FSC 127 - Principles of Emergency Services Safety and Survival

1. Explain the importance of personal and organizational accountability for health and safety throughout the fire service.
2. Identify why the fire service is focusing greater attention on the integration of risk management with incident management at all levels.
3. Explain the importance why the fire service is developing and implementing national standards for training, qualifications, and certifications that are equally applicable to all firefighters based on the duties they are expected to perform.
4. Define why the fire service must investigate all firefighter fatalities, injuries and near misses.
5. Define why national standards for emergency response policies and procedures should be developed and championed.
6. Define why public education must receive more resources and be championed as a critical fire and life safety program.

1. Identify and explain the 16 life safety initiatives.
2. Describe how obtaining grants can support safety and survival initiatives.
3. Describe how the concepts of risk management affect strategic and tactical decision-making.
4. Illustrate how technological advancement can produce higher levels of emergency services safety and survival.
5. Discuss how incorporating the lessons learned from investigations can support cultural change throughout the emergency services.
6. Discuss how adopting standardized policies for responding to emergency scenes can minimize near-misses, injuries, and deaths.
7. Define and describe the need for cultural and behavioral change within emergency services related to safety, leadership, supervision, accountability, and personal responsibility.
8. Explain the vital role of local departments in national research and data collections systems.
9. Describe the need for national training standards related to professional development including qualifications, certifications, and re-certifications.
10. Explain how the increase in violent incidents impacts safety for emergency services personnel when responding to emergency scenes.
11. Explain the need for personal and organizational accountability for health and safety.
12. Discuss the importance of investigating all near-misses, injuries, and fatalities.
13. Recognize the need for counseling and psychological support for emergency services personnel, their families, as well as, identify access to local resources and services.
14. Defend the need for annual medical evaluations and the establishment of physical fitness criteria for emergency services personnel throughout their careers.
15. Describe and evaluate circumstances that might constitute an unsafe act.
16. Explain the concept of empowering all emergency services personnel to stop unsafe acts.
17. Discuss the importance of fire sprinklers and code enforcement.
18. Describe the importance of public education as a critical component of life safety programs.
19. Explain the importance of safety in the design of apparatus and equipment.

1. Introduction
   1. History of fire service culture
   2. Organizational culture
   3. Individual role in culture/behavior
   4. History of line of duty deaths and injury statistics
   5. Defining the nature of the problem
   6. Life safety initiatives
2. The National Context, Health and Safety
   1. National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
   2. Medical and fitness standards
   3. Data collection, national fire incident reporting system (NFIRS)
   4. Research and investigation, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
3. Training, Equipment, Response
   1. Training, education, credentialing
   2. Apparatus and equipment
   3. Emergency response to emergency scenes
   4. Violent accidents
   5. Emerging technologies
4. Organizational Health and Safety Profile
   1. Personal and organizational accountability
   2. Present condition and culture
   3. Investigations-internal
   4. Analyzing your profile
   5. Utilizing grants to meet needs
5. Risk Management
   1. Risk management concepts and practices
   2. Unsafe acts
   3. Empowerment definition
6. Prevention
   1. Home fire sprinklers
   2. Code enforcement
   3. Public education of fire and life safety
   4. Counseling and psychological support