A Comprehensive Approach to Enhancing Firefighter Health, Safety, and Longevity

Foreword

The first psychology textbook, The Principles of Psychology, was authored by William James and published in 1890. James Braidwood wrote the first English textbook on fire service, On the Construction of Fire Engines and Apparatus: The Training of Firemen, and the Method of Proceeding in Cases of Fire, in 1860. These leaders and authors understood a basic premise of professionalism…we all build on the work that came before us. James and Braidwood made significant contributions to their disciplines. Wheldon has now made a significant contribution to both fire and psychology. 

Dr. Wheldon and I met 10 years ago; she had just started working for the Los Angeles City Fire Department as a psychologist, and I had just retired from the National Fire Academy as the Management Science Chair. I knew the National Fire Academy had no adjunct faculty who were psychologists. I also knew there should be, so I encouraged Dr. Wheldon to join the NFA faculty. Thankfully, she did.

The Fire Service typically does not let outsiders in. If a person has not crawled down a hall full of smoke, heat, and pitch blackness, we question their ability to understand or help us. The small number of students and faculty at the National Fire Academy is not like that; they embrace outside knowledge, skill, and ability.

From this humble beginning, Kristen instantly recognized the need to bridge the gap between psychology and the fire service. She was the only licensed psychologist in the Los Angeles City Fire Department, whereas there were dozens of licensed psychologists in the surrounding police departments. There was National Fire Academy content related to psychology that had not been vetted through the psychology discipline. There were NFPA standards related to psychology that had not been vetted through the psychology discipline. Even the American Psychology

Association only tacitly included the fire service by using the phrase …military, police, and other first responders. In 2024, there were only 72 psychology dissertations with the word firefighter in the title compared to 442 with the word police officer (ProQuest).

I’ve been in the fire service for 55 years; it became my calling. From the beginning, I have been an outlier. I now understand why, because in my youth, I was a lifeguard and swimming instructor. A basic premise of water safety is that the lifeguard does not exchange their life for the person they are trying to save. When a lifeguard dies trying to rescue someone, it is not considered heroic. Something went wrong. This is the exact opposite of a firefighter dying. With a firefighter, it’s called a line of duty death, a heroic sacrifice, part of the job. This is a deeply held construct in the fire service and in society. I see this as philosophically, psychologically, and culturally dysfunctional. And so, I am still an outlier. “You are not wrong.” This is how Dr. Wheldon repeatedly counsels me and gives me the courage to keep sharing my beliefs.

This book is the first of its kind, but it will not be the last. More psychologists will study, research, and share their thoughts about the fire service discipline. This can only help “…increase the professionalism of the fire service and others, engaged in fire prevention and control activity.” (purpose of the NFA PL 93498). Dr. Kristen Wheldon will be the first to celebrate a 50-year career as a fire service psychologist. There will be many more. Their work will increase the quality of life for firefighters and the communities they serve and protect.

It is an honor to be part of this beginning, I am grateful.

Mount Airy, MD, USA                                                                                             Dr. Burton A. Clar, EFO

There are three monuments,
On Campus.
I am the oldest,
A rock with a plaque.

The youngsters have flags,
Are tall and lit at night.
They are sculptured art,
Beautiful to see.

One has an eternal flame,
And lists of names.
More are added each year,
There is room for many.

The new one is a statue,
Of real firefighters.
It records the families changed,
One day in September 2001.

They are bigger than me and striking,
People visit them all the time.
Many take pictures, but walk away,
With tears in their eyes.

There is no competition,
With the emotion of grief,
I am about hope for a noble calling,
That serves humanity.

So, the next time you come,
Visit the memorials, pay respect.
But stop by the rock,
And think about the future.

“To advance the professional development of the fire service
And other persons engaged in fire prevention and control activities.”

Letter to the Editor Fire Engineering December 2021 page 20 & 21

The Reason We Exist

The article “Civilian Rescue: The Reason We Exist” by Brian Bush and Anthony Kastros (July 2021) is excellent. The concept of collecting detailed data about fire incidents and actual behavior of firefighters to control and mitigate the loss from fire will help firefighting become more effective and efficient.

When we combine the clinical (real time under life and death conditions) with our ever-expanding laboratory research (controlled environment, no life hazard) we will begin to get science and research-based knowledge, skills, and abilities about firefighting. This will help us increase our professionalism.

