Emergency Vehicle Operations Unit I It Can

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Emergency Vehicle OperationsUnit IIt Cant
Happen Here..Can It?
Dave Denniston Loss Control Training Specialist
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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Unit 1
• Objective The apparatus operator will be able to
  describe and list the causes of emergency vehicle
  accidents.

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Emergency Vehicle Operations
Total LODD vs. Responding/Returning SECOND
LEADING CAUSE OF LODD
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USFA Report

• Motor vehicle collisions accounted for
  of all emergency related LODDs

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Highlights from 2004
• Three (3) firefighters were killed when fire
  apparatus backed over them
• Four (4) firefighters were killed in falls from
  fire department vehicles.
• Seven (7) deaths involved the crash of the
  firefighter's personal vehicle

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Occupational Fatality Rate Per 100,000
Source Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Line of Duty DeathBy Duty- 2006-2009
USFA
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Arrive SafelySave Lives

• Over 15,000 Fire Apparatus Accidents/Yr.
• 26 Increase Over 15 Years

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Number of Fire Responses
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Arrive SafelySave Lives

• 2nd Leading Cause of LODD
• gt 1,000 Firefighter Injuries/Yr.

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Arrive SafelySave Lives

• 1 Cause of Legal Actions Against Fire
  Departments

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Arrive SafelySave Lives

• 1 Cause of Criminal Actions Against Firefighters

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Arrive SafelySave Lives
Matt Schumann, Fairfield, OH. Killed a 73 year
old woman. Guilty of vehicular manslaughter. 90
days in jail, 2 yrs. Probation, 750 fine,
license suspended, 250 hours community service
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Arrive SafelySave Lives
Cory Carlton, Traverse City, MI. Killed a 28
year old woman and her 11 month old child. 2
counts of criminally negligent homicide. Lawsuit
settled for over 2.2 Million
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Fire Truck Kills Motorist
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Why 25 per Year?
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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Intersection Accident Details
• Type of Response Warning Devices Percent
  
• Emergency Lights/Siren 68
• Emergency Lights Only 8
• Emergency Neither 2
• Emergency Unknown 1

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Causes of Accidents

• Improper Backing
• Accounts for large portion of all EV accidents.
• Most Avoidable accident we have
• Easiest to prevent

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Causes of Accidents

• Urban/Suburban
• Intersections
• Racing
• Inattention
• Traffic Control Devices
• Technology

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Causes of Accidents

• Rural
• Loss of Vehicle Control
• Highway Design/Geometry
• Speed
• Apparatus Size

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Causes of Accidents

• Tanker/Tender Accidents
• 1990-2001
• 38 Fatal Incidents
• 31 Operators/11 Pass.
• 25 wheels left the road
• 21 Excessive Speed
• Over Correction
• No Seat Belts 31 of 42 deaths

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Causes of Accidents

• A Different Animal
• Weight
• 1,000 Gals. 4 Tons
• Center of Gravity
• Design
• Surge
• Operator Experience?

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Causes of Accidents

• Additional Factors
• Highway Geometry
• Road Conditions
• Level of Training

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Causes of Accidents

• Special Considerations
• Railroad Grade Crossings
• Driver error

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Causes of Accidents

• Limited Access Highways
• Traffic Volume
• High Speed
• Traffic Control
• Access

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Merging Lane Changing
D
Don't leave driviing to chance
ECISION Decide where you want to go.
I
NTENT signal your intention.
C
HECK your mirrors, lean in your seat to reduce
the blind spot.
E
XECUTE make gradual lane changes and merges.
Avoid rocking of the vehicle.
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• As the driver of the fire apparatus, what issues
  are you concerned with while merging?
• Check your left mirror, increase speed to
  overtake Black Suburban, and abruptly move to the
  left.
• Check your left mirror, signal your intension,
  identify that the silver car is traveling too
  fast and stop on the merge ramp until its safe
  to proceed.

1. Check your left mirror, signal your intension,
   ensure your speed matches the flow of traffic,
   gradually merge into traffic.

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Decision decide which way you want to
go. Intent signal your intention, let others
know what you are about to do. Check check your
mirrors, lean forward in your seat to reduce the
blind spot. Execute make your merge a gradual
one, do not perform maneuvers that cause
excessive swaying of the apparatus.
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Causes of Accidents

• Volunteer Issue
• Speed
• Disregard for Traffic Control
• North Carolina
• 80 MPH

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Causes of Accidents

• POV
• Not an emergency response
• Green lights
• 8 LODDs in 2004

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Causes of Accidents

• Driver Error
• Inattention
• Fatigue
• Distraction
• Environment
• Inexperience

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Causes of Accidents

• Intersections
• Traffic Volume
• Right of Way
• Traffic Control Device
• Siren Use
• Pedestrians
• Dangers of Crosswalks

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Impact of Vehicle Accidents
• Personnel Injury or Death to Emergency Responders
• Peripheral Injury or Death to Others
• Vehicle and Equipment Loss
• Long Term Impact
• What action may have prevented the incident

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Causes of Accidents

• Turnabouts
• U-Turns
• Two-Point turns
• Three- Point turns

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Case History
• Chicago Fire Department
• Lieutenant L. C. Merrell
• 43 years old with a wife and five children
• Assigned to Truck 24

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• 1982 Seagraves 100 foot straight, rear mount
  ladder
• 1150 hours, responding to automatic alarm in a
  residence
• Responding with red lights and siren activated
• Weather was clear and the roadway dry
• Approached a four way stop intersection and did a
  rolling stop

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Summary- The 4 Questionst responding to a True
• Was the unit responding to a True Emergency?
• Did the driver exercise due regard for the safety
  of others?
• Did the driver violate any local or state laws or
  recognized standards?
• What action may have prevented the incident

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Emergency Vehicle Operations

• Review Unit I
• Objective The apparatus operator will be able to
  describe and list the causes of emergency vehicle
  accidents