Author's Note: Hello, again, and welcome to my little corner on the Fire Nuggets site – "Risky Ramblings." Right off the bat, a sincere “thank you” for all your efforts over the last couple of months with all the wildland fires around California. As of this morning (July 22, 2008) the 2,000 fires that you were addressing are now down to 33. For all of you who participated in any way – either in this great state or as a support person someplace else – thanks so much. 

My monthly effort on this great web site is entitled “Risky Ramblings.” If you have been to any of my live lectures over the last four decades – or if we have met in any other forum, you are aware that my focus in life is managing risks – "recognizing” them," "prioritizing” them and then "mobilizing" – acting up front to prevent problems from occurring. 

The whole Risk Management process starts with the “recognition” component. This can be done in a number of ways, but one of the easiest is to do an “actuarial” risk assessment. In essence, if we study data, where do problems occur? Your “data” analysis should not be limited to that experienced by your department – there are thousands. In fact, there are more than 30,000 other fire departments in America that are doing essentially the same job you do.  Whether you are big or little, part time or full time, combination or volunteer, there are a lot of other agencies that “look like you” in terms of demographics, community and types of calls received. All of these agencies accumulate data. You can learn a lot from the study of all of that accumulated data. If you look at enough “data,” you can learn where the lawsuits will come from, which incidents are destined to embarrass you and your department, and how your personnel will get in some form of “trouble.”

Of paramount concern to anyone viewing this website or reading this “rambling” is firefighter safety. There is a ton of “accumulated” data available that is very telling on how and where firefighters will get hurt or killed. And you know the “data” as well as anyone does regarding cardio issues, vehicle operation concerns and building issues. These are o concern, but not my focus today.

If you study these data, you will learn that occasionally firefighters are murdered. Of course, September 11, 2001, will be forever imbedded in our minds (although too many people have already forgotten about that tragic event seven years ago), where 343 of your brave peers were brutally murdered. And I hope that sooner rather than later someone on a position of power recognizes that this number – 343 – is just the tip of the iceberg and that many thousands of other firefighters will die as a result of this incident from diseases now “lying in wait” inside the bodies of those who responded to this murderous tragedy.

Having said this, it is indeed a rare event that a firefighter is murdered – they are indeed very isolated events. And in many of these events, which are generally fewer than one a year, the murder was perpetrated by another firefighter (too many of them involving dating and sexual relationships) or a family member of the murder victim. My point is this: it is very rare that criminals murder firefighters. This type of tragedy occurs very frequently to your brothers and sisters in law enforcement – with somewhere around half of their LODD’s being murder.

Recently, however, this rare event of a firefighter murder occurred in Missouri. Twenty-two-year-old Ryan Hummert of the Maplewood Fire Department was murdered. It was a cold-blooded murder as he responded with other firefighters and police officers to a vehicle fire endangering a structure. You have read (or can read) all of the details regarding this tragedy in any of the Missouri news sources, but it was truly a cold-blooded murder.

About 20 years ago – when I first got involved in the study of your profession and how I might be able to benefit you with my Risk Management background, I put together some thoughts regarding firefighter safety with respect to this issue – external assaults on firefighters. These thoughts were incorporated into action plans during the “civil unrest” (a.k.a. riots) following the Rodney King verdicts in Los Angeles in the early '90’s. I regularly address these issues during my live lectures, but perhaps it is timely that I restate some brief thoughts regarding this issue using this popular forum, Fire Nuggets.

Here are some thoughts for you to consider and to discuss with your crew:

Today – Get to know the cops who work in your area of responsibility. Don’t waste your time impressing them with your knowledge of HazMat and EMS and lightweight truss construction or any of that stuff which is only important to you. Talk to them about areas of mutual concern. While this is not the focus of this piece, talk to them about the importance of communications during roadway events. Too many “misunderstandings” (read: sheer idiocy) are occurring during this type of event. But I am digressing here. Talk to them about the violence going on in the community – particularly the active street gangs near your station. Know who the players are and what they are capable of. Perhaps it would benefit you and your agency to even participate in some “ridealongs” with the cops and get their view of your community. I worry a lot about “workplace violence” events that you respond to when there is still an active shooter on scene. I worry about “school” incidents, and I worry a whole bunch about a “Beslan”-type event.  If you have not read the book Terror at Beslan by John Giduck, this needs to be a “must read” ASAP. And I worry a lot about the criminal street gangs that plague too many of our communities.

Today – Training, Training, Training. Again, get those “nuggets” of information about the “external risks” that are present in your community — the Who, What, Why, When, Where, How and How Many issues — and discuss them regularly. Learn how these gang members dress, where they hang out, when they are most active, why they do what they do and what sets them off. BTW, these gangs come in all races and even sexes; so don’t suffer from any “bias” up front and don’t limit your thinking as to what the risks are. And please don’t think: “This will not happen here.”  Remember, the City of Maplewood probably looks a lot like your community.

While en route to a call – Know where you are and where you are going, and keep your senses tuned for the “risks” that are out there. Find out if the cops are in route, and perhaps communicate with them while “en route” regarding what is really going on at the given location. Always be aware of your surroundings, and if something smells bad (not in the way you usually use your olfactory senses), it probably is bad. Make sure your communication equipment is working, and listen to what is being said. 

While on scene – Watch the crowd that may be forming at or near the location of your call. Think about tactics (other than the standard fireground tactics) during your “size-up” work. And while this may sound like overreaction, keep at least one person facing “the other way” to see what is going on behind you and your operations all the time.

Finally – I sure hope that today you will print a copy of this piece and "fill in the blanks." You know much more about your community and the risks involved in your operations than I ever will. Discuss this, critique it, and put in all the things that you think I omitted. Remember, things that go wrong in life are oftentimes predictable and thus preventable. There is very little you can do to prevent someone from intentionally killing a cop or a firefighter. If someone in your community is bent on behaving badly – they are going to pull it off. But don’t make it easy for them.  Forewarned is forearmed. 

Anyhow, just some ramblings on risk for your consideration. Take care and be safe.