Fire Thought For The Day 003
Common Denominators
Some of you have heard me ramble on about common denominators on near miss and tragedy incidents. Why do I constantly harp about these? The answer is very simple. The common denominators speak volumes. There have been several studies conducted, their findings are consistent. Below are a few key ones to think about and remember.
- The fire was small or a small part of a larger fire.
- Steep slope was involved.
- Unexpected erratic winds, changing winds.
- No regard for the Fire Weather Indices.
- No regard for predicted potential fire behavior.
- Just before the event happened, the fire did not seem threatening in any way, or the fire was in the late stages (mop up). Then something changed very quickly and unexpectedly.
- Over confident attitudes.
- Action with no safe anchor point.
These are just a few. Think about ways to prevent these things from happening in the future. Don’t let complacency be the rule. Don’t say that it only happens some where else. It has happened here. Let’s not relearn, over and over again. Let’s learn from the past.
One of my very learned mentors once told me: “Strive for perfection. You know that no one is perfect. Perfection is unattainable. However, if we try to strive for perfection, we will truly do our best.” Try to be the best that you can be.
Perhaps we can go for years and never have anything bad happen. Sometimes a person can work their entire career without serious incident. Remember, it only takes once, and it can happen in a heart beat.
Ask your self, when was the last time I witnessed extreme fire behavior? When was the last time I was on a fire of any kind? Have I fought fire in all fuel types, in all types of terrain, under all types of weather conditions? Do I look at the fire weather indices when they come in? Do I know what the numbers really mean? Do I really know what kind of fire behavior I can expect for today’s burning period?
Perhaps your answers will lead you to reexamine your practice of the past. Perhaps your answers will lead you to change the way you think about fire. Perhaps your answers will lead you to gather more knowledge.
Perhaps your answers will lead you to practice.
This is your life. You get one chance. This is your people’s life. This is their one chance. Think about that for a while. It is never too late to change the way we think and do things. Start today to become the best that you can be. Your life and the lives of your people may depend on the decisions you make in the future. Don’t let production overshadow safety. To quote Justice K. Peter Richards from his review of the Westray Mine Disaster of 1992 where 26 people lost their lives: “Never let the Risks out weigh the benefits.”
Until next time, above all else Stay Safe! Tex
Common Denominators
Some of you have heard me ramble on about common denominators on near miss and tragedy incidents. Why do I constantly harp about these? The answer is very simple. The common denominators speak volumes. There have been several studies conducted, their findings are consistent. Below are a few key ones to think about and remember.
- The fire was small or a small part of a larger fire.
- Steep slope was involved.
- Unexpected erratic winds, changing winds.
- No regard for the Fire Weather Indices.
- No regard for predicted potential fire behavior.
- Just before the event happened, the fire did not seem threatening in any way, or the fire was in the late stages (mop up). Then something changed very quickly and unexpectedly.
- Over confident attitudes.
- Action with no safe anchor point.
These are just a few. Think about ways to prevent these things from happening in the future. Don’t let complacency be the rule. Don’t say that it only happens some where else. It has happened here. Let’s not relearn, over and over again. Let’s learn from the past.
One of my very learned mentors once told me: “Strive for perfection. You know that no one is perfect. Perfection is unattainable. However, if we try to strive for perfection, we will truly do our best.” Try to be the best that you can be.
Perhaps we can go for years and never have anything bad happen. Sometimes a person can work their entire career without serious incident. Remember, it only takes once, and it can happen in a heart beat.
Ask your self, when was the last time I witnessed extreme fire behavior? When was the last time I was on a fire of any kind? Have I fought fire in all fuel types, in all types of terrain, under all types of weather conditions? Do I look at the fire weather indices when they come in? Do I know what the numbers really mean? Do I really know what kind of fire behavior I can expect for today’s burning period?
Perhaps your answers will lead you to reexamine your practice of the past. Perhaps your answers will lead you to change the way you think about fire. Perhaps your answers will lead you to gather more knowledge.
Perhaps your answers will lead you to practice.
This is your life. You get one chance. This is your people’s life. This is their one chance. Think about that for a while. It is never too late to change the way we think and do things. Start today to become the best that you can be. Your life and the lives of your people may depend on the decisions you make in the future. Don’t let production overshadow safety. To quote Justice K. Peter Richards from his review of the Westray Mine Disaster of 1992 where 26 people lost their lives: “Never let the Risks out weigh the benefits.”
Until next time, above all else Stay Safe! Tex
Safety First...........Good advice for everyone.
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