Personal Injury News

Fire Departments Encouraged to Stand Down

EMMITSBURG, MD - The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Preparedness Directorate, enthusiastically endorses the 2nd International Fire Fighter Safety Stand Down. The 2006 Stand Down calls for all fire departments in the United States and Canada to suspend all non-emergency activity and focus entirely on firefighter safety.

Last year in the United States, thousands of firefighters were injured while on duty. Worse, 115 firefighters died in the line of duty, and 25 of those deaths occurred in emergency vehicle-related accidents. The purpose of the Stand Down is to call international attention to these unacceptable numbers of line-of-duty injuries and deaths and to dedicate one full day to the safety of firefighters. This year, emphasis is being put on emergency vehicle safety, with particular emphasis on driving through intersections and the use of seatbelts.

"USFA acknowledges the significant efforts of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section of IAFC," said Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson. "These people not only recognize that firefighter safety is a critical issue, but they work together and with folks like the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and nearly 20 other fire service organizations to provide ways for departments to get actively involved in decreasing unnecessary injuries and preventing needless deaths."

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	Did You Know?
	There are four general types of slip and fall accidents Trip-and-fall accidents, where there is a foreign object in the walking path. Stump-and-fall accidents, where there is an impediment in the walking surface. Step-and-fall accidents, where there is an unexpected failure or hole in the walking surface Slip-and-fall accidents, in which the interface of the shoe and the floor fails Both the property owner as well as the injured person can be held to varying degrees of responsibility for an injury.