Firefighter Safety and Health Section
What we do...
Improving firefighter safety and health by working
cooperatively with our constituents through guidance, resource, investigation, inquiry and inspection.
Guidance –
- We assist fire departments in safety compliance and procedure issues.
- We answer questions from our citizens regarding rules, regulations and procedures regarding firefighter safety.
Resources –
- We acquire firefighter safety information through research, experience, investigations, networking and safety organization membership.
- Information is disseminated through print, electronic media, presentations, seminars, courses, conferences and speaking engagements.
Investigations –
- Severe or fatal injuries or substantiated complaints will be investigated and report generated identifying facts, findings and recommendations.
- The purpose of an investigation is to identify the cause or causes that contributed to the occurrence, how to avoid reoccurrence and if a compliance inspection is warranted.
Inquiries -
- Informal inquiries are used for less than severe or fatal injuries.
- The purpose of an inquiry is to identify cause and discover injury trends (11 to date).
- Inquiries are the cornerstone of our pro-active approach to safety and are shared both state wide and internationally.
Report injuries or fatalities to 352-427-4401
Any fatality or an injury requiring a hospitalization period greater than 24 hours must be reported to the Division of State Fire Marshal within 4 hours of the occurence.
Inspections –
- Inspections determine compliance with rule established safety procedures and requirements.
- Inspections result from an investigation, being a severe or high frequency of injury fire department, by fire department request or from a substantiated complaint.
- We work with the department balancing the desire for compliance and safety with the realities of time and resources.
The Safety Field Representatives establish contact with Fire Departments in their assigned territory. They perform informal visits to:
Assist in improving their safety, engaging personnel requiring safety committees and helping departments attain compliance with state safety requirements.