Dr. Burton A. Clark, Training Specialist at the U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Programs, has a mission. He has been preaching the importance of eliminating the unnecessary risk of seatbelt non-use by firefighters for a number of years. "Getting killed or injured is not part of the job," he insists. Dr. Clark points out that while overall line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) have been reduced drastically in recent decades through education and enforcement of safety policies, completely preventable traffic fatalities continue to occur.
Dr. Burton A.
Clark, U.S. Fire Administration
Already in 2007 three firefighters have died in motor vehicle crashes while on duty. These deaths may have been prevented with a seat belt. Traffic accidents are the third leading cause of LODDs for career firefighters, after sudden cardiac death and injuries incurred on a fire site. For volunteer firefighters, traffic accidents are the second leading cause. Not wearing a seat belt is a factor in most of these firefighter vehicle-related fatalities and can be a factor in tens of thousands of injuries yearly.
"There is a very easy thing to do to save lives: buckle up."
— Dr. Burton A. Clark, U.S. Fire Administration
"All firefighters, having responded to just a few civilian car accidents, know firsthand the importance of wearing seat belts," says Dr. Clark, a former assistant fire chief of Laurel, Md. He explains that most firefighters buckle up when off-duty, and make sure family members do too." But the story is different when it comes to responding to alarms. Many firefighters tell him they don't buckle up then, because, they say, "'We must be fast or people are going to die.'" But that logic falls apart when firefighters themselves get injured or die in the name of speed. They cannot respond if they're in the hospital—or worse.
Dr. Clark feels that fire service "seat belt culture" must change. "We ignore our own safety rules and regulations when we ride without using a seat belt," he says. That's why he started the Seat Belt Pledge in 2005 and dedicated it to Brian Hunton, who suffered a fatal fall from his ladder truck on a sharp turn as it responded to a fire. The Seat Belt Pledge is Dr. Clark's way of going beyond talking about seat belt safety to having firefighters take an active step toward shifting their own culture. To date, he has collected over 10,000 signatures. You can do your part by downloading and signing the pledge today, then sharing it with the rest of your department.
Sign Today
Dr. Clark wants one million firefighters, from rookies to chiefs, to make the pledge to always wear their seatbelts. Then, he says, "We can turn these statistics around." The pledge is simple:
I, _______, pledge to wear my seat belt whenever I am riding in fire department vehicles or any moving vehicle. I further pledge to ensure that all firefighters riding with me wear their seat belts.
For more information, and to take the seat belt pledge yourself, visit the National Seat Belt Pledge Web page.
