Base's Fire Department gains Safe Site recognition

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio. --  An organization at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base seeking to achieve status with the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), as conferred by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is one step closer in the application process, as the base fire department, 788th Civil Engineer Squadron, has been named a local VPP Silver Safe Site Organization through the Commander's Challenge Program.

The internal program prepares base organizations to make their VPP application to OSHA and is organized into three levels: bronze, silver and gold. The fire department has achieved the silver level at all three of its stations.

VPP recognizes employers and workers in the private industry and federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and health management systems and maintain injury and illness rates below national Bureau of Labor Statistics averages for their respective industries. In VPP, management, labor and OSHA work cooperatively and pro-actively to prevent fatalities, injuries and illnesses through a system focused on hazard prevention and control; work-site analysis; safety and health training; management commitment; and employee involvement.  

William Neitzke, 88th Air Base Wing director of safety, said that rather than top-down or enforcement safety, the fire department's achievement reflects an employee, union and management philosophy that safety begins in the workplace.

"People identify issues and they work together to correct them to improve safety standards within the workplace," Neitzke said. "It's good for the employees; it's good for the management; it's good for everyone involved."

Base Fire Chief Jacob King said: "Safety is paramount and to achieve silver status for all three fire stations is outstanding, particularly given that firefighting is a high-injury career field.

"Every aspect we could do to change our culture and reduce our injuries was pursued. When we have one person sustain an injury, it affects everybody, including the families of those who may need to work overtime to cover for the injured person."

King credits union president Roy Colbrunn, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local F88, with being "fully engaged and excited about the program, and the first to present the program to management."

The department achieved bronze status in October of 2013, now has silver and hopes to achieve gold level by April this year, he said. "Once we get to the gold level, we'll start preparing for an OSHA visit to go for VPP STAR status."

The fire department's management considers its 87 employees as its greatest tool, King said.

"They are multi-functional, multi-disciplined people. They are firefighters, EMTs or paramedics, HAZMAT technicians and rescue technicians where they do water, vehicle, confined space, structural/trench or rope rescue. We can shift gears to respond to any demand placed on us from an emergency event," King said.

Keeping such valuable assets safe and healthy is key, he added, to the department's preparedness and response capabilities.

King pointed to the following example of a safety concern addressed due to an injury sustained by a department member: A firefighter stepped off a fire truck while holding onto a handrail. As his feet touched the smooth, slippery floor, he tore his rotator cuff in his shoulder and was out of his position for six months.

Another firefighter suggested rubber mats be purchased and placed alongside the parked trucks to reduce slippage injuries. It's worked well, King said.

To enhance safety efforts, a review board analyzes injuries to possibly change future outcomes, he said.

Anyone can stop an unsafe act on the installation, King pointed out. The fire department has helped prevent a number of potential injuries from situations its members observed as they have been moving about the base, involving trenching and construction projects.

"Every one of our employees feels engaged enough to stop an operation or call the base safety office to intervene or conduct an investigation," King said. "We're significantly engaged with base safety to try and help every base organization, VPP-related or not, because we know an injury is so significant to every organization.

"Every member is a warfighter, whether they are a military member, civilian, contractor or visitor," King said. "Any injury to that capability is a significant loss we feel we shouldn't have. We're trying, from our side, to do everything we can to prevent that."