In this column, the last installment of a three-part series on apparatus rollovers, we will examine life-saving measures your department can take to avert a catastrophe.

Photo Courtesy of the Phoenix Fire Department The back end of Phoenix Fire Department Engine 37 was destroyed in this rollover accident.

The first is for your department to conduct an inspection of the cab in which firefighters are going to be seated and belted for their next response. Everything within that cab enclosure must be secured to the cab itself.

The cab enclosure can be an extremely dangerous place during an apparatus rollover. Even the smallest piece of equipment may become lethal if the apparatus rolls over. In recent inspections I have conducted I have found flashlights, map books, hydrant wrenches, forcible entry tools, and even self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) unsecured. It is not good enough just to have an SCBA in the bracket; it must be secured to the bracket in accordance with the applicable National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. How sad it would be to have a firefighter seated, belted, in an enclosed cab survive a violent rollover only to become seriously injured or worse when hit in the head by an unsecured SCBA.

Photo Courtesy of the Phoenix Fire Department Note that Engine 37's cab is intact, but the left-side windshield popped out. All personnel were wearing seatbelts and walked away from the accident. Seatbelts save even firefighters' lives.

Next is a national policy that mandates the use of seatbelts for all emergency vehicle operators and their passengers. Many states have chosen to exempt emergency vehicle operators from the use of seatbelts. How ironic that the very people that are in the business of providing public safety are the same group that would seek a seatbelt exemption. I have heard all the excuses - my gun and holster are in the way, I cannot work on the patient, it will slow me down.

How can firefighters promote smoke detectors and other fire safety measures only to ignore issues that affect their personal safety. What makes it worse is when we go to the scene of an accident, find an ejected civilian and proclaim to the other emergency scene workers that the victim would have lived if a seatbelt had been worn. Then all the emergency scene workers nod in agreement, go back to their vehicles and fail to heed their own advice after witnessing yet another preventable highway fatality. If people in the business of providing public safety are going to go out and talk the safety talk, then they themselves must walk the safety walk.