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As I have just returned from a great North Carolina Association of Fire Chief's Mid-Winter conference in Wrightsville Beach I am troubled that the Piedmont Region led the state of North Carolina in Line of Duty Death's last year. North Carolina had 11 which led the nation. This must change. As reports were given I also learned that the Piedmont is in last place in the National seat belt challenge between the three regions. This is unacceptable! Not that we are in last place but the fact that we are not looking after our members by asking them to wear there seat belts on every call. If they don't there should be serious punishment. After all this is a state law. We can have all the great equipment in the world but without our members we have nothing. Let me share a personal story with you.  I attended Gateway Conference in 2007 and signed a pledge there that I would require all members of Bahama Fire Department to wear there seat belts. As I made the trip home I had many things going through my mind about how to make this work. All I could think of is this is for there benefit and most of all the family members they leave behind should something happen. In 1996 Bahama had a Line of Duty Death and a member left behind a Mother, Father, Brother and sister. See these members could only look at me as to why since there loved one was gone. That following Monday night at our weekly fire training I implemented Bahama's policy on seat belts. You must wear your seat belt every time you are responding or doing fire department business. If not you will be suspended for 30 days. If you are not the driver the driver will also be suspended for 30 days. This goes for paid or volunteer. Yes this includes personal owned vehicles. Since we carry insurance on them to assist with there deductibles should they be involved in and accident on there personal owned vehicle I feel this involves Bahama Fire Department. That next Tuesday morning one of our pumpers went off the side of the road into a large ditch. Both members had there seat belt on and the driver stated if he had not had his seatbelt on he could not have steered the vehicle straight to keep it from overturning. This resulted in no injuries to our members and minor damage to the vehicle. Recently on a Monday night in September we had a tanker roll while returning from a training event in Durham. When I arrived on the scene and saw our tanker lying on the passenger’s side I had one member being treated for a broken hand and three more sitting on the bumper of a neighboring department's pumper telling me they were fine and did not want to go to the hospital. They had no choice I had them transported to the hospital to be checked out. As we were in the hospital and they were all talking about the accident they were talking about how they could not get out of the truck due to the seatbelts holding them in. At that point I knew they all had there seatbelts on. This truck is a 1990 model so it only had lapbelts. If they had not have had there seatbelts on I would have not been able to bring them all home with me later on that night. Please do as I did and take the seat belt pledge seriously and take care of your members.  We will be glad to come to your department and talk about how seat belts saved our members lives.  Please take the Pledge!!! NOW

Chief Len Needham

Bahama Fire Department

President PNCFA

Director NCAFC

919-201-1589