Firefighter Safety Culture

About NSCCI

The National Safety Culture Change Initiative (NSCCI) was developed to advocate for the need for culture change for health and safety within the fire service. This effort is led by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

NSCCI will identify:

• Individual behaviors that adversely impact firefighter safety and health
• Organizational factors that adversely impact firefighter safety and health
• Strategies to mitigate these effects
• Organizational leadership and personal responsibility are critical in creating the culture change needed in the fire service to promote firefighter safety.

Learn more about the need to advocate for a culture change

Overview of the NSCCI

Instructor-led NSCCI Training Materials

Instructors are being provided with full course materials to be able to deliver the National Safety Culture Change Initiative program within their organizations. This canned program will enhance an Instructors ability to teach this program.

• Introduction to the National Safety Culture Change Initiative NSCCI course presentation
• Educational Plan for the National Safety Culture Change Initiative (NSCCI) course outline

Featured Resources

• NFFF – Vulnerability Assessment Program

Equipment Procedures and Standards

• Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting
• Standard on Emergency Services Work Clothing Elements
• Standard on Protective Ensemble for Proximity Fire Fighting
• Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Services
• Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems
• Emergency Services Respiratory Protection

Health and Safety

• Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISM): Benefit or Risk for Emergency Services?
• Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Process for the Los Angeles County Fire Department
• Dealing with PTSD in the Fire Service
• Everyone Goes Home/Fire Life Safety Initiative
• Financial Compensation for Mesothelioma Victims
• Impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on Firefighters
• NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• NIOSH Interactive Maps
• Mesothelioma Help
• Mesothelioma Hub: Safety Tips, Guides, and Information
• Mesothelioma Trust Fund
• Rescuing the Rescuer: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• USFA Health and Wellness Resources

Leadership

• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Clean Air Act
• Clean Water Act
• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
• Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
• Fire Brigades
• Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard
• Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
• Oil Pollution Act
• Respiratory Protection

Management and Supervision

Accountability

Procedures

• Fire and Emergency Services Organization Risk Management
• Fire Procedures
• Guide to Building Fire Service Training Centers
• Guide for Emergency Medical Services and Systems
• Lab Fire Procedures
• Recommended Practice for Fire Service Training Reports and Records
• Recommended Practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents
• Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer
• Standard for Fire Service Respiratory Protection Training
• Standard for Providing Fire and Emergency Services to the Public
• Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System and Command Safety
• Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program
• Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions

Equipment

Recruiting

• Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials
• Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials

Recruiting Standards and Guidance

• Guide for Training Fire Service Personnel to Conduct Dwelling Fire Safety Surveys
• Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications
• Standard for Fire Service Professional Qualifications Accreditation and Certification Systems
• Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver / Operator Professional Qualifications
• Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications
• Standard for Training Fire Service Rapid Intervention Crews
• Standard for a Fire and Emergency Service Vehicle Operations Training Program
• Standard on Training for Initial Emergency Scene Operations
• Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments
• Standard on Health-Related Fitness Programs for Fire Department Members
• Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Ops and Training Exercises

Situational Awareness

• Guide to the Fire Safety Concepts Tree

Training and Education

• Firefighter Safety Through Advanced Research (FSTAR)
• LA County Training Services Section
• NYU-Poly Fire Research Group
• Modern Fire Behavior
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)

Vehicle Operations

• CVVFA/Emergency Responder Safety Institute
• IAFF Best Practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety
• IAFF Improving Apparatus Response and Roadway Operations Safety
• USFA Materials on Vehicle Safety

NSCCI/Safety Culture and Climate

USFA’s Traffic Incident Management Systems

In partnership with the USFA, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) conducted at study on Emergency Incident Rehabilitation which developed the USFA document –) Emergency Incident Rehabilitation as well as power point presentation materials on this topic which may be accessed on this web site where they may publicly accessed for use in the format and information presented without changes.

Training Courses and Opportunities

USFA has numerous Emergency Vehicle Safety and Roadway Operations Safety Web based educational programs. Included in this:

USFA and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), supported by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) / National Institute of Justice (NIJ), partnered on a project to publish Best Practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety. The document serves as a basic guide for all firefighters and law enforcement officers to improve their level of safety at work. It discusses training, policy development, education, and technology to enhance emergency vehicle and roadway safety operations.

Best Practices for Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Operations Safety expands on a previous IAFF/USFA training project: Improving Apparatus Response and Roadway Operational Safety in the Career Fire Service. This comprehensive program which includes both instructor and participant guides discusses critical emergency vehicle safety issues such as seatbelt use, intersection safety, roadway operations safety on crowded interstates and local roads, and driver training. As a result of this course, emergency responders will be able to apply basic strategies to safeguard their health and safety while responding to and returning from an incident and while operating on roadways.

Working with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), USFA developed the Guide to Model Policies and Procedures for Emergency Vehicle Safety, a comprehensive web-based educational program aimed at reducing the impact of vehicle related incidents on the fire service and the communities they protect. It provides in-depth information for developing policies and procedures required to support the safe and effective operation of emergency vehicles in the fire service, as well as privately-owned vehicles.

To create a safer operational environment for firefighters by increasing awareness about the performance of modern construction components and technology during fires, USFA worked with the American Wood Council (AWC) to provide an updated educational program for the fire service on modern construction components and technology: (first item). This web-based program consists of:

FireFrame (2013), an interactive tool developed with the assistance of state and local fire training agencies that provides information on the structural use of traditional and engineered wood products in modern construction.

Woodaware.info (2013), a website with information about modern building components, including trusses, structural glued laminated timber beams, I-joists, structural composite lumber, structural insulated panels, and wood structural panels.

Modernfirefighting.com (2013), a portal to contemporary information on topics associated with fireground operations. Included are an indexed listing of subject matter experts on fire performance of building construction and contents and a field guide containing best practices adopted by fire departments throughout the United States.