Chief Concepts Flashcards
In 1991, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) developed a class titled “Preparing the Fireground Safety Officer.” As part of the class, the FDSOA suggested the division of the safety officer title and responsibilities. A project team then worked with the National Fire Academy (NFA) to split the safety officer role into two titles: health and safety officer (HSO) and incident safety officer (ISO).
chapter 1
In the mid-1990s, the NFPA task group assigned to update NFPA 1521, Fire Department Safety Officer, rewrote the standard to reflect the HSO/ISO division, providing definitions for the roles.
chapter 1
The HSO role is primarily an administrative or managerial position, and the ISO role is an incident command staff position.
chapter 1
The title safety officer is most often associated with a fire officer who reports to the incident commander (IC) and is delegated the safety officer task at incidents.
chapter 1
The Williams-Steiger Act of 1970 established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and solidified the responsibility of employers to create safe working conditions.
chapter 1
The formalization of the modern fire service safety officer role is tied to the works of FIRESCOPE in southern California and the “Fire Ground Command” efforts of Alan Brunacini in Phoenix, Arizona.
chapter 1
The NFPA standards that affect and help guide the ISO include NFPA 1561 (requirements, duties, and responsibilities) and NFPA 1521 (qualifications).
chapter 1
he U.S. fire service still averages more than 100 line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) annually.
chapter 1
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has made a reoccurring recommendation that fire departments ensure that a separate ISO, independent from the IC, be appointed at each structure fire to prevent LODDs.
chapter 1
Firefighter injury estimates cite approximately 69,000 per year and show a gradual decline. Unfortunately, fire ground-related injuries have not declined even though the number of fires has.
chapter 1
Firefighter injuries and deaths seriously affect the work-place through stress. Workplace activities, investigations, public perceptions, and family lives are all affected by the stress of the event.
chapter 1
The ISO is a “hazard MEDIC.” Responsibilities include monitoring the incident environment and activities, evaluating current and potential hazards from a risk-versus-gain perspective, developing preventive measures for forecasted hazards, intervening when immediate or potential threats exist, and communicating urgent and advisory safety messages.
chapter 1
The IC is ultimately responsible for the safety of all responders working an incident. Nonetheless, all fire service members operating at an incident should have the responsibility to be aware of their immediate environment and communicate observations of hazards that can injure unsuspecting teammates.
chapter 1
National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS): An incident response system developed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group.
chapter 1
National Incident Management System (NIMS) An incident response system developed by the Department of Homeland Security.
chapter 1
