Seatbelt Safety
Reflecting on Vehicle Related LODDs and Injuries
Consider this scenario for a moment:
An alarm is sounded for a motor vehicle crash with injuries. On hearing the alarm, a 28-year-old firefighter gets into his pickup truck and begins to respond. On the way, he enters a T-shaped intersection without stopping for the stop sign. The driver of another pickup truck, traveling through the intersection with the right of way, tries to avoid a collision by braking but is unsuccessful, striking the firefighter’s vehicle on the driver’s side to the rear of the cab and causing the vehicle to spin around. The driver’s door opens as it spins, ejecting the firefighter, who is not wearing his seatbelt. Both vehicles come to a stop off the road.
The firefighter suffers severe head trauma and is rendered unconscious. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) respond and transport him to a local hospital. He is later flown to a medical center and placed on life support. He dies 13 days later, never having regained consciousness. The cause of death is listed as severe traumatic brain injury. – Adapted from the Firefighter Fatalities in the U.S. - 2007, 7/08 report.
Reflecting
How do you feel after reading this? What are your thoughts? Are you outraged? If yes, perhaps you find this scenario upsetting because the series of events that led to the firefighter’s premature death, if broken into component parts, could have yielded a different outcome. For example, would more prudent driving have prevented the collision? Furthermore, what would have happened if the young firefighter were wearing his seatbelt? Would his life have been spared?
When tragedy strikes, it is difficult for us as humans to understand, let alone accept devastating events that could have been prevented. This is particularly true when we think about fire service vehicle-related deaths.
Knowledge of how to prevent vehicle-related injuries and deaths in the fire service does not seem to carry over to our actions. As former U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade and St. Louis Rams' Quarterback Marc Bulger touted in a recent buckling up public service announcement created by Firehouse.com and Cygnus Business Media, “…buckling up should be a no-brainer for responders.” Yet each year countless firefighters are killed or injured in crashes because they were not wearing their seat belts. Already this year, Virginia’s Fire Service has lost two first responders in similar crashes. Again, the victims were not wearing their seat belts. Enough is enough!
Be the Rescuer, Not the Rescued
Simple precautionary measures could make all the difference between life and death when responding to emergencies. The two most important measures are driving safely and wearing your seatbelt. “Simply take an extra moment to buckle your seatbelt, and make a concerted effort to evaluate your driving habits to determine if you are consistently checking mirrors, and maintaining safe following distances,” said Virginia Department of Fire Programs Executive Director, W. G. Shelton Jr.
You can do it; It’s a no-brainer!
For more information about seat belt and driving safety, visit the following links:
• 60 Second Seat belt PSA
• 45 Second Seat belt PSA
• Firefighter Seat belt interview with Greg Cade
• Take the seat belt pledge
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