A recent editorial in Command Post, our weekly e-newsletter, referred to the the accident photo in Fire Chief in which a 34-year-old Stone Park, Ill., firefighter was killed. (See May, page 24.) It was an editorial written in frustration over the fact that something as easy as a click of a seatbelt could have prevented that fatality.

The response from readers was divided into two-thirds exclaiming, “I am so sick of preventable firefighter fatalities!” and “Not wearing a seatbelt is inexcusable!” and the like, and one-third asking, “Who would not impose buckled seatbelts?”

According to the NFPA's annual study of firefighter fatalities, 105 firefighters died while on duty in 2003. Among those deaths, 37 firefighters died while responding to or returning from alarms, compared to 29 who died on the fireground. The study also found that 33 of the cases of firefighters dying in crashes involved speeding, alcohol and unbuckled seatbelts.

Other statistics show that the majority of crash fatalities were volunteers responding in their own vehicles, but judging by what I've seen in some metropolitan departments, unbuckled career firefighters just may be luckier.

Enough is enough. It's time to call in the big guns: IAFF President Harold Schaitberger, NVFC Chair Phil Stittleburg and IAFC President Ernie Mitchell, what are you doing to stop these preventable line-of-duty deaths?

When I first interviewed Schaitberger nearly four years ago after he was first elected, I asked him if he endorsed the use of seatbelts. Absolutely, he said. Why isn't it part of the IAFF/IAFC Wellness/Fitness Initiative? He didn't realize it wasn't. As the most powerful man in the IAFF, if Schaitberger said “jump,” the union members would jump; if he said “strike,” they'd strike. Why isn't he saying “buckle up” and backing it with some muscle?

Stittleburg is a lawyer in his day job, so he should know what kind of liabilities a fire chief, officer and department face when a firefighter is killed or injured because he or she failed to adhere to the SOPS or safety procedures in a department. As one reader wrote, “The inquiries and lawsuits from a firefighter death go on for years.” As does the grief of losing a loved one. So why aren't these policies strictly enforced?

Which brings me to Mitchell. As the leader of the IAFC, does he need to end his speeches to chiefs with a pointed message because some are not enforcing safety and wellness? What will incoming IAFC President Bob DiPoli say to his members about preventable deaths?

That's just three organizations. If, for one year, the leaders of each of the 78 fire service organizations carried the message that health and safety are everyone's responsibility, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation might see a drop in its workload. If every state and every county fire chiefs association asked its members to commit to enforcing safety rules, how many lives might be saved?

We recently received a newspaper clipping of the funeral of the two Pittsburgh firefighters who were killed in a church fire on March 13. In the funeral procession there were several firefighters with black armbands standing on top of a moving fire truck holding on to the aerial. Well-intentioned, but not safe. With all the officials in attendance, didn't anyone think to stop them?

We're concerned with the number of fatalities, but is anyone keeping track of the non-fatalities? Can you imagine the numbers of injuries involved in incident response?

In a discussion with an apparatus manufacturer, he explained that safety is a major concern as a work-related injury involves lost time, the employee's family, medical costs and worker's compensation. At his workplace, he said, “Wearing safety glasses is a condition of employment. If you do not wear safety glasses, you will not be employed here.”

You're probably thinking, here she goes again: same old song, different words. Maybe your department follows the rules and you, as chief, are a stickler for health and safety, but I bet you know of a department that does not. Tell the chief, the officers and the firefighters.

It's time to speak up and say, “Shame on you.”