Calls involving energy sources can pose serious risks to fire fighters — yet many still lack sufficient baseline training to respond safely.
The IAFF will start filling that gap with the release of its Energy Hazard Guide in mid-June on the union’s website.
“This guide will give fire fighters the practical information needed to stay safe when answering calls involving energy hazards,” said General President Edward Kelly. “It’s one more way the IAFF is protecting members and helping keep our communities safe.”
This guide will give fire fighters the practical information needed to stay safe when answering calls involving energy hazards. It’s one more way the IAFF is protecting members and helping keep our communities safe.
General President Edward kelly
Calls involving energy carry serious risks. Fire fighters face dangers like electrocution and internal injuries, while explosions and fires threaten the scene itself. Even calls that seem routine at first can quickly turn deadly.
To develop this guide, the IAFF secured funding through an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and enlisted two subject matter experts – Seattle, WA Local 27 member Chris Greene and Cambridge, MA Local 30 member Chris Towski. They worked with IAFF staff, along with a development committee, to bring the guide together.
“We have to look at every threat to the health and safety of our members and the energy landscape presents several. This cutting-edge guide will serve as a great training tool and can be used to develop specific response plans to these types of incidents,” said 10th District Vice President Stephen Gilman, who sat on the guide’s development committee.
The guide outlines common response locations where dangerous energy sources may be present, including underground and overhead utilities, manholes, substations, public transit systems, and more.
Under each of the categories, the guide provides a list of indicators that energy risks are present, what PPE should be used, and incident management recommendations.
The guide also features several case studies to demonstrate how these recommendations might play out in real-life scenarios, such as an incident involving an underground energy conduit system in Los Angeles County.
Fire fighters were dispatched to investigate when someone reported the smell of smoke inside an office supply store. Subsequently, there were two underground explosions and a fire at the site of the second explosion.
Meanwhile, Brent Lovrein, a Los Angeles County fire fighter and Local 1014 member, attempted to enter a doorway where smoke had been reported — unaware of the explosions due to being on a different radio channel.An explosion blew the door – and Lovrein – back. He later died of his injuries.
NIOSH investigators determined that a lack of situational awareness and inadequate hazard identification were contributing factors. In this case, fire gases traveled through the underground energy conduit system, allowing them to spread between buildings.
General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma, who was part of the response team, was among those interviewed for the case study. “Looking back on what would have been a routine call, we didn’t have as much information as we do now, and that’s why I am very grateful that we’re getting into this incident again. Many lives can be saved going forward,” he said in the video.
Visit IAFF.org in mid-June to access the Energy Hazard Guide and strengthen your department’s readiness for these high-risk incidents.
