The fire service needs a cultural change to dramatically reduce firefighter line-of-duty deaths. The prevailing attitude that accepts losing an average of 100 firefighters a year as “normal” needs to change.

That's number one on a list of 16 initiatives identified in an initial report on the Firefighter Life Safety Summit organized by the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation in Tampa, Fla., in March.

The summit was a first-of-its-kind gathering of more than 200 fire and emergency service representatives from more than 100 organizations and departments nationwide. The NFFF organized the summit as the first step in a major campaign to reduce firefighter LODDS.

“The summit was the first step in our mission to significantly reduce firefighter fatalities,” said Chief Ron Siarnicki, NFFF Executive Director. “The American fire service is now united under a common goal, and with that determination, energy, and focus we will make progress, one firefighter's life at a time.”

In cooperation with the USFA, the NFFF has established the objectives of reducing the firefighter fatality rate by 25% within five years and by 50% within 10 years. The USFA and NFFF issued an initial report on the results of the summit on April 14, listing the agreed-upon initiatives to reach these milestones.

The initial report expounds on each of those initiatives. Of the need for cultural change, the report said, “The summit participants unanimously declared that the time has come to change our culture and our expectations.

“Within the fire service we all feel the pain with the loss of each individual firefighter, but we have come to accept the loss of more than 100 firefighters each year as a standard expectation. As long as we continue to accept this loss, we can avoid or delay making the radical and uncomfortable adjustments that will be necessary to change the outcomes. We have to convince everyone in the fire service that a line-of-duty death is not a standard expectation or an acceptable outcome.”

The NFFF held a follow-up summit at the Phoenix Fire Department's headquarters on April 15 to discuss an implementation plan. Another document is expected to provide more specifics for fire department leaders who wish to take part in these initiatives. The initial report is available online in two formats, along with a PowerPoint presentation, on the NFFF Web site at www.firehero.org.