Jeffersonville

To the editor:

I have been a firefighter, commissioner and chief at Jeffersonville Fire Department for 60 years. In that time I have seen many improvements in firefighter safety. I know personally how needed many of these changes have been since sixty five years ago, my Dad’s fall from the side of a fire truck contributed to his death. Today, a fall such as this would be virtually impossible.

This year for the first time since 1983 OSHA is updating safety regulations for firefighters. This is largely a good thing and will save lives. However, I am concerned that, as these rules are largely written for large urban career fire departments, they may be overkill for the kind of rural districts I know best.

For instance, while training is a good thing, too much of it can hurt recruitment and retention. Currently just to finish probation, firefighters need to complete a 100 hour BEFO course and other training. Officers need to complete many more additional hours. Under the new rules, these numbers will increase dramatically. This is especially difficult as I have seen us go from a waiting list of prospective members to desperate outreach among some departments as other departments have merged to meet manpower needs.

Similarly, the new requirements will require far more paperwork than any rural department can keep up with. It seems to me that, while well intentioned, many of these changes risk putting many of our local fire departments out of business.