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John Bierling Speaks on
Keeping Emergency Personnel Safe
 Retired
Fire Chief John Bierling, a 40-year veteran of the fire service, has a
passion for presenting the message of emergency responder safety. After
surviving a three-month drug induced coma, he strongly believes that
every day is a gift and that people should celebrate life every day.
Currently, John travels throughout the country educating emergency
personnel about incident management and leadership.
Mr. Bierling challenged conference attendees with the following
questions: “Are we still killing our people as we respond to scenes?”
and “How can we change that?” He expressed the importance of
intersection and roadway safety using several attention-grabbing videos
and photos demonstrating what happens when caution is not taken to
protect those responding to emergency calls.
One point of the presentation was that “fire fighters responding to a
call should respond as though someone is trying to run them over”
(Chicago fire chief) and that everyone should always be prepared. Mr.
Bierling also discussed the importance of training department personnel
in safety and building a line of communication with law enforcement so
that a community plan is already in place on the occasion that multiple
agencies must respond.
John Bierling expressed how important the use of seat belts is in saving
the lives of fire fighters and EMS personnel when accidents occur.
“Nothing happens if we don’t arrive safely,” he pointed out. He also
pointed out that emergency units should stop at all stop signs and red
lights before proceeding.
Statistics for 2005 that Mr. Bierling shared—such as 15,885 collisions
involving emergency apparatus, 1100 fire fighter injuries, and more than
3,000 intersection accidents—bore out his message. He directed attendees
to the Fire Fighter Close Calls website where the latest incidents are
reported.
Outlined in Mr. Bierling’s presentation were several guidelines for
ensuring safety, including:
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Don’t rely on
warning devices.
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Scan intersections
for possible hazards.
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Slow down
significantly before an intersection.
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Change siren
cadence no less than 200 feet from an intersection.
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Scan an
intersection for all possible turning options and avoid oncoming
lanes, if possible.
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Consider coming to
a complete stop when you can’t account for all lanes of traffic.
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Establish eye
contact with other vehicle drivers at an intersection.
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Always approach the
intersection one lane at a time.
With Mr. Bierling’s presentation, everyone in attendance was definitely
made aware of the importance of “protecting your most valuable
asset…your emergency personnel.”
Article by: Heather
Houston and Christy Ryland
Photos: AFC Staff
2/12/007
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