PRINTER'S NO. 2467
No. 397 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY SOLOBAY, DeWEESE, BELARDI, BELFANTI, COHEN,
BALDWIN, BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES, BUNT, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI,
CAUSER, CAWLEY, BAKER, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, DENLINGER, DONATUCCI,
J. EVANS, FLEAGLE, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH,
GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARHART, HARRIS, HENNESSEY, HERMAN,
HERSHEY, KIRKLAND, KOTIK, LEDERER, MAJOR, MANDERINO, MANN,
McGILL, McILHATTAN, S. MILLER, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PALLONE,
PAYNE, PETRI, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, RAMALEY, READSHAW, ROBERTS,
ROSS, RUBLEY, RUFFING, SAINATO, SANTONI, SATHER, SAYLOR,
SCAVELLO, SEMMEL, SHANER, SHAPIRO, B. SMITH, SONNEY, STABACK,
R. STEVENSON, TIGUE, WALKO, WILT, WOJNAROSKI AND YUDICHAK,
JULY 2, 2005
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JULY 2, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Supporting Firefighter Life Safety Summit initiatives.
2 WHEREAS, For more than 286 years, since the first municipal
3 fire truck in this Commonwealth was purchased in Philadelphia,
4 our Commonwealth's firefighters have dedicated their lives to
5 ensuring the safety of their fellow citizens and communities;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, Throughout our Commonwealth's history many
8 firefighters have died in the line of duty, leaving behind
9 family members and friends to grieve their tragic losses; and
10 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has lost 225 firefighters in the line
11 of duty since 1981; and
12 WHEREAS, Fires do not distinguish between career and
1 volunteer firefighters; and
2 WHEREAS, These volunteer and career firefighters served with
3 pride and died with honor; and
4 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania consistently ranks first or second in
5 the nation in the number of firefighters who die in the line of
6 duty; and
7 WHEREAS, Such casualty statistics reflect that firefighter
8 safety can and must be improved within this Commonwealth; and
9 WHEREAS, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is
10 dedicated to preventing future firefighter deaths and injuries;
11 and
12 WHEREAS, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation convened
13 the first-ever Firefighter Life Safety Summit in March 2004 to
14 support the United States Fire Administration's goal of reducing
15 firefighter fatalities by 25% within five years and 50% within
16 ten years; and
17 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire
18 Commissioner participated in the Firefighter Life Safety Summit
19 and supports the goals and initiatives agreed to by the summit;
20 and
21 WHEREAS, The Firefighter Life Safety Summit developed the
22 following 16 initiatives to significantly reduce firefighter
23 fatalities and injuries:
24 (1) Define and advocate the need for a cultural change
25 within the fire service relating to safety, incorporating
26 leadership, management, supervision, accountability and
27 personal responsibility.
28 (2) Enhance the personal and organizational
29 accountability for health and safety throughout the fire
30 service.
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1 (3) Focus greater attention on the integration of risk
2 management with incident management at all levels, including
3 strategic, tactical and planning responsibilities.
4 (4) Empower all firefighters to stop unsafe practices.
5 (5) Develop and implement national standards for
6 training, qualifications and certification, including regular
7 recertification, that are equally applicable to all
8 firefighters based on the duties they are expected to
9 perform.
10 (6) Develop and implement national medical and physical
11 fitness standards that are equally applicable to all
12 firefighters based on the duties they are expected to
13 perform.
14 (7) Create a national research agenda and data
15 collection system relating to the initiatives.
16 (8) Utilize available technology wherever it can produce
17 higher levels of health and safety.
18 (9) Thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities,
19 injuries and near misses.
20 (10) Ensure that grant programs support the
21 implementation of safe practices and mandate safe practices
22 as an eligibility requirement.
23 (11) Develop and champion national standards for
24 emergency response policies and procedures.
25 (12) Develop and champion national protocols for
26 response to violent incidents.
27 (13) Provide firefighters and their families access to
28 counseling and psychological support.
29 (14) Provide more resources for public education and
30 champion it as a critical fire and life safety program.
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1 (15) Strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of codes
2 and the installation of home fire sprinklers.
3 (16) Make safety a primary consideration in the design
4 of apparatus and equipment;
5 and
6 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire
7 Commissioner, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Fire and
8 Emergency Services Institute and the National Fallen
9 Firefighters Foundation, has developed and is delivering a
10 training program entitled "The Courage to Be Safe...So Everyone
11 Goes Home"; therefore be it
12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives support
13 initiatives developed by the Firefighter Life Safety Summit and
14 the mission of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the
15 United States Fire Administration and the Pennsylvania Office of
16 the State Fire Commissioner to reduce firefighter fatalities and
17 injuries; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives support
19 implementation of "The Courage to Be Safe...So Everyone Goes
20 Home" to establish firefighter safety as a priority of this
21 Commonwealth.
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