Firefighter Health

Firefighter Injury and Illness Reduction 

In 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5175 creating a new system for safer workplace practices in the fire service and a workers’ compensation premium discount for employers. The legislation pertains only to state-insured workers’ compensation employers who file injury claims to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Much work has been done since the passage of that bill, and roll-out of a pilot program entitled Firefighter Injury and Illness Reduction (FIIRE) will take place in May 2021.

The FIIRE pilot program is a safety initiative for fire departments with two objectives: to reduce fire fighter occupational injuries and illnesses; and demonstrate commitment to safety through proactive risk management and implementation of best practices in collaboration with fire fighters. The FIIRE pilot program was developed by L&I in equal partnership with representatives from the Washington Fire Chiefs and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters.

Employers who meet the eligibility criteria and demonstrate a commitment to workplace safety and health may receive a discount on their workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Participants may also qualify for funding to purchase safety equipment through the Firefighter Safety Program Grant. The program will last two years, and fire departments must engage for at least one.

The FIIRE program requires several safety improvements by the fire department to get a premium discount on rates which include:

  • Strengthen safety committees with L&I-provided proactive risk management training to improve the ways in which hazards are assessed and mitigated.
  • Optimize safety committee activities based on training, including applying proactive risk management principles to hazard identification, accident investigations, and injury/near-miss reporting.
  • Develop and implement a tailored safety improvement plan that integrates assessment results, risk management training, and safety and health best practices to address carcinogen exposures and musculoskeletal injuries related to patient transport and equipment handling.
  • Actively monitor and adjust the Safety Improvement Plan for effectiveness.
  • Develop plans to incorporate Return to Work, Stay at Work, Kept on Salary, and other incentives to improve outcomes for injured fire fighters and mitigate time-loss costs to the department.
  • Participate in the Firefighter Health and Safety Collaborative.

The FIIRE pilot program is a huge step forward to better understanding the culture within each fire department. It also provides a path for making improvements based on analytical assessment on current processes. We expect, over time, that improvements to culture and process will lead to fewer injuries that reduce cost and time-loss for injured workers and result in more proactive safety improvements for all fire fighters in Washington State.

Fire departments that participate in the FIIRE pilot program need to be active in the Fire Fighter Health and Safety Collaborative. This will be a new venture, and the only participants will be those taking part in the pilot program. We recognize that more health and safety collaboratives exist within our state, though the success of FIIRE is also dependent on the collaboration within this focus group during the pilot period.

We ask that local leaders reach out to their fire chiefs and health & safety officers and discuss this new pilot program in labor-management settings.

Have questions? Please email FIIRE@lni.wa.gov