Fire Department Incident Safety Officer
ISO Study Guide
What is the difference between an ISO and an HSO - ✔✔ISO: Incident Safety Officer is the person
assigned to fill the command staff position responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards or
unsafe situations and for developing measures for ensuring personnel safety at the scene of an incident.
HSO: Health and Safety Officer- the person assigned and authorized by the fire chief as the manager of
the fire department's safety and health program
In general terms, explain the history of today's safety officer in the industrial world as well as in the fire
service - ✔✔In th industrial world, safety officers evolved out of the injury history of world war i and ii.
as people were hurt in support operations. Orgnaized labor and insurance industry representatives
pushed for more safety training during and after world war i and ii. In the fire service, early wall watchers
were used around the turn of the century. In the 70s, the FIRESCOPE effort in California added the Safety
Officer position. In the 80s, NFPA 1500 and 1501 were created that outlined the use of safety officers.
List and discuss the NFPA standards related to the incident safety officer - ✔✔NFPA 1500 outlines a Fire
Department Safety and Health Program that includes safety officers. NFPA 1521 is the Safety Officer
Standard that outlines duties, authorities, and qualifications
What was the significance of the William Stieger ACt - ✔✔It created the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration OSHA. The law gives equal rights and responsibility to employers and employees with
respect to safe working conditions.
How are the monetary costs associated with firefighter injuries and deaths paid for - ✔✔The costs can
be tied to the fire departments workers compensation rates which reflect loss history. Worker
compensation programs are not free: they are costly and the cost is based on history: the number of
claims and the cost of the claims. If a firefighter is injured on the job, the ramifications may be felt for
many years. Obviously, the more serious the injury is, the longer the impact is felt.
Discuss current ff injury and death trends and the need for ISO response. - ✔✔Combine ff death and
injury numbers with a national trend of fewer fires, and one can hypothesize that the effort to reduce ff
injuries may not be as effective as it could be. It is easy to see that the appointment of an ISO, more
often than not, seems prudent. Other programs, such as ff wellness and incident management systems,
do reduce injury and death potential over time, but the use of an ISO can start to reduce these threat
potentials today
, List the 3 elements tha affect workplace safety. - ✔✔Procedures, equipment and personnel
Explain the difference between the formal and informal processes - ✔✔Formal: In writing
Informal: Part of a departments routine, but not in writing
Describe four qualities of a well written procedure - ✔✔Several qualitities of a well written procedure:
simple language, clear direction, tested technique, easy interpretation, applicability to many scenarios,
and specific only on critical or life endangering points.
List and describe the external influences that can affect safety equipment design and purchase -
✔✔OSHA regulations (CFRs)
NFPA standards
NIOSH, ANSI, and UL listings
List and briefly describe the three factors that influence a persons ability to act safely - ✔✔Training:
Good program, priority on safety subjects
Health: addressing physical and mental health
Attitude: Departments safety culture, injury and death history, and the example set by officers
Define risk management - ✔✔Risk management is the process of minimizing the chance, degree, or
probability of damage, loss, or injury
List and explain the five steps of classic risk management - ✔✔1: Hazard ID. Actively find hazards.
2: Hazard Eval. Assigning a relative importance using the anticipated frequency and severity of the
hazard
3: Hazard prioritization. Assigning low, moderate and high ratings for frequency and severity. High
frequency/ high severity hazards get first priority
4: Hazard Control. Using control countermeasure to address the hazard
5: Monitoring hazards. Constant monitoring to evaluate control measures and see if change is impacting
safety.
ISO Study Guide
What is the difference between an ISO and an HSO - ✔✔ISO: Incident Safety Officer is the person
assigned to fill the command staff position responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards or
unsafe situations and for developing measures for ensuring personnel safety at the scene of an incident.
HSO: Health and Safety Officer- the person assigned and authorized by the fire chief as the manager of
the fire department's safety and health program
In general terms, explain the history of today's safety officer in the industrial world as well as in the fire
service - ✔✔In th industrial world, safety officers evolved out of the injury history of world war i and ii.
as people were hurt in support operations. Orgnaized labor and insurance industry representatives
pushed for more safety training during and after world war i and ii. In the fire service, early wall watchers
were used around the turn of the century. In the 70s, the FIRESCOPE effort in California added the Safety
Officer position. In the 80s, NFPA 1500 and 1501 were created that outlined the use of safety officers.
List and discuss the NFPA standards related to the incident safety officer - ✔✔NFPA 1500 outlines a Fire
Department Safety and Health Program that includes safety officers. NFPA 1521 is the Safety Officer
Standard that outlines duties, authorities, and qualifications
What was the significance of the William Stieger ACt - ✔✔It created the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration OSHA. The law gives equal rights and responsibility to employers and employees with
respect to safe working conditions.
How are the monetary costs associated with firefighter injuries and deaths paid for - ✔✔The costs can
be tied to the fire departments workers compensation rates which reflect loss history. Worker
compensation programs are not free: they are costly and the cost is based on history: the number of
claims and the cost of the claims. If a firefighter is injured on the job, the ramifications may be felt for
many years. Obviously, the more serious the injury is, the longer the impact is felt.
Discuss current ff injury and death trends and the need for ISO response. - ✔✔Combine ff death and
injury numbers with a national trend of fewer fires, and one can hypothesize that the effort to reduce ff
injuries may not be as effective as it could be. It is easy to see that the appointment of an ISO, more
often than not, seems prudent. Other programs, such as ff wellness and incident management systems,
do reduce injury and death potential over time, but the use of an ISO can start to reduce these threat
potentials today
, List the 3 elements tha affect workplace safety. - ✔✔Procedures, equipment and personnel
Explain the difference between the formal and informal processes - ✔✔Formal: In writing
Informal: Part of a departments routine, but not in writing
Describe four qualities of a well written procedure - ✔✔Several qualitities of a well written procedure:
simple language, clear direction, tested technique, easy interpretation, applicability to many scenarios,
and specific only on critical or life endangering points.
List and describe the external influences that can affect safety equipment design and purchase -
✔✔OSHA regulations (CFRs)
NFPA standards
NIOSH, ANSI, and UL listings
List and briefly describe the three factors that influence a persons ability to act safely - ✔✔Training:
Good program, priority on safety subjects
Health: addressing physical and mental health
Attitude: Departments safety culture, injury and death history, and the example set by officers
Define risk management - ✔✔Risk management is the process of minimizing the chance, degree, or
probability of damage, loss, or injury
List and explain the five steps of classic risk management - ✔✔1: Hazard ID. Actively find hazards.
2: Hazard Eval. Assigning a relative importance using the anticipated frequency and severity of the
hazard
3: Hazard prioritization. Assigning low, moderate and high ratings for frequency and severity. High
frequency/ high severity hazards get first priority
4: Hazard Control. Using control countermeasure to address the hazard
5: Monitoring hazards. Constant monitoring to evaluate control measures and see if change is impacting
safety.
