Webinar - NIOSH Report Review: Improving Volunteer Firefighter Safety in Privately Owned Vehicles

Rick Lago has been with the NIOSH FFFIPP Program for two years. Prior to joining the Program, he spent 38 years with the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD), retiring as a Battalion Chief. During his 38 years with the BCFD, he spent the first decade as a firefighter and lieutenant on engine and truck companies. In 2000, he was assigned as an officer on the rescue unit. Promoted to captain (2004), he was trained in all disciplines of special rescue operations and was assigned the dive team commander.  Promoting to Battalion Chief in 2007, he was assigned to a field position commanding the 3^rd and 1^st Battalions. In addition to his operational responsibilities, he was tasked with leading a team to investigate serious injuries (near miss). His last year with the department was spent at the Fire Training Academy to develop and implement an officer development program and work on an incident command simulation project. In January 2022, the department suffered a tragic incident where three personnel were killed during a residential fire and structural collapse. He was assigned chairman of a board of inquiry, working with the team from the NIOSH FFFIPP. He retired in 2023 and joined the FFFIPP Team. He has an Associates of Arts Degree in Fire Science and has been the author and co-author of over a dozen cases with the NIOSH Team.