Technological, political, and societal changes in today’s world are constantly bringing new challenges and threats to professional fire fighters. The increased prevalence of hazardous materials, the ongoing threat of terrorism, natural disasters and frequent reductions in staffing are but a few examples. Addressing these emerging issues has taken a considerable amount of our training and operational efforts in recent years.

Ensuring that our members receive the proper training and tools to respond to and address these new problems is certainly necessary. However, we must also recognize that, with the tragic exception of the 343 FDNY fire fighters we lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the majority of the threats our members face that result in injuries and deaths are not “new” issues.

Approximately 25 percent of the annual fire fighter line-of-duty deaths in the United States occur as a result of vehicle collision or being struck by a vehicle while operating on the emergency scene. The truth of the matter is that most fire fighters are much more likely to be injured or killed in a traffic collision than they are a terrorist attack — or in a structure fire, for that matter. Yet, until recently, the fire service has done remarkably little to address this seemingly obvious problem.

Of all the possible causes of fire fighter injuries and deaths, those that result from vehicle collisions are perhaps the most preventable. Simple measures, such as safe speeds during the response, coming to complete stops at intersections, wearing seatbelts, and properly positioning apparatus at roadway incident scenes, can eliminate virtually all of these losses.

The IAFF is extremely pleased to work in conjunction with the United States Fire Administration to bring you this program on reducing vehicle-related injuries and deaths in the career fire service. By following the information contained in this program, you will make a marked improvement in the safety of our members. The prevention of injuries and deaths from vehicle-related incidents is completely within our control, and we must aggressively seek to mitigate these hazards immediately.

It’s a tired old adage, but so true, that we cannot do our jobs if we fail to safely arrive at the scene. Your health and safety is one of the central missions of your union and we are committed to working with you to address this critical issue. This program is a major step in our partnership with you.

Stay safe,

Harold A. Schaitberger

General President