Topics
Driving Safety and Situational Awareness
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Situational awareness while operating motor vehicles, ATV/UTV, heavy equipment, etc is as important etc as it is on the fireline. As can happen from entrapments, deployments, burnovers or cardiac emergencies, firefighters can be, and are, injured or killed while operating vehicles on wildland fire assignments.”
In 2008, there were 17 incidents with two fatalities involving motor vehicles, engines, dozers, and other heavy equipment reported to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Safety and Health Working Team Safety Gram. Another incident with individuals directing traffic during suppression operations resulted in 2 more fatalities.
For more information on serious accidents involving motor vehicles refer to the Safety Gram website at http://www.nwcg.gov/teams/shwt/safetygram2.htm
Web Resources for Driving Best Practices
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov, contains current information on Traffic Safety/Occupant Issues that includes injury prevention and driver performance. The "Hot at NHTSA" button will take you to current safety bulletins.
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National Safety Council (NSC) website, at http://www.nsc.org, contains a bullet on driving that contains articles on driver safety, cellular phones and driving, and safety awareness. The NSC's two defensive driving courses Defensive Driving: The Professional Way and Defensive Driving: The Best Offense can be ordered on line for $1.60 per copy. Go to More on Defensive Driving under the Training heading on the home page.
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Iowa Highway Safety Management System website, at http://www.iowasms.org/reports/toolbox.htm, contains a toolbox of driving safety information including Increasing Driver Safety Awareness, Increasing Seat Belt Usage, Preventing Drowsy and Distracted Drivers, and Curbing High-Risk Driving Behaviors.
- "National Incident Operations Driving Standards"
http://www.nwcg.gov/teams/shwt/DrivingStandards2004.pdf - Six minutes for safety - Driving Safety
http://www.nifc.gov/sixminutes/dsp_discussion.php?id=172 - Secured Cargo Video (1 minute)
http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/php/library_card.php?p_num=0867%202V02
(username and password t-d) - Winter Driving Tips (1 minute)
http://www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_tips/winter_preparation.html
http://www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_tips/sideways_skids.html
http://www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_tips/driving_to_conditions.html - Wildlife and the road (1 minute)
http://www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_tips/Wildlife.html
