Recently, I read Animals Make Us Human by respected animal scientist Temple Grandin. Her research found that lower-stress movement of farm animals in the processing plants produced better quality meat. Large corporations hired Grandin to revamp their operations.

Grandin struggled to change the stockyard culture — specifically the behaviors of experienced stock handlers who abused the animals. They had become desensitized over time and rejected Grandin's efforts to introduce new behaviors.

Grandin's experiences got me thinking: Do first responders become desensitized over time? It's difficult to think that the things responders see, day in and day out, don't have a lasting effect. But have those effects created an unsafe culture that also is resistant to change?

Last month, the U.S. Fire Administration released its report on 2009 firefighter fatalities. Last year saw 93 line-of-duty deaths, and while these are numbers are low compared to some other high-risk industries, many of the deaths last year could have been prevented.

Five years ago next month, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation hosted a summit to address the increasing number of preventable LODDs. That summit produced the 16 Firefighter Life-Safety Initiatives, which were meant to serve as a template for cultural change. And they have made — and continue to make — a difference in the fire-service culture. But that change has been slow.

How can you change the culture in your organization to be more safety conscious? Are Boston firefighters all buckling up following the January death of Lt. Kevin Kelley? Are the co-workers of the 53 firefighters who died from heart attacks having physical checkups to make sure they themselves are fit for duty?

I've spoken with human-resource managers, and they've said that organizational-culture change is one of the most difficult tasks they encounter. Behaviors — good and bad — become ingrained in the organization's culture.

But go to any bookstore or library, and you'll find volumes upon volumes on how to change the culture of an organization. Most boil down to the same three main tenets: mission, vision and values. And most of the books — including Grandin's — agree that executive support is necessary for change. Culture is learned through positive or negative reinforcements.

Of course, sometimes safety-progressive chiefs meet resistance. Last month, a California chief was admonished because he sent home a firefighter for not wearing his seatbelt. The union protested the chief's actions. Perhaps it's time for the unions to support efforts that enforce safety throughout their organizations.

Unions are supposed to ensure the quality of working environments and conditions for their members — not to serve as a "get out of jail free" institution when members do something stupid. The 16 initiatives were created so that "everyone goes home." Don't the unions understand that?

Not wearing seatbelts is symptomatic of other behavioral problems. Look closely at firefighters or EMS personnel who refuse to wear seatbelts, proper breathing apparatus or ignore other SOPs and you'll most likely find other irresponsible behavior. Stop it. Or is burying one of your own what it will take to change your department's approach to safety?

Change begins at the top. Are you chief enough to make the 16 life-safety initiatives a priority in your department?

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