Emergency Incident Risk Management: A Safety & Health Perspective
Jonathan D. Kipp, Murrey E. Loflin
While risk management techniques have been successfully used to reduce the potential for physical harm to the public, these proven methods, strangely enough, have not been applied to one of the most hazardous environments of all—fire fighting operations. The result is that more than 100,000 injuries occur to fire fighters each year. Emergency Incident Risk Management shows fire chiefs, fire officers, safety officers, and risk managers—for the first time anywhere—how to develop and implement a comprehensive risk management program that can sharply reduce on-the-job fatalities, injuries, and harmful exposures while minimizing property and equipment damage. Expanding on the information presented in the National Fire Protection Association 1500 Handbook, this thorough guide covers every phase of effective risk management—from assigning roles and preplanning, through all the steps in a solid risk management plan, to handling actual emergency incidents. With the help of illuminating examples, Emergency Incident Risk Management demonstrates how to:

• analyze accident, injury, and illness data
• identify and evaluate risk
• establish risk management priorities
• formulate and implement sound risk control measures
• monitor and fine-tune the risk management program
• incorporate risk management into an incident management system
• use and maintain proper personal protective equipment

Further, the book addresses federal standards that safety administrators must observe, providing crucial compliance information on OSHA’s regulations covering bloodborne pathogens, confined spaces, respiratory protection, and hazardous waste operations and emergency response—in addition to the NFPA standards. The book, in fact, is so complete it even covers how to utilize cost/benefit analysis to ensure effective risk management decision making. Written by a longtime certified safety professional and an experienced fire officer, Emergency Incident Risk Management should be regularly consulted by every professional who administers or operates corporate, municipal, military, or private emergency response programs.