I reported for one of my 24-hour shifts as a Firefighter/Paramedic in November 2007. There was a carbon monoxide call that required me to be on a ladder for an extended time. I had to maintain a "leg lock," which is a way a firefighter hooks a leg onto a ladder, so that s/he can work safely. It keeps hands free, and eliminates any danger of falling. On top of everything else that happened, I fell through a window on another call when I assisted an elderly woman who was stuck. I later noticed pain in the leg that I used in the "leg lock," but passed it off as typical "aches and pains" of my job.

Some national firefighter survey information being developed indicates the top two concerns for firefighter personal survival are: cardiac arrest and being struck or killed while working incidents on our nations' roadways. The rate at which all roadway workers are being struck or killed on the roadways is alarming. The ResponderSafety.com website tracks all of the incidents where workers or emergency responders are struck or killed. A daily check of this website shows that almost daily a roadway worker is being struck by an inattentive motorist. The problem is multiple disciplinary and does not effect only fire and EMS personnel. It affects law enforcement, towing and recovery operators, and highway workers. Examining recent statistics in Minnesota, look at how our firefighters are being killed, strike bys. Adding the number of state patrol and police vehicles that are being hit and the injuries to police officers only adds to the growing problem.

The Advocate Outreach Program continues into 2011. An average of five departments per week have been contacted, with an average of ten firefighters attending each session.

The way in which firefighters are cared for in the fire service is on the precipice of great change. We all know that complications rising from this profession-plus all the stress of normal life for firefighters and their families-can create situations where we all need help from time to time. Ensuring that care is available whenever needed, and that the care delivered represents the best practices under current evidence informed standards, is the objective of Firefighter Life Safety Initiative 13.

Year 6 of the Everyone Goes Home® program has started off with a lot of energy and enthusiasm from a number of Everyone Goes Home® advocates committed to the mission and goals of accomplishing the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. There are dedicated advocates in every Western State with the exception of South Dakota and New Mexico. Contacts are being made in both of those states to recruit advocates and representatives for the Advocate Outreach Program.

Since the creation of the position, the Metro Advocate Coordinator (MAC) has been employing a variety of traditional and non-traditional approaches in order to facilitate the implementation and integration of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives within metropolitan fire departments across the nation. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to reduce the number of line-of-duty deaths occurring in these larger departments.