Table 4 Recommendations for replicating the RM process in the fire service

1. Planning or organizing for the scoping sessions

- Involve a diverse group of firefighters across rank and experience

- Think about how to get people to participate (pay overtime vs. take out of service during one’s shift)

- Utilize best practices for effective participatory engagement that bolsters the “bottom up” approach

- Choose a strong facilitator to lead the scoping sessions

- Recognize that not everyone will show up for every session

2. Identify clear tasks for the RM process

- Select task with definable steps to facilitate mapping process

- Have clear tasks to help identify specific control strategies

3. Utilize quality data

- Use department level data (and station level if possible)

- Present data clearly and by task

4. Understand culture

- Consider elements of firefighter culture. Utilizing a “bottom up” approach does not always lead to buy-in from firefighters in the field (beyond supervisors) not involved in the process.

- Some FF may not support the RM process because it is not “how they always do it”

5. Recognize the importance of technical assistance (TA)

- Ensure technical assistance in compiling data for the RM process

- Provide technical assistance for other aspects of the RM process, such as the mapping and ranking of control strategies

6. Understand available resources

- Firefighters will not buy-in if they feel that the administration is not willing to invest resources

- Highlight the cost savings of RM to support financial investment in control strategies

7. Provide regular communication

- Communicate expectations of the RM process upfront, including resources available for control strategies

- Provide regular communication to all firefighters since those not involved in RM may not be aware of all of the activities