Upper Pine River Fire Protection
District To Participate in the
2007 International Fire and EMS
Safety Stand Down
Bayfield,
Colorado, June 2007……..
The
Upper Pine River Fire Protection
District will be participating
in the 2007 International Fire
and EMS Safety Stand Down, being
held the week of June 17-23,
2007. The Stand Down is
sponsored by the International
Association of Fire Chiefs
(IAFC), the International
Association of Fire Fighters
(IAFF) and the Volunteer and
Combination Officers Section
(VCOS) of the IAFC.
“We are looking forward to
participating in the Stand
Down,” said Upper Pine Deputy
Fire Chief Randy Larson, “Even
though UPRFPD has had an
excellent safety record in the
past, it is important to take
the time to focus on safety
issues as they pertain to
firefighting and emergency
services so that we can continue
with the safety record and
protect our firefighters. Our
goal is that Everyone Goes
Home”.
The Stand Down, themed “Ready to
Respond”, will focus on
preparing firefighters and EMS
personnel for their daily duties
by reviewing their training and
the proper use of equipment to
ensure safe response, mitigation
and return from all emergency
situations. Failure to remain
cautious can cause routine
activities to become hazardous,
as has been shown in the many
fire service and emergency
medical service line-of-duty
deaths and injuries.
Deputy Chief Rod Richardson
stated that “the fire service
has lost EMS personnel as well
as fire fighters, and in most
cases it has been the result of
intersection collisions and
rollovers responding to calls.
All emergency services personnel
need to be constantly alert and
aware of potential dangers.”
In
2006, 105 firefighters died in
the line of duty; already this
year, 26 have been lost. The
purpose of the Stand Down is to
reduce these deaths and injuries
by calling attention to safety
practices and improving them.
Stand Downs have been used by
the military for years to
correct issues that have been
identified as a problem
throughout the ranks. Chief
Graeber began incorporating the
“Stand Down” program into Upper
Pine River Fire Protection
Districts’ training last year
and we hope to continue
participating for many years to
come.
For more information, please
email
Deputy
Chief Larson
or call (970)884-9508
