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Can More Be Done to Reduce Firefighter Injury?

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Applying Occupational Psychology to the Fire Service

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Abstract

This chapter explores the ‘Moment of Choice’—the moment of firefighter decision-making in action. A Human Factors analysis of firefighter injury sustained during emergency response operations is presented, based on evidence provided by English Fire Services throughout 2015. The findings presented establish that competent, professional, and experienced firefighters are more likely to be injured in the operational domain of the Fire Service, some on repeated occasions. For the most part, firefighters will be injured in the relatively inert environmental conditions of the daytime hours. The majority of injuries will be associated with fires but not directly with firefighting or search and rescue. In addition, for the first time, a Human Factors analysis shows that injury is likely to result from the attention failures of automated behaviour and mistakes in task activity. The implications of using Human Factors analysis for error management and injury reduction in Fire Services is re-evaluated based upon insights presented.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    On 1st April 2016, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Services completed a merger becoming Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Prior to which, from 2005 to 2016 there were 46 FRSs.

  2. 2.

    Known as the Whole-Time Duty System (WDS) and relating to Firefighter, Crew Manager and Watch Manager roles. The shift patterns of more senior roles are based on a Flexible Duty System (FDS).

  3. 3.

    For many years known as the Retained Duty System (RDS), now including a mix of off duty WDS staff, more likely to be referred to as On-call Duty System (OCS).

  4. 4.

    The former employing FRS of the researcher was excluded to avoid a conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Bill Gough

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  1. Bill Gough
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Correspondence to Bill Gough .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Coventry University , Coventry, UK

    Thomas Rhys Evans

  2. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Gail Steptoe-Warren

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Gough, B. (2019). Can More Be Done to Reduce Firefighter Injury?. In: Evans, T., Steptoe-Warren, G. (eds) Applying Occupational Psychology to the Fire Service. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14588-0_5

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