More than a year ago, a group of informed, respected and accomplished fire service experts met to discuss the formation of the Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST) program. Today, this effort to create a national, non-fatal firefighter injury tracking system is securely underway.
How It Started
In October 2010, Dr. Jennifer Taylor of Drexel University convened the inaugural meeting of the FIRST advisory board. The board members, all of whom share a passionate concern for enhancing firefighter safety, include:
- Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD)
- Chief Charlie Brush, State of Florida Safety Programs Manager
- Dawn Castillo, Director, Division of Safety Research, NIOSH
- Rich Duffy, Assistant to the General President, IAFF
- Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, Loveland-Symmes Fire Department
- Ed Mann, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner
- Victoria Vespe Ozonoff, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Chief Ed Plaugher, National Programs Director, IAFC
- Chief Adam Thiel, Alexandria (Va.) Fire Department
- Battalion Chief Henry Costo, Safety Officer, PFD
Despite their collective involvement with issues pertaining to firefighter safety, for many in the group it was actually their initial introduction to this ground-breaking project, and for virtually all in attendance, it was a revelation.
During the meeting, Dr. Taylor clearly demonstrated that the data presently available regarding firefighter injuries are inconsistent, unreliable and far from comprehensive. Although much information is currently gathered at the local level describing injury categories, types, prevalence and location on or off of the fireground, it remains virtually impossible to reliably estimate the number of injuries resulting in hospitalization and/or in long-term disability.
Furthermore, existing firefighter injury tracking efforts are not based upon scientific data-collection methods. As a result, they produce widely divergent estimates and lack crucial information regarding the nature, cause and context of recorded injuries. Because these data are not “generalizable,” reliable or reproducible, they simply cannot serve as a legitimate basis for devising new safety policies, modifying existing policies, crafting appropriate interventions and/or evaluating the efficacy of such efforts. The ability to accurately and reliably inform policymakers, budget managers and the general public, while always a concern, is now paramount, given the current economic environment.
In recognition of these glaring deficiencies, FEMA has included database systems among those R&D projects eligible for federal funding. The FIRST project is presently funded for the period of June 2010—2013 by the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (Fire Prevention and Safety Grants). FIRST resides at the Drexel University (Philadelphia) School of Public Health under the capable and passionate leadership of Dr. Taylor.
Setting Priorities
To be successful, FIRST must be strongly influenced and guided by the fire service and safety research communities. During the initial meeting, the board members identified the following fire service needs:
- Relevant data that will address the local, state, regional and national levels.
- Data collection mechanisms that are simple, quick, easy to understand and do not increase the reporting burden for firefighters and supervisors.
- Data that describe ALL firefighter injuries, regardless of career, volunteer, urban, suburban, rural, wildland or structural status.
- A clear and direct connection between the data-collection system and the benefits to the fire service.
- Accurate and reliable data that can support injury-prevention initiatives, education and training, safety-specific training, fire service advocacy and grant-writing efforts, as well as inform policymakers, budget managers and the public, and identify trends (local, state, regional, national, career, volunteer, etc.).
- The integration of various relevant data sources, both “traditional” (NFPA, NIOSH, etc) and “non-traditional,” (workers compensation agencies, hospitals, disability managers, etc.).
- Readily available and easily accessible data reporting capability, essentially “one-stop shopping” for injury data, statistical reports and inquiries.
The PFD and the State of Florida have been designated as pilot sites for the project. Data collection and analysis is already well under way in Philadelphia and is expected to begin in Florida shortly.
What’s Next?
Based upon the research findings, the project team will submit recommendations to FEMA regarding the establishment and sustenance of FIRST at the national level. Ultimately, the project team will create and test the architecture and platform(s) for a national, non-fatal firefighter injury tracking system. This system will standardize, collect and integrate information from various and diverse injury surveillance systems and unify this data into a single-source data structure, applicable at all jurisdictional levels.
The ultimate outcome of the project: the ability to articulate firefighter injuries accurately, reliably, comprehensively and consistently.
For More Information
The FIRST project website was launched in July 2011. To obtain additional information, to sign up for updates and downloadable reports, and to submit your input regarding key research questions, please visit the FIRST website at: http://publichealth.drexel.edu/first
