Say What?: Steps to Prevent These Words from Being Uttered

Fire or other life-threatening situations (like extrication) can be very dangerous for firefighters, first responders and the victims. Every situation is fragile and must be handled with pinpoint precision or a life or limb could be lost. It's all about keeping a balance with being prudent in work but understanding that time is of the essence.

And a great consumer of time are any problems with the five senses. It takes longer for someone to leave a burning building if he or she can't see the flames, smell the smoke or hear any commands or instructions from others.

Can you imagine what could happen if firefighters can't hear each other when they're communicating conditions at the scene and making sure that everyone on the scene has a role and understands the next command?

Many understand the risks of fire, smoke or falling structures on firefighters. But have you been around a fire scene long enough to understand or appreciate the noise that firefighters endure?

And it's isn't necessarily the short, sharp noises; it's the exposure to the consistent noise. Even the consistent noises of a fire scene can be a little higher than is normally considered comfortable, and long or consistent exposure to those decibel levels can lead to hearing loss in he long term.

There are plenty of stories of career firefighters who have partial or total hearing loss by the time they retire, or even sooner. What can and should firefighters do?

There are earplugs and earbuds that can be used at a fire scene to help mitigate the exposure to noises, but at the same time have the noise-canceling qualities to allow firefighters to cancel out loud ambient noise but be able to hear calls for help or instructions from close range. Earbuds would be perfect for firefighters to maintain radio contact with fellow first-reponders and to be able to keep the radio at a comfortable hearing level even while the noise of the scene gains intensity.

It is suggested that as many fire chiefs as possible invest, or ask their firefighters to invest, in some basic earplugs, earbuds and/or earmuffs to protect the ears from the dangers of intense noise at fire scenes. Even the best ear protection based on a noise-reduction rating (the NRR can be found on the outside of most packages of ear-protection devices) can be found pretty inexpensively, especially at gun shops.

The ability to hear at a fire scene is about as important as seeing, smelling and feeling. It is not something to be taken for granted and left to the noise elements. Just as many protect their eyes and noses, firefighters should also have the ability and resources to protect their ears. Hearing is one half of communication, and any lack of it can cost time - and possibly lives.