“With great power comes great responsibility!" — the most popular catchphrase by a superhero and immortalized by our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. But no matter what shape or form it may be, power, as we are reminded, is entrusted to the bearer of it. It serves as a cautionary warning that power needs to be harnessed ethically and utilized for the greater good.

Turning to the world of fire safety, superheroes are embodied by none other than people who safeguard life, property, and environmental protection through the right combination of experience and education. With all the wisdom of Uncle Ben from the Spiderverse, at the SFPE conference in Berlin in 2023, Jose Torero reminded us that with competency [for professional practice] comes significant responsibility.

This weeks newsletter focuses on a debatable topic with a discussion on the proverbial elephant in the room: competency to enact sound fire design and carry out safe rescue in the fire safety world. "Think slow, act fast!" was the advice given by Dan Gardner and Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg in ‘How big things get done’. I reiterate here: perhaps it is time to ask, "could it be otherwise," in terms of fire safety and firefighting?

In my previous post on Hot works and Renovation Fires, I touched upon the dramatic rescue of a construction worker in a high-rise construction site in Reading, UK.

Glen Edwards, the 65-year-old crane operator who did the heroic feat, described the rescue process as follows:

The media calls the rescue ‘skillful’. Undoubtedly. We see how invaluable proper training, skillset, and experience are in a fire situation. Laypeople, when given fundamental and continuous training, can provide immediate support until the professional fire service arrives. In this case, the crane operator provided a life saving rescue that nobody else could have at the time - well done, Mr. Layman to the rescue.

In this theatrical video of an unidentified water truck, we see the driver extinguishing the fire just as the fire service is setting up their equipment.

The video has drawn mixed reactions from the LinkedIn community. Many have applauded the truck driver's quick thinking, demonstrating that we can all contribute regardless of our assigned societal roles, especially with the right tools and skills at hand. However, many comments pointed out that the truck driver did not assess the situation before acting and the outcomes would have been different if the fire was an EV fire or oil fire, or even if the vehicle on fire had aluminum alloys (though, I think we all would have been surprised if it had…). I stress that it was respectable for the truck driver to have passed by and assisted, but these acts should always be coupled with the right tools and skills. Layman to the rescue - all is well that ends well?

Following these happenstance situations, we change gears and try to answer the all-important question:

In cases like the one where a truck driver realized his EPS cargo was on fire, how do we ensure that the drivers are equipped and prepared to handle the situation? Risk assessments, training and a correct type and sufficient number of fire extinguishers would be a good start in this case. Laymen to the rescue - nobody seemed to care!

When it comes to fire safety design and strategies, The Society of Fire Protection Engineers has developed a set of Core Competencies needed to practice fire engineering. In the guideline “Recommended Minimum Technical Core Competencies for the Practice of Fire Protection Engineering”, the foundations of fire engineering involve Human Behavior and Evacuation, Fire Science, Fire Protection Systems, and Fire Protection Analysis.

As for our everyday heroes and laypeople, it is a moral and legal obligation of every employee to make sure that employees have basic emergency response knowledge. At the minimum, those on construction sites should also have the proper basic first aid training. It is important that when on the job and in fire incidents, people have situational awareness to assess the hazards and decide whether it is safe to proceed with assisting and rescuing. It is then that decisions are well-informed. Laymen or not, the principle of competence to enact our jobs effectively and SAFELY extends to all, especially those involved in protecting lives.

In the recent significant fire in Copenhagen, many people assisted with rescuing art from the historic building, and in the end 99 percent of the art was saved. With time, helmets were provided, but PPE was generally missing, and I doubt any risk assessment was in place. Without knowing all the details, this appears to be somewhat of a rushed decision, driven by emotion and a strong leader. Imagine how different the story of this fire would have been if one or more of these people had passed away! Layperson to the rescue - not in a building with a massive fire going on where parts are collapsing.

Certainly, when it comes to rescuing people, no one wants to fall victim to the bystander effect. When inaction becomes the new normal, we diminish the human aspect of fire engineering. In fire situations, time is indeed a factor, and the less we act, the more we delay access to medical care and assistance for the victims.

However, like any other superhero, laypeople should also have the proper tools at their behest, and step aside if asked to do so by professionals. That’s why every movie version of our friendly neighborhood Spiderman includes a 5-minute training montage, eventually showcasing our hero to be the best webslinger around.

Grunde

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Original LinkedIn Posts: