• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Program prepares firefighters when one of their own is killed in the line of duty

WALWORTH COUNTY — No one remembers if a Walworth County firefighter has ever died in the line of duty.

But if it ever does happen, fire officials want to be prepared, according to Paul Yakowenko, president of the Walworth County Firefighters Association.

"Too often, we get caught off guard," Yakowenko said, "So we figured it would be a good idea to be proactive."

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has taken the lead in training fire departments how to handle the aftermath of such a tragedy, and through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, have developed a program to assist fire departments.

The Walworth County Firefighters Association will host the program from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 26, 2010 at Aurora Lakeland Medical Center.

A registration packet is HERE.

Yakowenko said the program is open to not only firefighters, but police and other emergency personel.

The recent mishap during a fire in Delavan Township in which an aerial truck struck a live power line and injured several firefighters reinforced the importance of additional training.

"That could have been really tragic," Yakowenko said. "It was an eye-opening experience."

Although the executive board of the Walworth County Firefighters Association already had been organizing the program prior to the fire, it was a good example of the deadly risks firefighters face each time they go out on a call.

The program, called Taking Care of Our Own, is designed to assist senior fire service officers in being better prepared for what could be the worst day in their fire-service career.

Parts of the program explains the actions to take immediately after a line-of-duty death.

Officials learn how to put together a pre-incident plan for line-of-duty deaths and serious injuries and knowing what benefits are available to survivors.

Those benefits include public safety officers' benefits and state and local support, according to an outline of the program.

Class participants also discuss ways to support the family immediately after the death, during the funeral planning and service and long term.

The program ends with suggestions on ways to remember a fallen firefighter.

Fire officers who have attended the program say it helped them understand what they need to do and provided the resources to create or enhance plans and policies, according to a news release.

The program features first-hand experiences of a chief and a family member whose stories set the stage for the rest of the day.

For more information, contact Training Officer David Yakowenko at wcffassn@yahoo.com or (262) 237-1700. The cost is $25.

Here's a summary of the program from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation:

A fire department does not know when it will have a line-of-duty death or serious injury. Does it have a plan in place? Are personnel records current? Does the department know how to make timely and proper notification to the survivors? Fire chiefs and survivors tell us that most fire departments are not prepared for a line-of-duty death. “Taking Care of Our Own” provides senior fire officers specific information and valuable insights.

In Module One participants assess their own views and attitudes on key points that the training will cover. Throughout the training, the participants can compare these with some of the principles and procedures being suggested. The first module concludes with first-hand experiences of a chief and a family member whose stories set the stage for the rest of the day.

Module Two focuses on the importance of pre-incident planning. It covers: 1) putting together a pre-incident plan for line-of-duty deaths and serious injuries; 2) maintaining up-to-date employee emergency contact information; and 3) knowing what benefits are available to survivors, including the Public Safety Officers' Benefits and State and local support. Class participants discuss ways to support the family immediately after the death, during the funeral planning and service, and long term.

Module Three deals with notification of the survivors. It discusses the five basic principles of notification and lets the participants suggest ways to handle difficult situations.

Module Four presents the basic concepts associated with grief and mourning and explores the challenges of dealing with sudden death. It ends by asking the participants to reframe inappropriate statements commonly made to persons who are grieving.

Module Five examines ways to provide support to members of the department, including the chief. It presents a sequential checklist of actions to take immediately after a line-of-duty death. It explains the Chief-to-Chief Network that offers immediate and long term professional and personal support to senior fire officers. The module ends with suggestions on ways to remember a fallen firefighter.