By Martine M. Wolfe, PIO

MOUNT PLEASANT, South Carolina (June 20, 2006) – Mount Pleasant Fire Department will participate in a Safety Stand Down exercise on June 21-23 to emphasize vehicle safety and physical fitness – two leading causes of firefighter line of duty deaths. Following a moment of silence for fallen firefighters, Mount Pleasant Fire Department personnel, mindful of sobering statistics, will learn to increase their safety on the job.

“The average age of a firefighter killed in the line of duty nationwide last year was 46 years old,” said Assistant Fire Chief Herb Williams. “Out of 106 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2005, 26 died in vehicle accidents and 48 died of a heart attack. These preventable deaths only stress the need to educate our firefighters to the dangers inherent with their position. In 2005, the State of South Carolina recorded one fatality in the line of duty, but one fatality is one too many.”

Safety officer Leon Lantagne will focus the stand down exercise on emergency vehicle safety including seatbelt usage, safe driving through intersections and roadside safety. “The impetus to get in the truck and drive to the scene of the fire without a moment to lose is anchored deep in the heart of every first responder,” said Lantagne. “However, we must remind every firefighter that no matter how bulky and heavy the bunker gear is they must remember to buckle up. The few additional seconds needed to fasten a seatbelt can save a firefighter’s life.” Lantagne added that since 1984, motor vehicle collisions have accounted for 20-25 percent of all firefighter casualties. Only 21 percent of firefighters were wearing seatbelts prior to the collision.

The exercise will stress defensive driving techniques under both emergency and non-emergency conditions, particularly as they relate to intersections. Apparatus can be used and angled on the roadway to create a physical barrier between the work area and approaching traffic. The training will also provide firefighters with tools and methods to establish a secure work area, to release the scene back to normal operation and wear appropriate protective apparel.

The safety stand down will also address physical fitness. Last February, more than 97 Mount Pleasant firefighters wearing weighed gear completed their mandatory annual physical test. A 40-lbs vest, designed to safely simulate bunker gear, tested the aerobic capacity, muscle strength, endurance and flexibility of firefighters male and female, ranging from 21 to 53 years old. “Physical fitness remains at the forefront of the department’s agenda,” added Williams. “Mount Pleasant Fire Department began the pilot testing last year and a year later, the great majority of our firefighters have completed the test in less time and beaten their record. This test is required of all personnel that are issued bunker gear and have an opportunity to be involved in fire mitigation.”