With snow piles lining the perimeter of the beautiful landscape at the National Fire Academy (NFA) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and the sun high above shining on three beautiful days (March 5-7, 2010), firefighters and fire-related personnel from all over the nation gathered to attend the Everyone Goes Home® Safety Summit. This was the second consecutive year that saw an increase in attendance for the Safety Summit. Again, this year, the main goal of the fire service members attending was "saving our own" through the Everyone Goes Home® Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives program and to educate and network with other state advocates from across the country. An additional approach to addressing these issues was also presented.

Firefighter safety needs are no different than what they were a year ago or even five years ago. Nothing much has changed. However, 2009 was a turning point for us in the fire service. We ended up with fewer than 100 line-of-duty deaths (LODDs), a task for what we, and many others, have preached about for many years. Not since 1998 have we done that as a fire service, and it's about time.

We have all known for quite some time the hazards of firefighting. These hazards include everything from the smoke we breathe to our heart rate elevating from 60 to 120 in a matter of seconds. Ask firefighters what cardiac concerns they have, and the majority of them will list several without stopping to think. The fire service as a whole has continuously addressed these concerns by distributing information and raising awareness. The most notable examples include the International Association of Fire Chief's Fire/EMS Safety, Health, and Survival Week; the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's Everyone Goes Home® program; and even Fire Engineering's devoting one theme a year - the December issue - to firefighter health. However, this problem remains the number one killer in the fire service. It does not quite seem to sink in unless it affects us or a colleague.

My name is Tom Straub. I am a 36-year member of the New Kensington Volunteer Fire Department in western Pennsylvania. I am also a safety advocate for the Everyone Goes Home Program® and a trainer for the Courage to Be Safe® course. Little did I know that four years ago the Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives would help set the stage for saving my life.

Over the years, as a fire service instructor, I have met a lot of fellow firefighters. Recently I realized the stories from rookies and veterans were the same. The rookies said "we don't fit in" and the veterans said, "rookies just don't get it." As a fire service instructor and as a company officer it is my responsibility to teach rookies and veterans on-the-job safety.