Last month, a cadet was killed during a live-fire training drill in Baltimore. In the many newspaper articles about the incident, replace “Baltimore” with your department's name. Find the names of the chief, the training officer and the cadet and replace them with your own personnel. Is the resulting “story” unrealistic? It couldn't happen in your department? I'll bet Chief William J. Goodwin Jr. thought that, too.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation recently concluded its second National Line-of-Duty Death Prevention Summit in Novato, Calif. Attending were 225 leaders of fire and emergency services organizations and associations, along with NFFF staffers and surviving family members of fallen firefighters. The purpose of this meeting was to review the original 16 Life-Safety Initiatives, determine whether the fire service had improved on them and establish the next steps.

Since Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in 1992, the NFFF has created an amazing array of programs to honor fallen firefighters and support their families. It is led by Ron Siarnicki, one of the most passionate executive directors in the industry.

The NFFF is currently planning to take its mission on the road with a Whistle-Stop Tour across the United States, visiting 20 metropolitan cities in five weeks to raise awareness of firefighter safety and public-education efforts. The tour will begin April 5 and travel through May 12. Check the NFFF Web site at www.everyonegoeshome.com/whistlestop for more details.

When the U.S. Fire Administration established goals of reducing line-of-duty deaths by 25% within five years and 50% in 10 years, I received a number of e-mails from chiefs across the country who had done the math. There are over one million firefighters across the country and more than 100 die each year: If 50% die from heart- or stress-related illness and 25% in accidents while responding or returning, only 25% die in actual fires. The chiefs wrote to say the percentage is surprisingly low for a profession with such risks.

I was surprised by their argument and responded that one preventable firefighter death was one too many. After sitting through this second summit and listening to a broad range of people representing associations, organizations, chiefs and survivors, I have a few questions:

• What if this is as low as the number will go? Is potential loss of life an acceptable job hazard?
• If more than 50% of the firefighter deaths are from heart- or stress-related illness, is the U.S. fire service prepared to stop at-risk individuals from being firefighters?
• If volunteers are dying in their own vehicles, and you take away their blue lights or send them home for not buckling their seatbelts, who's going to answer the calls?

One of the break-out groups suggested that fire chiefs ask their departments to define the word “hero” and determine if unsafe behavior is acceptable. Other groups asked: When do we stop giving out awards for dangerous actions? When will manufacturers focus on safe practices rather than how to make products faster and stronger so firefighters can test those products' limits? What about fire prevention? Everyone had an opinion: Take off the flashing lights, put the turnout gear and SCBA in an outside compartment, and make drivers stop at stoplights.

In my notes from the first NFFF summit in Tampa, I found a report submitted to Siarnicki in September 2003 by Chief Ron Kanterman, on behalf of the National Fire Academy Alumni Association. The report was a compilation of ideas and suggestions to assist in preventing LODDS. Among the 36 pages of suggestions from across the country, there was not one suggestion that we haven't heard before or doesn't fall under the 16 Life-Safety Initiatives.

I'm looking forward to searching for the term “fire chief” in the summit's initial report because it looks like the chief is the target of a lot of action steps. Are you ready? I don't think this is a situation where you can find-and-replace “chief” with “firefighter.” When the media starts shoving microphones and tape recorders, they'll be looking for you to provide answers.

It's time to find the problem and replace it with a solution.