SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR MEDIA INCLUDES SAFETY VESTS

Special to RESPONDERSAFETY.COM Montgomery County MD. Recently there was a tragic accident involving Gordon Davis, a photojournalist who was covering an early morning/overnight fire in Prince Georges County on December 19, 2006. Gordon was struck by a vehicle and killed crossing a highway. Partially in response to this accident, Montgomery County Fire Chief Carr has proposed an initiative to raise awareness and improve on-scene safety, specifically to include media organizations covering events and activities in Montgomery County.

Chief Carr believes that by accepting mutual responsibility to operate safely, we will all contribute to the well-being of everyone in our organization and local media representatives. When dealing with on-scene media, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) wanted to ensure that we minimize the risks associated with our collective work environment that, under varying conditions, at any given time may be hazardous.

To accomplish this goal, the MCFRS has issued a limited supply (several dozen) of specially designed, custom made traffic safety vests for media use. These vests were initially distributed to those photojournalists and videographers who regularly cover breaking news in Montgomery County. Furthermore, Fire Chief Tom Carr asked that all media representatives, especially photographers, operating within the confines of an emergency scene in Montgomery County wear a minimum level of protective clothing with reflective striping to ensure their visibility.

Initially, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service did make safety vests available to those broadcast photographers normally assigned to, or residing in Montgomery County who may cover breaking news. This action will be voluntary for now, however those with appropriate safety garments may be provided different access to emergency scenes in Montgomery County.

Of course, it is Chief Carr's desire that eventually all media representatives who are operating at or are present on or around the scene of incidents on arterial roadways, high speed limited access highways, or busy streets will wear protective clothing and/or approved traffic safety vests with reflective striping to ensure their visibility. At a minimum, all required traffic safety vests must meet the ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 Class 2 requirements. The vests currently being made available to the media exceed those standards.

It is our responsibility to operate safely and each individual from top management to firefighter/rescuer is responsible for the safety and health of those persons under their supervision and the personnel with whom they interact. From time to time this may include media. Media Safety Guidelines were posted on the website and distributed to all Washington area media outlets that regularly cover incidents in Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County Chief Public Information Officer and a safety officer visited all of the local television stations and personally met with photographers. A brief and very basic safety presentation was discussed and the vests were handed out. In addition, at an upcoming meeting of the Washington Area Media Relations Council at a local TV station, the program will be discussed and the MCFRS Safety Chief will give a brief presentation and answer questions.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is a full spectrum life safety agency protecting nearly 1 million people who live and work in Maryland's most populous jurisdiction.

The MCFRS is a combination system (career/volunteer), operating with a budget of about $195 million, comprised of over 1200 career uniformed personnel and professional civilian staff and an equal number of volunteers, nearly half of whom actively participate in emergency response.

There are over forty fire and rescue facilities, including a 56 acre training academy, state-of-the-art communication facility, as well as thirty-four community fire and rescue stations strategically located throughout Montgomery County's 500 square miles in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Six new fire-rescue stations are planned to be built in the next five years.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is an all-hazards service, responding not only to fires, but also auto accidents with injury, all kinds of medical emergencies, water and technical rescues, hazardous materials releases, and explosive devices. Over seventy-five percent (75%) of all calls for service are medical in nature or EMS related.

Editor's Note: The preceeding article is submitted by Pete Piringer PIO Montgomery County Fire MD and Rescue Service. MCFRS concern for the safety of journalists covering emergencies constitutes a BEST PRACTICE especially the issuing of special high visiblity vests for the media.