Bill Text: IL HR0247 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urges fire departments and other public safety agencies to analyze the culture of their respective department and to ensure a culture is in place that promotes training, communication, and accountability in order to help mitigate the NIOSH 5 from occurring. Urges fire departments to continue to critique their response after fires, to learn from past experiences, and to include in their culture and procedures open discussions about the NIOSH 5, studying NIOSH reports as a crew, and utilization of the Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System. Pledges to support the State's firefighters, fire departments, and public safety agencies in this endeavor. Recognizes that the continued deaths and injuries of our brave firefighters and first responders are a stark reminder of the importance of reiterating the basic concepts of firefighting and that the top five occupational factors distinctly show that a fire department's culture can lead to line-of-duty deaths (LODDs).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-24 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Bradley Fritts [HR0247 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0247-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Between 2016 and 2021, over 374 firefighters in
the United States lost their lives in the line of duty,
according to data from the National Fire Protection
Association; and
WHEREAS, The National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) has identified five top causal factors of
line-of-duty firefighter deaths and injuries, known as the
NIOSH 5; and
WHEREAS, The NIOSH 5 factors have evolved as a list of the
top five contributing factors that lead to the tragic
line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) of our brave firefighters and
first responders; and
WHEREAS, The NIOSH 5 are the operational factors that lead
to a fatality, where a subsequent NIOSH investigation of these
tragedies reveals one or more of these five causal factors
more than any other factor; and
WHEREAS, The list has evolved to include five key causal
factors, which are improper risk assessment, lack of incident
command, lack of accountability, inadequate communications,
and lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs) or failure to

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follow SOPs; and
WHEREAS, Improper risk assessment describes a poor
size-up, often what first responders describe as a lack of a
"full 360", meaning a complete survey of the area of the
emergency and the establishment of a sufficient situational
awareness by those on the ground that are addressing the
emergency; and
WHEREAS, Lack of incident command describes emergency
situations where independent actions and/or a lack of command
structure may create dangerous situations for first
responders; while an independent initiative is sometimes
encouraged, firefighters need one command point, with a clear
communications and orders structure, and the intentions of the
commander need to be understood by all responding
firefighters; and
WHEREAS, Lack of accountability refers to insufficient
awareness of each firefighter's role, their presence, and
their responsibilities throughout the emergency, even when the
emergency has ostensibly subsided and until the last
firefighter has left the scene; and
WHEREAS, Inadequate communications can refer to a lack of
technical familiarity, training, and practice in effective

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communication under challenging emergency situations; and
WHEREAS, Lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs) or
failure to follow SOPs describes a lack in the establishment
of a sufficient plan, structure, or playbook that can help
commanders and firefighters more safely navigate the stages of
an emergency from beginning to end, even during those common
challenges when the unexpected arrives; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we urge fire departments and other public safety agencies to
analyze the culture of their respective department and to
ensure a culture is in place that promotes training,
communication, and accountability in order to help mitigate
the NIOSH 5 from occurring; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we urge fire departments to continue to
critique their response after fires, to learn from past
experiences, and to include in their culture and procedures
open discussions about the NIOSH 5, studying NIOSH reports as
a crew, and utilization of the Firefighter Near Miss Reporting
System; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage fire chiefs and city personnel
to promote a culture of training, communication, and

HR0247 - 4 - LRB103 25854 LAW 52205 r
accountability through utilizing Crew Resource Management
Training to improve departments and help prevent line-of-duty
deaths (LODDs); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage departments to upgrade their
radio communication system to ensure each portable radio has
an Emergency Alert Button (EAB), to understand what the EAB is
and how it functions when activated, to know the specific EAB
functions present on their portable radio and their
communication system capabilities, to know that the EAB
prioritizes transmissions for the portable radio when
activated, and to be proficient in Mayday standard operating
procedures, guidelines, and training that involve the EAB
function; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we pledge to support the State's
firefighters, fire departments, and public safety agencies in
this endeavor; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we recognize that the continued deaths and
injuries of our brave firefighters and first responders are a
stark reminder of the importance of reiterating the basic
concepts of firefighting and that the top five occupational
factors distinctly show that a fire department's culture can
lead to LODDs; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
delivered to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal,
Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois, Illinois Fire Chiefs
Association, Illinois Association of Fire Protection
Districts, Illinois Firefighter's Association, and the
Illinois Fire Safety Alliance.