels, including strategic, tactical, and planning responsibilities.

Vulnerability assessments have become increasingly popular in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. In light of that, a good portion of the more current research out there relates to security threats. However, there are numerous parallels that can be drawn between the frameworks that are utilized for specific security threats to a particular entity and those that could be utilized for the fire service. In researching this article, I located several definitions for Vulnerability Assessments. Most of the definitions were specific to the respective agency for which it was intended. However, I found a definition that simply states "A vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing (or ranking) the vulnerabilities in a system" (Heck, 2008). I believe that this simple definition could be applicable to many facets of a fire service assessment. I strongly recommend that as a leader in your department and community, that you look at your situation and begin a systematic analysis based on available resources and subsequently address the issues in an effort to minimize risk.

"Vulnerability begins with the notion of risk and risk is characterized by a known or unknown probability distribution of events" (Alwang, et al, 2001). In order to effectively organize a vulnerability assessment for your department, there are a number of issues that must be identified. In the upcoming section, I will discuss numerous areas that directly affect firefighter safety. It is up to each individual department to assign the importance level of each system.

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I have an affinity for flowcharts. I believe they simply and accurately give you a framework to follow. As I typically do when addressing an issue, I visualize a flowchart as a framework for gathering data and implementing a project. Consider the following in respect to assessing your vulnerability to suffering a firefighter injury or line-of-duty death;

There is simply no way to adequately address every possible system. I urge you to assemble a list that you and your department feel are important to a strong vulnerability assessment. The following points are not listed in any particular order and are not intended to be exclusive to every department, however, they are all or should all be utilized by every department in the nation.

• Does your staffing adequately support firefighter safety?
• What are you doing to assure that adequate staffing is a priority for years to come?
• Are funds being budgeted to maintain adequate staffing levels in the face of tough economic times?
• If you are not adequately staffed, are you prepared for the consequences? If not, are developing a plan to address this issue?

• Is your overall response to structure fires adequate?
• Are you getting enough help to insure firefighter safety?
• If you are not, are you aggressively looking at mutual aid agreements or alternative means of adequate responses to structure fires or other manpower intensive emergencies?

• Do your standard operating guidelines support firefighter safety?
• Are you analyzing your guidelines on a regular basis to insure that they support firefighter safety?
• Is every member of your department intimately familiar with the guidelines and how they relate to safety?

• Do you have a regimented training program that supports firefighter safety?
• Is every member of your department committed to training in an effort to decrease risk?
• Is your training division adequately funded? If not, what are you doing to secure funding for the future?

• Is your equipment designed and purchased with firefighter safety in the forefront?
• Is your apparatus designed and maintained with firefighter safety in mind?
• Are you making plans for a revolving apparatus and equipment replacement plan?

• Does your department demand that every member foster a culture that supports firefighter safety?
• Does your staff value culture as an integral part of its operations?
• Does your every member embrace cultural change and its impact on the future of the fire service? If not, what are you, as a leader doing to bring this to the forefront of your organization?

**If I were ranking this list, culture would be heads and shoulders above the rest. It sets a foundation every operation that occurs within the fire department. Culture dictates the tempo in which your department and personnel operate**

Is your department actively using NIMS as the predominant accountability system for emergencies?

If not, set a strict deadline for implementation and provide for intensive training on the subject.

The previous bullet points are just the tip of the iceberg. The list was compiled to give you, the reader issues to ponder. As you embark on vulnerability assessments of your department, there should be many more points and each section should be addressed using a consistent measuring tool similar to the flowchart mentioned above.

Vulnerability assessments are being used in almost every major government agency. While they are typically grand in scale and extremely in-depth, there are varying degrees of assessments. You simply have to find a framework that suits your needs and finish it to completion. I believe that we, as a service, are at a perfect time in our history to honestly assess our situations in an effort to reduce needless line-of-duty deaths. I challenge each of you to take on this daunting challenge. While it could expose deficiencies in your organization, it will undoubtedly pay huge dividends as you embark on the future. Stay proactive and safe.

References:
Alwang, Jeffrey and Jorgensen, Steen L. and Siegel, Paul B. Vulnerability: A View From Different Disciplines. June 2001.

Heck, N (2008). Best Practices for Vulnerability Assessments. [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:ZsiplZmhd4IJ:www.purdue.edu

Ryan Pyle is a Fire Captain at Station 71 in Shawnee Kansas. Ryan has been a part of the department for thirteen years. He holds an Associate of Arts degree in Fire Administration, a Bachelors degree in Management and Human Relations, and a Masters degree from the Edwin Stene School of Public Administration at the University of Kansas. Ryan is a graduate of the 2007 Virginia Fire Officers Academy,which is a program that includes leadership values associated with the Everyone Goes Home® Life Safety Initiatives Program. Ryan has been accepted into the Executive Fire Officer Program and will begin in September.