Short-Term Objectives:

Primarily focus on behavioral change, based on Life-safety Initiatives 1,2 & 4, which in essence advocate for cultural change at all levels as it relates to health & safety, improving accountability for health and safety and the empowerment of all employees to feel secure in speaking up and stopping unsafe practices (National Fallen Firefighters Foundation [NFFF], 2014). What does this look like where the rubber meets the road?

• Engage key stakeholders from throughout the organization through outreach and focus groups and provide education regarding occupational cancer
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop culturally competent messaging that encourages/markets behaviors recommended by FFCSN & the IAFF that include such things as: 100% exhaust extractor use, showering after a fire, using wipes to remove soot on face/neck at the scene of a fire, washing hood and/or entire ensemble on a weekly basis, wearing SCBA throughout incident and being cognizant of apparatus exhaust flow paths and bunkers on the app floor.
• Create a cadre of “SDFD Health Ambassadors” who in large part are comprised of informal leaders, firefighters who “have been there and done that” who communicate leaders intent by spreading the health & wellness message through one-on-one work, small-group meetings and modeling of healthful behavior. Ideally the message comes from the top and bottom, as long-lasting cultural change will come from firefighters wanting to engage in healthful behaviors, because they understand the “why” and the “how”, rather than simply having to do it because the “Chief says so”.
• Develop and implement a curriculum to be taught at the Fire Academy and recurring training addressing occupational cancer and the actions employees can take to minimize risk.
• Develop and implement a plan to evaluate effectiveness of interventions. Behavioral change will likely prove challenging in a culture that prides itself on 200 years of tradition unaffected by progress, however encouraging behavioral change is the crux of this program, as numerous high-impact, low-cost, behavioral targets of opportunity exist that stand to reduce risk significantly. Historically, numerous health promotion campaigns have fought similar uphill battles and succeeded, based in large part on perseverance coupled with the right message and messengers, resulting in countless lives being saved. Examples include: smoking cessation campaigns, condom use to slow the spread of HIV transmission, seatbelt use, and closer to home, the use of SCBA’s and RIC teams, both of which were unheard of just 30 years ago. 

Recent research published in the Journal of Research in Organizational Behavior is worth reading (see appendix), as its applicability to our organization’s goals in terms of health & safety is remarkable. Researchers studied the “macho” culture of offshore oil platform workers who lived and worked together for weeks at a time in a highly competitive, high-risk environment, where ego was king and getting the job done at all costs was the underlying organizational message, creating a culture where safety was an afterthought (Ely & Meyerson, 2010). In order to foster cultural change, organizational health & safety initiatives were embraced and implemented at all levels (Ely & Meyerson, 2010). Workers adopted a culture of inclusiveness and a philosophy of collective good where humility was expressed openly throughout the organization. As a result, safety was enhanced, production increased and worker satisfaction improved, a win-win for all parties involved (Ely & Meyerson, 2010). While fire stations are not oil platforms, the cultural similarities are striking, lending hope to the notion that we can and will achieve positive behavioral change.