2020 Safety Stand Down - Safety at Roadway Emergencies

“DAMN!!! That was fricfkin’ close!” you exclaim, as you are standing next to your Heavy Rescue on a busy, four-lane road. Your engine and ladder helped setup a “blocking” safety to lane to allow you to work on an extrication. But that semi that just passed you ran over half your orange cones!

This week, June 14-20 is the annual, joint, IAFC –- NVFC Safety Stand Down. During this week, fire and EMS departments are encouraged to suspend non-emergency activity to focus on the topic. And this year, that topic is our safety when working emergencies on active roadways. Last year, we lost 40 first responders to accidents on these sites. And many might have been avoided.

My guests on this special episode are Jack Sullivan, CSP, CFPS, Training Director of the Responder Safety Institute and Todd Leiss TIMC, Assistant Director of Training. You will hear them relate some of the tragedies that have occurred when our “safety zone” was invaded by a vehicle, be it an auto, a semi, or anything in between.

If you are a regular listener, you know how important this topic is to us at 5-Alarm Task Force. We have broadcast several episodes dealing specifically with this topic. Why? It is mostly due to the fact that we cannot depend on drivers to actively avoid us! There are far too many distracted drivers that will simply burst through our safety zones, injuring or killing our brothers and sisters. Enough is enough!

Photo Courtesy Fire-Rescue1
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