2022 ANNUAL REPORT-Final

61

EMERGENCY SERVICES

EM

Safety Office

The Safety Office is comprised of one Captain and three Lieutenants that are assigned to the Emergency Services Section of DFRS. Each Lieutenant is assigned to one of our 3 shifts. There are also identified Lieutenants on each shift who are specially trained to serve as back-up Safety Officers, so we are able to have a Safety Officer on-duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Safety Officer functions as part of the command staff within the Incident Management System (IMS) at emergency incidents of all types county-wide. Responsibilities of the Safety Officer on the scene of an incident include monitoring emergency operations, evaluating changing conditions, and hazards such as air quality, structural integrity, unsafe work practices, crew integrity, and provide guidance on environmental conditions and work/rest cycles. They also monitor for regulatory compliance at hazardous materials and technical rescue incidents. The safety office responded to 601 incidents in 2022. In addition to their emergency incident duties, the members of the safety office are responsible for the following day-to-day tasks within the Division: • Serves as the Divisions representative on the county’s risk management team. The team works collaboratively to ensure that the county’s risk management plan is implemented and complied with. This includes performing routine inspections of fire and rescue stations with the county’s insurance carrier meant to maintain a safe and healthy workplace for the Divisions career staff and volunteers. • Oversight of health and wellness initiatives and programs for the Division. This includes annual physicals and respirator Fit Testing, cancer prevention, injury prevention and the Divisions O2X human performance program, which provides onsite health, fitness and wellness resources to our firefighters and recruits. • Investigating vehicle collisions and incidents involving fire rescue apparatus. The development and delivery of remedial training and education to improve performance and instill safety awareness. The safety office investigated and filed reports for 103 vehicle incidents in 2022, this is down from 112 the previous year which is a 10% reduction in collisions. • Investigating career employee and volunteer injuries. Following up with Risk Management and the county’s workers compensation carrier to ensure injured personnel receive the necessary medical treatment and follow-up care. This includes coordinating care between the county’s contracted medical providers, specialists, and giving testimony before the states Workers Compensation Commission. The safety office investigated and filed reports for 137 injuries in 2022 this is down from 200 the previous year which is a 30% reduction in injuries and illnesses. • Serving as Certified Managers for the County’s employee drug testing program, which includes random, post-accident and post-injury testing. • Representing the Division on various committees and groups such as the county’s Safety Committee and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Safety and Health Committee.