The challenge remains to change our thinking from manual fire protection as our first principle to automatic fire protection as the primary mitigation factor to reduce civilian and firefighter morbidity and mortality. The risk to firefighters and civilians will continue to increase if our future fire culture is stuck on 20^th century dogma about people on pumpers and ladder trucks racing to the fire to save people. Whether it is another World Trade Center, Western Forest Fires, Grenfell, or a single-family house fire, the “fire bandit” will continue to win when the bell in the firehouse rings if we don’t change the odds in favor of citizens and firefighters. Until we change the fire culture, our chances of winning at the fire casino are not good.

We need to be honest and add the impact of building/fire codes, smoke alarms and fire sprinklers (and not building structures in the urban wild land interface) into our clinical and laboratory science and research. If we don’t, we will not be telling the truth about what firefighters can and cannot do to save citizens or ourselves.

The data is in on the efficacy of codes, smoke alarms, fire sprinklers, and not building in high fire risk zones. Automatic Fire Protection is the best way to save civilians and firefighters.

Remember, telling the truth is the foundation of why a profession exist, even the fire service.

Dr. Burton A. Clark, EFO

First Fire: Short Story

B. A. Clark 1976                                                                                                    

The bells rang and the lights flashed on like lightning; my ears were ringing and my eyes blurry as I sprang from bed and jumped in my fire boots. I was still half asleep as I slide the fire pole and leaped onto the back step of the engine.

I clung to the handrail for dear life as the engine raced into the night. The siren echoed off the buildings. The red and white emergency lights were dancing on the wet pavement, as we speed up the street.

 I knew that every firefighter was tested in the field of battle. Eight weeks of training of training raced through my mind: helmet on, ear flaps down, coat buckled up, gloves on, breathing apparatus on and ready to go.  I wanted to do everything right, this could be my test.

As we turned the corner you can see the orange glow in the sky. Mike my partner yelled over the siren “This is a Kid we got a worker.”

Moment later the engine stopped at a fire hydrant, the Lieutenant yelled, “Layout!”  Mike stepped off the back step, pulling the hose, rapped the fire hydrant and yelled, “Go!”  Seconds later we were in front the house; flames were blowing out second story windows like a blow torch.

I pulled the 150 foot, inch and a half attack hose line, onto my shoulder and drug it to the porch. Thick black smoke was billowing from the front door. I stopped for a moment to put my face mask on and adjust the straps, now I’m ready. A moment later my Lieutenant emerge from the blackness and said “OK – it’s upstairs on the left let’s go.”

We plunged into blackness. I walked straight ahead until I found the first step, then I started to climb the stairs one by one getting as low as possible; with every step up it got hotter and hotter. Thinking, “How far into this hell am I expected to go?”  In desperation I yelled “It’s getting hot Lou.” he calmly replied “Just get to the top of the stairs and wait for the water.”  Four more steps and I was on the landing.  I can see the orange glow to my left. The heat pushed me down; I had to lay flat on the floor. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, I feel the hose come to life surging with water. Now it was my turn to attack the dragon.

I open the nozzle aiming the stream over my head; the water hit the ceiling instantly turned in the steam killing the flames. I kept moving forward inch by inch foot by foot until I was in the room; beating back the dragon with my sword until I reach the window. Finally, the fire was out, the dragon was dead.

A few minutes later the Lieutenant and I were outside taking a well-deserved break. He said “You did a good job Kid.” My ego skyrocketed with self satisfaction and adulation. I had been tested in battle. I had met the enemy and slain the dragon. I was a firefighter.

Just then, Mike walked up with a strange look on his face. “What’s up Mike?” asked the Lieutenant.  Mike replied “When you were fighting the fire, I search the back bedroom. I found a little girl. I got her out and put her in the ambulance, but I don’t know if she’s goanna make it, she was in that hell an awful long time.”

My ego crashed, I was ashamed myself for my former exaltation.

An hour later we were back at the station packing hose, filling air bottles, getting ready for the next call, but no one spoke there was a aerie silence I never experienced before. We had done a good job, but we still lost.

The silence was interrupted when the phone ringing at the watch desk. We all stopped what we were doing and stared at the sound.  The Lieutenant answered “Engine 33.” he listened for a while and said “Thank you.” hung up, turned to us saying “The little girl, she will to be ok.”

There was no yelling or screaming or congratulating each other. We all just kept working and silently thanking God.

My first fire taught me what it means to be a firefighter.

Note: This short story fiction was written for a Toastmasters Speech contest in 1976. BAC