N.D. Crews Study 'Courage to Be Safe' Program
Source The Jamestown Sun, N.D.
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Dec. 19--EDGELEY, N.D. -- Firefighters and other emergency rescue personnel learned about how to stay safe in the line of duty at the Courage to Be Safe program Saturday at the Edgeley Fire Hall.
"Every year, traditionally, there's been 100 firefighter on-duty deaths, and thousands ... of preventable injuries," said Rick Graba, North Dakota advocate for the Courage to Be Safe program.
Some of the deaths could not have been avoided, but the majority could have been averted.
In 2005, a conference was called to try to determine the root causes of the problem. A look at the data showed that about half the annual firefighter death toll comes from heart attacks and strokes. About 30 percent comes from vehicle accidents. A dozen firefighters a year die in structure fires.
The Courage to Be Safe program's goal is to significantly reduce those injuries and cut deaths down to a minimum. In North Dakota, it is funded by Workforce Safety and Insurance.
Saturday's session was attended by emergency personnel from all over the region, including Jamestown, Forbes, Edgeley, Oakes and LaMoure. Most were firefighters, but there were also ambulance personnel and some junior cadets, who begin training at a young age to become firefighters.
"We want the firefighters to remember whose pictures are in their wallets," Graba said. "Who do you come home for?"
The presentation focuses not on techniques, but on developing the right attitude, said Rick Jorgenson, also a North Dakota advocate for the Courage to Be Safe program.
"You have to make sure you get everything right, because you only get one chance," Graba added.
In 2010, there were 87 firefighter deaths nationwide, and there have been about 80 this year, Graba said. Prior to 2010, the last time firefighter deaths dropped below 90 was in 1993. Injuries have been dramatically reduced as well, Graba reported.
Jorgenson and Graba -- both long-time firefighters -- were assisted by Jason Enarson of the Mandan Fire Department and Clint Gilbertson of the Wahpeton Fire Department, who hope to become program advocates in the future.
The presentation began with images of families mourning for fallen firefighters, and then moved on to a discussion about tradition and experience. Sometimes tradition can be positive, leading to excellence and pride, but other times it can become an excuse for bad habits.
"This is the way we've always done it!" Graba said, parroting an excuse frequently given for sloppy safety habits.
"Sometimes our older members have a lot of experience but don't know how to move ahead with the times," Jorgenson explained.
Fires have changed, and building construction has also changed significantly, even in the past decade.
"We're always taught to respect and listen to the older firefighters. But don't listen to them today," Graba warned. "Fires used to double in size every minute. Now it's 15 to 20 seconds."
Tradition can be positive as well. Jorgenson and Graba emphasized the need to mentor new firefighters so they know what to do.
"What are the most important things in your life?" Graba asked. "Family. My family's first."
Jorgenson and Graba encouraged the rescue workers and cadets to think about their families when making safety decisions.
"There are no new ways, folks, to kill us. We keep doing the same things over and over again. That's the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," Graba told the group.
The message seemed to hit home with the rescue workers and cadets.
"I just feel that we owe it to all the families," said Greg Gibson, captain of the junior cadet program and second vice president of the North Dakota Firefighters Association. "All these people in that room are our family. I just feel I have to do whatever I can to keep them around."
Though the program was geared toward firefighters, the other rescuers benefited from it as well.
"The most important thing I hope these guys take away from this is -- if you don't take care of yourself, the ambulance will take care of you," said Penny Briese, a crew member of Edgeley Ambulance.
"Don't be another patient," added Lee Briese, also a crew member.
Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be reached at 701-952-8453
or by email at
