WASHINGTON, D.C. — The long-term and very costly problems resulting from the high line-of-duty death and injury rate of America's firefighters will be analyzed in the next PERI Virtual Symposium, which will take place September 22-October 3 in PERI's online Symposium Center at www.riskinstitute.org/symposium. The program is free and open to all.
Despite the concerted effort of every national fire service organization over the past several years to reduce these tragic statistics, significant reductions have not occurred. To bring a new focus on these costly human and financial burdens, PERI has asked twenty experts from a variety of disciplines and perspectives to submit papers examining and analyzing the culture, characteristics, history, policies, and safety practices of our career and volunteer fire departments. The papers will be presented in an online symposium called Reducing Firefighter Deaths and Injuries: Changes in Concept, Policy, and Practice. Such an extensive and concentrated examination of possible root causes by experts from both outside and within the fire service has not yet taken place.
During the two-week program, one or two expert papers will be presented each day. Participants who register will receive an email each morning during the program with links to the papers and other information. Participants will be able to contribute to an online discussion by posting comments, posing questions, and sharing strategies for improving firefighter safety. The expert writers range from physicians to safety trainers in non-fire occupations, from city managers to foreign fire officials where the rates are much lower, and from university researchers to leading American fire chiefs and labor officials. The full list of planned papers is available at www.riskinstitute.org/symposium.
Dr. John Granito, a highly regarded author, instructor, and consultant in the fields of fire and emergency management services, will moderate the symposium. During the two-week forum, Issues and Ideas Papers from industry experts will examine possible root causes for the high rate of firefighter line-of-duty deaths and injuries in the U.S. and discuss strategies for improving safety. Dr. Granito says that “despite the concerted effort of every national fire service organization over the past several years to reduce these tragic statistics, significant reductions have not occurred.”
According to Dr. Granito, this Symposium will “bring a new focus on these costly human and financial burdens by examining and analyzing the culture, characteristics, history, policies, and safety practices of our career and volunteer fire departments. Such an extensive and concentrated examination of possible root causes by experts from both outside and within the fire service has not yet taken place.”
The symposium is free and open to all. We encourage anyone concerned with reducing line-of-duty death and injury rates among America’s firefighters to enroll in Reducing Firefighter Deaths and Injuries: Changes in Concept, Policy, and Practice. To enroll, go to www.riskinstitute.org/symposium to fill out the short registration form. Registration is not required; however, only registered participants will receive Symposium emails each morning of the two-week-long program.
About the Public Entity Risk Institute
The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) is a nonprofit research institute that develops risk management education and training resources for local governments, school districts, small businesses, nonprofits and others. PERI’s website serves as a clearinghouse and library with information on a wide range of topics including disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; public health and safety; land use and planning; environmental liability; risk financing and insurance; technology risks; and workers’ compensation. PERI also operates a national performance measurement and benchmarking database known as the PERI Data Exchange, which allows local governments to compare liability and workers’ compensation data with their peers and identify strategies to reduce losses and control costs. To learn more about publications and services available from PERI, go to www.riskinstitute.org.
