NEAFC 32nd Annual Conference.pdf - New England Association of ...

ENGLAND ASSOCIATION oF FIRE CHIEFS
is nothing. Without training_: his health is in constant jeopardy , because he
slips up on the important things that matter at the scene of a file.
. " That training does not mean a period of six months, before he goes into the
fire service; it is a matter of constant training. It is something that you Chiefs
have talked about many times. It is a continuous program, in order to keep
these training programs at the peak of their ei~iciency, and thus. reduce the
hazards of health that go With poor training and poor maintenance of individuals..
,_
And again, the question of equipment comes up, from the personal and,
from the safety standpoint.
When I first started fighting fires, twenty years ago, the respiratory
equipment consisted of a ]?ace mask, which was actually nothing more than a
dust mask. We now have respiratory equipment, asbestos suits, adequate
helmets, coats .and boots. Those thing are so important , and can mean so
much in reducing the disability in your own departments.
We now come to two things, that many of you will not agree with me
about, things that I am looking at from the standpoint of the non-chief,
rather than the Chief.
First o£ all, there is the absolute necessity ]?or the re-assignment of people
who are found unable to carry out the arduous jobs. required in active firefighting.
In a large fire-fighting organization, that is. of no real significance. You
can take a Captain or a Lieutenant out of his. Company and put him on the
switchboard or something like that, or the Fire Alarm Headquarters, or put
him On inspections, and thus give .him a job that does not involve very active
work.
In a small department, it is a very significant ’problem, and one that
has to be evaluated in the light of the local conditions.~. However, if at all
possible, re-assignment should be carried out, periodically, as necessary, and
as based on physical examination of the individual and his performance at
first. The re-assignment should carry no loss in grade or rank; yet, it is incurred
as a result o£ fire-fighting activity. And it is important to take these
people who are found wanting on physical examination, and place them in
jobs where they can do a good job ~and still not become disabled. It i~ much
cheaper in the long run, to take a man off his active jbb, and put him on a more
sedentary one, than to lose the man entirely. By losing one by occupationa!
disability, you lose not only the money .involved in a pension, but you lose a
well-trained man who should be of value to you.
The subject of retirement is a sore one, particularly among the chief ofricers.
The reason for that many of you have put in fifteen, twenty or thirty
years in a department. It is hard ]?or you to realize that you are getting pa.st your
thirties, and it may be time for you to retire. Gentlemen, this is. a personal
thing, as far as you are concerned. But, take my advice, and go. to your
]?amily doctor, or to your Department surgeon, and have him check
over to see whether you have heart or lung disease; see whether you
?eally capable of maintaining the state of health that is necessary for your job,
’ Now, it i~-diificult for you ~o ~rbaliz~, I kno~:, that you may not be capable,
~h_ysically or~ mentally, of_carrying, out your work ;__ but, somebody’s opinioli
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