The U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Fire Fighters have announced the launch of an emergency vehicle safety program designed to instill firefighters with a greater awareness of safety issues when riding on fire apparatus and operating at emergency roadway scenes.

Although injuries and death sustained by firefighters during collisions involving apparatus are among the easiest to prevent, of the 106 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2005, 26 were the result of emergency vehicle accidents. In fact, emergency vehicle accidents are the second leading cause of on-duty firefighter deaths.

"Fire departments have an obligation to adopt and enforce standard operating procedures that improve firefighter safety," said Charlie Dickinson, acting U.S. fire administrator. "This program discusses critical emergency vehicle safety issues, including seatbelt use, intersection safety, roadway operations safety on crowded interstates and local roads, and driver training."

IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger added, "Every firefighter must take responsibility for his or her safety, as well as watch out for and stop any unsafe actions. This emergency vehicle safety program provides basic strategies for improving safety during vehicle and roadway incident operations, and also addresses the need for a cultural shift in mindset in order to practice safer driving."

A PowerPoint presentation of the program can be found at the IAFF Web site.