New Sample Guideline Aims to Boost Firefighter Safety Across Illinois

IL OSHA and several Illinois fire service organizations led a new collaborative effort to create a sample guideline for fire departments focusing on safety and accountability.

Collaboration Delivers Simple, Life-Saving Protocols

The Illinois Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA), the Illinois State Fire Marshal, and several other state fire organizations have released a new tool designed to save lives during structure fires.

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According to the press release, a three-page sample of the SOG (standard operating guideline) was created to address incident command, accountability, and other components that are critical for safe interior firefighting.

IL OSHA requires departments that engage in interior firefighting to maintain policies for these procedures, but not all fire departments currently have them in place, according to the report.

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The three-page sample guideline was created to bridge a gap by offering an easy-to-adopt template that departments can use as is or modify to meet the needs of their firefighting team.

Prioritizing Firefighter Safety with Practical Tools

The creation of this sample guideline is a joint effort between IL OSHA, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Illinois Fire Service Institute, Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, and Mutual Aid Box Alarm Systems Illinois.

This statewide collaboration is a great example of agencies aligning to support firefighter safety. -Illinois Fire Service Institute Director James Keiken.

According to the report, the SOG is available for fire departments across Illinois as a practical tool to enhance emergency response and protect lives.

To get a download of the sample standard operating guideline (SOG), CLICK HERE.