Description of Driving Event:
Reductions in Staffing and Funding May Compromise the Ability to Perform Firefighting Training
Lesson(s) Learned:
While firefighting preparedness and training in NASA is generally adequate, further reductions in staffing and funding may compromise the ability to perform this vital safety function.
Recommendation(s):
Continue to review firefighting at all NASA Centers to ensure that funding, personnel, training, and adequacy of equipment are properly addressed.
Evidence of Recurrence Control Effectiveness:
NASA agrees with the assessment that fire protection for NASA facilities could suffer if not properly managed by NASA. In accordance with NMI 1240.3, "Functional Management," the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) has performed functional reviews ("spot checks") at each Center since March 1994. Each of these functional reviews had, as an element, an evaluation of the fire protection program for the Center. In prior years, reviews were conducted as part of a Center survey process, which also included fire protection. These reviews focused principally on whether firefighting preparedness and training within NASA is at the appropriate level for performing this vital safety function. Because of the recommendation made by the Panel, additional attention has been focused on this concern within NASA over the last several months. During the NASA Emergency Preparedness Coordinators meeting held at the Ames Research Center, February 25-28, 1997, all coordinators were given an action to further pursue this specific concern at their individual installations as a "high level of interest." At the May 21-23, 1997, meeting for NASA Fire Protection Coordinators, held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, these coordinators provided a "status" briefing on the posture of their fire protection program in light of the stated concerns by the Panel. All NASA Centers and Installations have reported that their fire protection and response capability at this time remains adequate. However, it was a consensus that diminished NASA budgets have fostered a concomitant shifting of each NASA Center's reliance to the community's local fire protection and response capability through memoranda of agreement. Because local community fire departments are feeling the same pressure of downsizing that the Federal establishments are facing, these departments are also reducing capabilities and increasing response times. The OSMA, the Enterprise Institutional Program Officers (IPOs), and the Center Fire Protection Coordinators will need to be increasingly vigilant that any shift of local community fire department's response capability away from Federal facilities will not increase the risk to NASA personnel or property to an unacceptable level. The OSMA will continue to focus attention on fire protection in our scheduled visits to Centers and will keep the Enterprise AAs and IPOs informed. Through proper assessment and advocacy for application of appropriate resources through the IPOs, we will continue to assure that NASA personnel and resources are afforded the highest degree of fire protection.
Documents Related to Lesson:
N/A
Mission Directorate(s):
- Exploration Systems
- Space Operations
- Aeronautics Research
Additional Key Phrase(s):
- Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
- Emergency Preparedness
- Fire Protection
- Human Resources & Education
- Safety & Mission Assurance
Additional Info:
|
