Firefighters reviewing safety issues

Mike Hochard is an “extraboard” firefighter with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical – a rookie of about six months who hasn’t yet made it to full-time status.

Still, he’s got enough experience to know that an emergency call could go wrong at any time.

“You’ve got the procedure down so you can do this blind,” Hochard said Monday. “We’ve got safety officers that are watching the overall scene. But it’s easy to get tunnel vision.”

It’s been 19 years since the last Lawrence firefighter died in the line of duty, but firefighter deaths across the nation are on the rise this year – 58 deaths by the start of May, up from less than 50 by the same point in 2004.

That’s why local firefighters this week are joining their brethren across the country in a “stand down,” during which they temporarily give up nonemergency duties – inspections, tours and the like – for refresher courses in safety.

Deputy Chief Mark Bradford said the department was using the stand down “to ensure we’ve got our heads on straight and ensure we’re ready to perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the country.”

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Capt. Pat Talkington, second from right, discusses safety issues with paramedic and firefighter Brandon Holloman, seated right and Lt. Jim Saladin, standing right. Firefighters are taking a break this week from usual activities to concentrate on safety issues and training. Talkington spoke with fire and medical personnel Monday.

He added: “We’re still running emergency calls and that type of thing, but we’ve modified our daily activities; we are having some training.”

Lawrence firefighter Mark Blair was the last to die on duty, in 1986, while combating a house fire in southwest Lawrence. Severe injuries, Bradford said, have been rare in recent years.

“We’re fortunate that we haven’t had any serious injuries, as well as deaths, in a number of years,” Bradford said. “We do have, I think, probably a similar percentage of injuries to anywhere that has a lot of outside activities, strenuous activities.”

To continue that record, local firefighters spent their shift Monday reviewing procedures to keep safety equipment in good shape, maintain physical fitness and even park fire trucks correctly.

The stand down continues through Wednesday.

“I think, every so often, it’s good that firefighters can reflect on the things they’re doing in their profession,” Bradford said, “just so we don’t become haphazard, and that we do really look at it as a professional effort to do better in what we’re doing to reduce injuries and loss of life.”