Texas vs. National Statistics and a Culture of Safety

Our first two injury reports compared injuries reported to us by Texas fire departments with those reported from around the country to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).   We had some interesting findings.

In their report, the NFPA identifies five major Activities leading to injuries, while our report identifies more specific Activities.  Despite this, we’ve found a way to compare them.  The table below shows how their categories compare to our categories.

NFPA Activities	TCFP Activities
Responding to/Returning from an incident	same
Fire Ground	Fire Suppression and Rescue – Fire Related
Non-Fire Emergency	Rescue Non-Fire and Hazmat
Training	Skills Training
Other On-duty	Fire Prevention, Station Duties and Wellness/Fitness

Check out how our 2011 statistics compared to the NFPA’s 2010 statistics (these are the most recent available from the NFPA). 

Injuries by Activity - TX vs. NFPA - click to enlarge

As you can see, our statistics are very similar to the national statistics except for Fire Ground and Non-Fire Emergency.  Texas runs a significant number of first responder/medical type calls and we believe that this leads to a majority of the Non-Fire Emergency injuries reported to us.  In 2012 we will be able to see further trends in this area.   We are evaluating why Texas has fewer fire ground injuries.  We would like to think it is because the Texas fire service is required to follow safety regulations, has training requirements, and has committed to focus on safe practices.  

Culture of Safety

A lot of people talk about avoiding firefighter injuries by changing the culture of the fire service.  What does that really mean? It’s more than simply stating that we all need to be more careful.  It’s about the core values of everyone within your department.  It’s about valuing ourselves, and our teams, enough to put aside egos and some beliefs about our worth.  You all are heroes, especially if you don’t take unwise chances by endangering yourselves. 

In 2010 the TCFP made it a requirement for all certified firefighters in the state to go through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s Courage to be Safe program.  We believe it will assist in leading to cultural change in our departments, assuming everyone takes it seriously.

Have you, or your department, gone through the Courage to be Safe program?   

If so, what did you think?

Do you think the Texas fire service’s culture of safety impacts how you view injuries?

Do you know the injury reporting process at your department?