Firefighters as first incident persons: Breaking the chain of events and becoming a new link in the chain of survival
International Journal of Emergency Services
ISSN: 2047-0894
Article publication date: 29 January 2018
Issue publication date: 23 May 2018
Abstract
Purpose
In order to shorten the response time, two part-time fire departments (FDs) in Sweden initialize a first incident person (FIP) assignment. This is done by alarming the crew manager as an FIP, responding in a separate emergency vehicle, and by arriving at the scene before rest of the crew. The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe experiences of the FIP assignment within an FD.
Design/methodology/approach
A multimethod design was used, influenced by Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2011) explanatory sequential mixed method design including emergency reports, a questionnaire and interviews.
Findings
The results show that the FIP assignment was a function that secured an early presence at the scene of an accident or emergency situations, which is beneficial for society in the form of a safety factor, for the firefighters in the form of early prior information on what to expect at the scene and for the patient in the form of early existential support and increased chances of survival.
Originality/value
In order to prevent full scenarios to happen and get the chance to save lives, an early response must be ensured. Hence, studies must be made in different settings, based on its unique conditions. This study indicates that by implementing FIP in FDs placed in a rural area, the FIP can break the chain of events and becoming a new link in the chain of survival.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Conflict of Interest: no conflicts of interest exist.
Anders Svensson participated in the design, preparation, implementation, training and creation of the questionnaire, analyzed the data (phases 1-3) and drafted the manuscript. Sofia Almerud Österberg participated in analyzing the data (phase 2) and drafting the manuscript. Bengt Fridlund and Kent Stening participated in drafting the manuscript. Carina Elmqvist participated in the design, preparation, implementation, training and creating of the questionnaire, in data collection and analysis of the data (phases 1-3) and drafting of the manuscript.
Citation
Svensson, A., Österberg, S.A., Fridlund, B., Stening, K. and Elmqvist, C. (2018), "Firefighters as first incident persons: Breaking the chain of events and becoming a new link in the chain of survival", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 120-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-10-2017-0051
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited