STATter 911

Read the complete 27-page "Review of the 26 Rosedale Drive Incident-May 15, 2007".

STATter 911 first heard last week that 2 volunteers from the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department had recently been reinstated (one is no longer a driver, the other had remedial training ordered) after 3-month long suspensions.

You may recall that STATter 911 first reported on May 16th there were concerns about career/volunteer issues at a house fire, a day earlier, on Rosedale Drive. Specifically there were questions over water supply and the use of a saw that cut through the gear of a career firefighter.

The independent report on the incident is out. STATter 911 has a copy and you can read it by clicking the link at the top of this entry.

The Free-Lance Star also has details in its story, including reaction from Stafford County Chief Rob Brown and Stafford VFD Chief John McDonald.

Below, is the report's cover letter that Chief Brown sent to County Administrator Steve Crosby, and Deputy County Administrators Anthony Romanello and Mike Neuhard (former Fairfax County fire chief). In it, Chief Brown explains how he is addressing the issues brought up by the report:

Date: August 15, 2007

To: Steve Crosby, County Administrator

cc: Anthony Romanello, Deputy County Administrator
Mike Neuhard, Deputy County Administrator

From: Rob Brown
Fire and Rescue Chief

Subject: Rosedale Fire Incident Review

Attached is the Final Report on the Rosedale Drive Incident (Rosedale Report). First, I would like to thank Chief Paul Mauger and his review team from Chesterfield County Fire and EMS for their assistance in reviewing this incident. I have been the subject of some internal criticism for asking for an outside review. However, at this juncture in the development of our county fire and rescue system, I felt an outside review was vital in validating or dismissing my ongoing concerns related to training, standardization, command and safety. Additionally, I felt an outside review would prove beneficial in dispelling any claims that the disciplinary actions taken by the Department thus far, in an attempt to hold personnel accountable and redirect unsafe behaviors, are serious efforts to change the culture of freelancing within the department.

On September 19, 2006, I addressed the Board of Supervisors regarding my concerns about training, standardization, command and safety in the wake of numerous citizen complaints regarding operations at a residential structure fire on Marquis Court. At that time, I discussed changes needed in the fire and rescue system, and in the enabling ordinance that created the Fire and Rescue Department and the position of County Fire Chief. These issues still plague the progression of our system and are root causes of findings throughout the Rosedale Report. As I stated in the discussions regarding the Marquis Court Fire last September and as stated by the Rosedale Report review team, “attitude” regarding safety, change and authority is the root cause of most of the serious operational infractions, and will lead to a catastrophic event if not changed immediately.

In addressing the specific incidents that occurred at the Rosedale Fire that lead to my request, the Rosedale Report affirms that the actions related to the failure of the Engineer on the second-due Engine to supply water to the first-due Engine was a violation of Department policy, and the results could have been “catastrophic”. Additionally, the Rosedale Report affirms that the incident involving the rotary saw was a “very serious event that had the potential for fatal results”, citing that “it is always the responsibility of a tool operator to control the tool”. However, inadequate situational awareness on the part of several personnel contributed to this incident, and some responsibility must be borne by the officer of the crew and the affected firefighter that received the damage to his protective clothing from the saw. Corrective action is being taken to address these serious issues. Since there was no evidence of malice noted in either of these actions, immediate steps are being taken to re-train and re-engage those firefighters who were suspended pending the results of this review.

Other issues identified during the review that are equally serious. The blatant disregard for safety, department procedures and freelancing has not been tolerated in the past, and will not be tolerated in the future. It is this attitude that has led to incidents such as those outlined above, and it has been the discipline applied by the Department in correcting these attitudes that has resulted in criticism that I am just “picking on the volunteers”. Make no mistake about it, safety is paramount and we insist on compliance across the board - - career and volunteer. Discipline for both career and volunteer personnel has been applied consistently and equally.

Many of the observations made by the Review Team serve to affirm the issues previously identified and currently being dealt with by the department. Efforts have been underway for some time to address the ongoing concerns related to training, standardization and command and control - - all of which have a major impact on safety and operational effectiveness. For instance, the Fire and Rescue Department initiated bi-monthly Command Training, and has a formal procedure and practice in place for conducting Post-Incident Analysis (PIA). However, certain volunteer command officers have failed to attend training, and individuals central to the incident have failed to participate in such reviews. This reflects the “attitude” identified in the Rosedale Report and, in the interest of safety and operational effectiveness, will be the subject of future disciplinary actions up to and including removal from operational service.

I recognized that safety was not a core value in the county following the rollover accident involving an Engine Company where all of the firefighters on board were not wearing seatbelts, and we have taken steps to ensure seat belt compliance, driver safety education, improved protective clothing (PPE) and procedures requiring mandatory PPE use. Enforcement of these efforts is often looked at as “heavy handed”, but as reflected in the report, a “zero tolerance policy should be in place for any member of the organization who does not adhere to safe work practices”. Operational safety practices such as Two-In/Two-Out, and Rapid Intervention Teams are in place, but rarely initiated in the time frame required, due to low staffing issues in the county. Strict adherence to these policies would result in a large increase in property loss. Calculated risks are undertaken that I am not comfortable with under our current Command and Control structure.

To further demonstrate our prior commitment to safety, the Department has in place a Risk Management Review Board that I appointed on September 26, 2006 made up of the following individuals:

Roger Sutherland, Chair FRD Command Staff
John MacDonald Fire 2
Kevin Good Fire 1/Rescue 11
Mark Doyle Fire 4
Patricia Copeland Rescue 9
Chris Green Rescue 9
Dave Stewart Fire 1/Rescue 11
Darrell English Rescue 1
Brian Thompson IAFF Local 4012
Joe Grainger IAFF Local 4012
Charlie Freeman FRD Command Staff
Carol Atkinson Stafford County Risk Management (Ex- officio/Advisor)

In order to address the remaining issues, I plan to move forward immediately with:

Complete Fleet and Equipment Standardization – this will address the issues regarding equipment related training and deployment identified in the report. Standardization will be dovetailed into training. No additional resources will be needed to accomplish this task.

Elimination of individual Fire and/or Rescue Company training programs and implementation of a county-wide training program and performance standards under the auspices of the Fire and Rescue Department Training Division – This will address the various training issues that were identified related to operational effectiveness, command and control and incident safety. This type of training program was first proposed by the Fire and Rescue Department in FY06 but was unable to be funded. Training is only as good as the person who delivers it. Additional resources, both human (Instructor/Trainers) and physical (Drill Grounds/Burn Facility), will be needed to “stand-up” a first class training program that can be operated days, evenings and weekends to accommodate both volunteer and career personnel. In order to accomplish this task, a cadre of volunteer and part-time instructors will be selected, certified and paid within the constraints of the adopted FY08 Fire and Rescue Department budget and through cost-recovery obtained through class/course fees charged to attendees from outside the Stafford County fire and rescue system.

Establishing one command structure that recognizes all operational command personnel, volunteer and career, as officers in the Fire and Rescue Department at the certification level that they achieve through certification, examination and testing – This will address the issues surrounding effective command and control at emergency incidents, and adherence to the federally mandated and Board of Supervisors adopted National Incident Management System. This will not eliminate the ceremonial ranks that may be bestowed upon officers within the volunteer fire and rescue companies. However, those ranks will no longer carry operational authority. No additional resources are needed.

This process will begin in the first week of September through appointed work groups made up of our stakeholders. Through collaborative efforts, I am confident that our system can embrace the change necessary to take the county’s fire and rescue system to the next level.

Thank you.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:30 PM