Firefighter Near-Miss Program Staying Online
IAFC is working to develop long-term funding. Its president, Chief Hank Clemmensen, will establish a task force to assist in the effort.
On Sept. 27, one day before funding that supports the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System was to be cut off, the International Association of Fire Chiefs announced a short-term plan to keep its servers in operation. The fire and emergency service community won't immediately lose access what IAFC calls a “life-saving resource” because government funding has expired.
IAFC is working with stakeholders and interested parties to develop long-term funding options, and its president and board chairman, Chief Hank Clemmensen, announced his will set up a task force to assist in that effort.
According to IAFC, the system has become a staple in local fire departments' daily safety resources, national data collection in the United States and Canada, and college fire sciences class curricula. The short-term plan to self-fund is supported by funding from the IAFC, from its Safety, Health and Survival Section, and from its EMS Section, and this allow the program to remain operational through the end of October.
"We've been very pleased that a number of private funders have come forward to express interest in preserving this program," said Mark Light, IAFC CEO and executive director. "We've been actively exploring alternatives to grant funding for many years with little opportunity to move the concept forward, so it's a pleasant surprise to see folks interested in stepping up now."
IAFC's announcement said the program's website, FireFighterNearMiss.com, may experience sporadic outages Sept. 28 for routine maintenance.