5008 - Accident Review Board

Question 1

Who shall be responsible for:

1. Reviewing the minutes and findings of the Accident Review Board
2. Determining on a case-by-case basis whether an employee found responsible for serious or numerous collisions or incidents will be subject to further action, including progressive discipline and/or withdrawal of driving privileges

Answer 1

The Fire Chief or his/her designee.

Question 2

Who shall be responsible for:

1. Ensuring the department has an effective process and mechanisms for reinforcing safe driving practices by TFD personnel
2. Performing a primary review of– a. Accident Review Board meeting minutes b. All reports and recommendations submitted by the Accident Review Board
3. Attending Accident Review Board meetings whenever possible

Answer 2

The Deputy Chief of Support Services.

Question 3

Who shall be responsible for:

1. Classifying accidents reported to the Safety Division in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this document
2. Serving as Chair of the Accident Review Board (ARB) or designating a Chair as necessary
3. Ensuring that minutes from ARB meetings and accident rulings are forwarded to the Fire Chief or his/her designee for review and final ruling
4. Distributing copies of ARB rulings upon Fire Chief approval and in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this document
5. Forwarding employee appeals of an ARB/Fire Chief decision to the City’s Accident Appeals Board
6. Distributing copies of rulings by the City’s Accident Appeals Board on employee appeals in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this document
7. Issuing Bulletins with ARB meeting minutes
8. Maintaining this document

Answer 3

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety or his/her designee.

Question 4

Chargeable-Preventable. Any collision, reviewable incident or deliberate occurrence L.D. meeting one or more of the following criteria:

Answer 4

1. The employee involved has shown willful violation of any law, regulation or order made or given by a superior officer
2. The employee involved has shown negligence in the operation of the vehicle, apparatus or specialty trailer or violation of TFD policy
3. The employee involved was under the influence of substance(s) taken into the body in any form, which impaired his/her mental faculties and/or physical performance, including alcohol and controlled substances
   a. This does not apply to a person who used prescription drugs as directed by a physician or dentist, provided such use does not endanger the employee or others

Question 5

Quorum. The minimum number of ARB members who must be present in order to proceed with an ARB ruling. For the purposes of this document, that number is _______________.

Answer 5

four (4) voting members plus the ARB Chair.

Question 6

Define reviewable Incident.

Answer 6

Any incident wherein it is determined that the action and/or inaction of TFD personnel may have been the cause of the accident.

Question 7

Working Days. For the purposes of this document, a working day is defined as _________________.

Answer 7

Monday through Friday, 0800 to 1700 hours, excluding holidays.

Question 8

What is the purpose of the ARB?

Answer 8

to emphasize safe driving practices by TFD personnel in both emergency and non-emergency situations.

Question 9

What accidents shall the ARB investigate and rule on?

Answer 9

All accidents involving TFD apparatus, vehicles and specialty trailers.

Question 10

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety or his/her designee shall review and classify all accidents involving TFD vehicles, apparatus and/or specialty trailers as one of the following:

Answer 10

a. Collision
b. Incident
c. Deliberate Occurrence L.D. (Line of Duty)

Question 11

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety or his/her designee shall further classify accidents deemed to be incidents as one of the following:

Answer 11

a. Road Hazard
b. No Fault
c. Unfounded
d. Vandalism
e. Reviewable

Question 12

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety or his/her designee shall refer the following accident classifications to the Accident Review Board for further action:

Answer 12

a. Collision
b. Reviewable incident
c. Deliberate Occurrence L.D. (Line of Duty)

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety, at his/her discretion, also may refer to the Accident Review Board any accident that falls under one of the other incident classifications.

Question 13

The Accident Review Board shall make one of the following rulings for each accident reviewed:

Answer 13

a. Unpreventable
b. Preventable
c. Chargeable-Preventable

Question 14

The ARB shall:

Answer 14

a. Meet, when necessary, on the second Wednesday of each month
b. Consider all available information
c. Issue a written decision for each accident
i. If the ARB determines that a spotter or other crewmember caused or contributed to the accident and subsequent damage, a ruling may be issued to that individual in addition to, or in lieu of the driver involved
d. Send a copy of the written decision to the Fire Chief for a final ruling
e. Send a copy of the final ruling to the employee
f. Forward additional copies of the final ruling to:
i. The employee’s Battalion Chief or Supervisor
ii. The appropriate Deputy Chief
iii. The employee’s personnel file
iv. City Risk Manager’s office

Question 15

The ARB shall be composed of:

Answer 15

a. The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety (Chair)
b. Representatives from TFD Administration (voting members)
c. Representatives from IAFF Local #31 (Labor) (voting members) d. TFD Incident Safety Officers (non-voting members)
e. Observers from City Safety (non-voting members)

Question 16

The number of voting members designated by Labor should equal the number of voting members selected by Administration.
True or false?

Answer 16

True. In no case shall the number of voting members designated by Labor be less than the number of voting members selected by Administration.

Question 17

What if The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety is absent?

Answer 17

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety may designate another representative from TFD Administration to serve as ARB Chair in his/her absence.

Question 18

What happens in the event of a tie vote?

Answer 18

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety or his/her designated Chair shall function as the tie breaker in the event of a tie vote.

Question 19

What if the employee does not agree with the ruling?

Answer 19

An employee may appeal the ARB and/or Fire Chief ruling to the City’s Fleet Safety Committee by submitting a written appeal, in IDC format, to the City’s Risk Management Office within 10 working days of receipt of the ruling in accordance with the guidelines set forth in City of Tacoma PMP 716.

The Fleet Safety Committee shall than review the appeal and issue a written ruling to the employee with a copy to the Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety.

Question 20

The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety or his/her designee shall distribute copies of the Accident Appeals Board ruling as follows:

Answer 20

a. The employee’s Battalion Chief or Supervisor
b. The appropriate Deputy Chief
c. The employee’s personnel file
d. City Risk Manager’s office
e. Fire Chief