February2011-winner
Captain Stewart Anderson
San Bernardino County Fire Department, Station 4Helendale, CA
Captain Stewart Anderson leads the San Bernardino Fire Department by example. He has been with the department for 20 years and has been committed to firefighter health and safety by incorporating daily physical training on duty everyday.
A recent policy was instated that requires physical exercise (cardiovascular and weight training) to be completed each morning between 8 and 10 a.m. Captain Anderson organizes and participates in physical training activities inside and outside of the organization, and he has earned the respect of his crew, the communities he serves and his chief officers. He has enhanced the personal and organizational accountability for health and safety throughout the fire service by teaching what he has learned through experience.
Furthermore, Captain Anderson has focused greater attention on the integration of risk management with incident management at all levels, including strategic, tactical and planning responsibilities. He is committed to the fundamentals. As a captain he has ensured that his firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices, on the training ground, around the station, and on the fire ground.
Captain Anderson has implemented national medical and physical fitness standards that are based on the duties they are expected to perform. Each firefighter is required to be able to run 1.5 miles in less than 12 minutes. He has also made these practices fun and encourages competition to ensure that they are completed regularly. He also utilizes available technology wherever he can to produce higher levels of health and safety. For example, TIC (thermal imagine cameras), PPE (personal protective equipment) and extrication tools are among the things Captain Anderson regularly bring with him on emergency calls.
Captain Anderson thoroughly investigates firefighter fatalities, injuries, and near misses. He shares this information with his crew and explains the importance over "Table Talk" with his crew. He has made sure that the department's SAFER Grant program should support the implementation of safe practices in the fire station and on the fire ground.
