title: Fatigue risk management by volunteer fire-fighters: Use of informal strategies to augment formal policy.
abstract: An increasing number and intensity of catastrophic fire events in Australia has led to increasing demands on a mainly volunteer fire-fighting workforce. Despite the increasing likelihood of fatigue in the emergency services environment, there is not yet a systematic, unified approach to fatigue management in fire agencies across Australia. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to identify informal strategies used in volunteer fire-fighting and examine how these strategies are transmitted across the workforce. Thirty experienced Australian volunteer fire-fighters were interviewed in August 2010. The study identified informal fatigue-management behaviours at the individual, team and brigade level that have evolved in fire-fighting environments and are regularly implemented. However, their purpose was not explicitly recognized as such. This apparent paradox - that fatigue proofing behaviours exist but that they are not openly understood as such - may well resolve a potential conflict between a culture of indefatigability in the emergency services sector and the frequent need to operate safely while fatigued. However, formal controls require fire-fighters and their organisations to acknowledge and accept their vulnerability. This suggests two important areas in which to improve formal fatigue risk management in the emergency services sector: (1) identifying and formalising tacit or informal fatigue coping strategies as legitimate elements of the fatigue risk management system; and (2) developing culturally appropriate techniques for systematically communicating fatigue levels to self and others.
authors: Central Queensland University Appleton Institute, South Australia, Australia.
authors: Drew
authors: D
authors: Dawson
authors: University of South Australia, Australia.
authors: Katherine
authors: K
authors: Mayger
authors: Central Queensland University Appleton Institute, South Australia, Australia.
authors: Matthew J W
authors: MJ
authors: Thomas
authors: Central Queensland University Appleton Institute, South Australia, Australia. Electronic address: kirrilly.thompson@cqu.edu.au.
authors: Kirrilly
authors: K
authors: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D005221:Fatigue / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012308:Risk Management / Q000379:methods*; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emergency services; Fatigue; Fire-fighting; Informal controls; Risk management; Safety management systems