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Be Safe During Training

Training tower - Copyright Paul Glazzard and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons License.

Earlier this month we gave you some information about the reported injuries occurring during Training.  Just like Wellness/Fitness activities, Training helps you prepare for your job, with the ultimate goal of keeping you safe, but Training can also be dangerous and hard on firefighters.  It can even be deadly.  Just like on the fire ground, safety should come first during training.  Even if the training situation seems like a controlled environment, you want to train as if you don’t know what’s coming next, because many things can go wrong.  Taking training seriously (by taking measures such as having proper trainer/student ratios and having a safety officer on hand) will allow you to put what you’ve learned to work.  Being able to protect those in your community is what makes you a hero, so train safely!

Learn To Train Safety with the Below Online Resources

Error Management Starts During Training (FirefighterNation, 2011)

Reducing Injuries & Deaths Associated with Training (FirefighterNation, 2012)

The Training Safety Officer: Ensuring Safe Evolutions (Fire Engineering, 2009)

Preventative Measures:  A new report aims to reduce training-related injuries & deaths (FirefighterNation, 2009)

Learn To Train Safety with the Below TCFP Library Resources

FIREFIGHTER TRAINING FATALITIES

TRAINING SAFETY: LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE 

FIREFIGHTER LIFE SAFETY RESOURCE KIT 

FIREFIGHTER SAFETY AND SURVIVAL: THE COMPANY OFFICER`S RESPONSIBILITY 

Training Safety Standards

Referring to, and following, NFPA 1410: Standard on Training for Initial Emergency Scene Operations and NFPA 1403: Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions can help ensure that your Training scenarios are practiced safely. 

Heat Stress

Particularly worrisome here in Texas, is the heat.  Training outdoors during the summer months can lead to heat exhaustion and other heat related illnesses.  Last summer this blog focused on these types of injuries, as well as the value of a good incident rehabilitation program.  These are equally valuable during training.  Revisit that post to learn how to avoid heat related illnesses anywhere – even while training.

Has your department incurred any training injuries?

If so, could they have been avoided?

Does your department take training safety seriously?  If so, how can you tell?

Injuries Occurring During Training

This month we’re focusing our blog entries on injuries occurring during Skills Training.  As you can see below, Skills Training activities were the fifth most common activities leading to injuries between July 2011 and July 2012.  Of those, there were 316 minor, 100 serious, and one critical injury.  Sprains & Strains were the most common types of injuries incurred during Skills Training.

Injury by Activity - click to enlarge

Severity of Injuries - click to enlarge

Types of Injuries - click to enlarge

 

Past Posts Dealing with the Top 3 Types of Injuries Occurring During Skills Training

Strains & Sprains

Wounds

Environmental

Check out some examples of Skills Training injuries being reported to us:

“The fire fighter was waiting to participate in a training event when another fire fighter handed him a fiberglass pike pole.  The fire fighter grabbed the pike pole with his ungloved right hand.  The pike pole was splintered and a splinter penetrated the skin of the fire fighter's right ring finger.”

“The firefighter was participating in a recruit training program. While engaging in a SCBA maze drill, the firefighter experienced heat exhaustion. The firefighter was given I.V. solution and transported to the hospital via ambulance. The firefighter was observed and released after I.V. and blood work was taken.”

“While conducting live fire training in fire blast simulator, FF experienced steam burns to Left ear. Firefighter did have his complete ensemble of PPE in place including hood.”

“The student was in the burn building, going upstairs.  He was going up the stairs, when his foot slipped between some fire hose.  He fell to the side, straining his knee.”

“Firefighter while participating in a Live Fire Training exercise moved a positive pressure ventilation fan and experienced pain to back due to strain.”

“While doing ladder training at the training field he was descending down a ladder and lost his grip. He fell about five feet to the ground landing on his back.”

“While conducting a training class on hose handling, the firefighter was releasing a hose clamp from 3 inch supply hose. When the firefighter leaned in close to release the hose clamp it hit the firefighter on the lower right side of his chin. Firefighter received 5 stitches.”

“Employee was doing extrication training.  Another employee swung an axe & it made contact with the halligan that the first employee was holding & it his left index finger.”

As you can see, many of these injuries could have been avoided by taking a bit more care.  Instilling a culture of safety in your department can help avoid these types of injuries, and planning safe training and using safe practices during training can decrease injuries.  Later this month we’ll focus on how to do just that and how to avoid injuries during Skills Training.

What types of injuries have you witnessed during Skills Training?

What do you think can be done to avoid injuries during Skills Training?

Does your department have a training staff that makes avoiding injuries a priority?