The National Firefighter Near-Miss Reporting System is asking what motivated its participants to submit their reports. Eighty-three percent of the firefighters answered that their motivation was to help another firefighter.

The Frankfort (Ill.) Fire District received the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Safety Leadership Award at Fire-Rescue International for its dedication and use of near-miss reports to continue a safety conscious department. “I have faith that in receiving this award our department will be encouraged to continue the use of the near-miss program as well as encourage other departments to start utilizing the program,” Chief James M. Grady III said.

The encouragement from departments such as Frankfort Fire District is spreading all the way to countries such as Hong Kong. At FRI, near-miss staff members met with representatives from the Hong Kong Fire Department to share their experiences with the near-miss Web site. “We are learning valuable lessons from the American fire service and we want to mimic the near-miss program to promote fire and emergency safety within our own departments,” said a member of the Hong Kong Fire Department.

Although a large percentage of users attribute their submissions to wanting to help another firefighter, the remaining percentages also demonstrate the value of encouragement and persuasion amongs fire and emergency personnel. The influence of progressive officers is evident, as is the dedication of the fire service's safety officers.

For more information and near-miss reports, visit www.firefighternearmiss.com.