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"When
we employ someone, we have struck a deal..."
Grieving father has powerful message for all employers
At a recent
Western Silvicultural Contractors Association in Victoria
BC., a man named Colin James spoke about the death last spring
of his 20-year-old daughter, Julia.
Colin
and Julia’s mother, Linde James, seemed bent down under
the strain and exhaustion of what had happened, as though
they had aged a hundred years since that terrible phone call
in May. Though he spoke barely above a whisper, his words
hung in the deafening silence of the room where the silvicultural
contractors hadgathered.
He wanted
them to know who Julia was besides a tree planter and he wanted
to bring them a simple but powerful message about our responsibility
as employers.
Julia
James was 20 years old when she died in a tree planting camp—a
college student, a talented artist and musician, and a happy,
bubbling beauty of a girl on the cusp of her dreams. That
all changed one night in May when a fellow crew member got
drunk and jumped into a vehicle in which Julia was relaxing
to head for town. The doors locked automatically. The vehicle
ended up in the lake instead, with Julia trapped in the back.
He got out. She didn’t. She was not drinking; just in
the wrong place at the wrong time. Fellow planters panicked
and milled about helplessly on shore, unsure about what to
do. Crew supervisors were unable to organize any kind of viable
rescue effort.
For that,
he holds accountable the company who employed her, and for
that, he wants all companies who employ young people to understand
the unspoken deal they make with all who care about them.
“When
we employ someone,” James said, “we do not own
them. When we employ someone, we have struck a deal. We have
agreed to exchange their time, their energy, their talent,
and their skill for money. We have borrowed them. They have
been lent to us by those who love them--by wives and husbands,
by mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, friends and
lovers…and we must return them safely.”
James’
words are a powerful reminder of our responsibility to all
the people we train and send out to work for us. Not an easy
task in the dangerous work of firefighting and traveling--
sometimes great distances--to do that work.
In spite
of more emphasis on safety policies and procedures, more regulations,
and increasingly intense safety training for firefighting
and traveling to the fire, twenty-five firefighters died last
year, according to a Wildland Firefighter Foundation report.
Another ten suffered significant injuries. They perished in
vehicle accidents, helicopter and tanker crashes, in burnovers,
and from heart attacks. Like Julia James, they left behind
hundreds of people who suffered from their loss.
What
more can we do?
Seven suggestions to add muscle to your program:
- Send
a clear and consistent message about safety on the job.
Put it on the wall, in the vehicles, in everything you write
or say to employees. Model that behavior. If you tolerate
unacceptable behavior around drugs and alcohol for example,
you are inviting tragedy.
- Have
a system for monitoring what is really going on in the company
and in the field. Training is not enough. Policies are not
enough. Requiring employees to sign policies is not enough.
Make it a habit to walk around and ask people where the
company is vulnerable. Solicit and reward suggestions from
employees to improve safety. Pay attention to rumors. One
company I know asks customers and members of the community
for feedback on his company’s image and reputation.
They sometimes know things that you don’t.
- Have
a Safety Committee. Make it an honor to be a member. Employees
and supervisors meet once a month, input is solicited from
all employees, any interested employees can attend, results
are published.
- Create
tools for safety reminders. One example is a small laminated
wallet card summarizing company safety rules about driving,
working, drugs & alcohol, etc. Solicit ideas from employees
and reward them. Make safety a key word in your mission
statement.
- Assume
you have employees who abuse alcohol and drugs and have
a plan for addressing their behavior. Confront, counsel,
and take action. Hold crew leaders responsible.
- Make
sure your crews include older, more experienced people who
can mentor the young firefighters.
- Get
rid of employees and supervisors who exhibit dangerous behavior.
This sounds harsh, but if repeated counseling doesn’t
change behavior that compromises safety, this person could
very well be the alligator that triggers a tragedy.
By Leslie
Habetler
March, 2004
For a VHS copy of Colin James’ speech
to the WSCA conference, contact Jose Luis Gutierrez at Twisted
Tree Productions, 604 312 2163 in Vancouver BC. For the text
of his speech go to www.wsca.ca and look at the menu of accessible
articles on the left side of the home page.
A
line-up of ducks…
Colin
James says Julia didn’t die because of one person who
made a mistake. He says, “Tragic accidents don’t
happen when one thing goes wrong or when one thing is overlooked.
Tragedy strikes when all the ducks are lined up.”
In Julia’s
case, James says, the ducks were:
- lack
of supervision of young people;
- lack
of mentorship or coaching by an older, more experienced
person who could inspire, motivate and create a sense of
team and family;
- tolerance
of alcohol as a management tool and as a reward;
- lack
of a plan for emergency or an emergency response team;
- lack
of rescue equipment
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