SAFENET Protocols
SAFENET is a wildland firefighter safety reporting system intended to:
- Provide firefighters a common tool for communicating unsafe, unhealthy, near-miss and high-risk operations within wildland fire, all-hazard operations, training and other related work environments to leadership.
- Share information and provide learning opportunities for other firefighters.
- Improve management awareness and enable managers to engage in problem solving and collaboration.
- Collect safety-related data for future analysis and systems improvement.
SAFENET submittals must be consistent with established wildland fire leadership values and principles. All submittals should contribute to firefighter safety and enable individual and systems improvement.
SAFENET is not intended to replace the immediate Agency Responses and/or critical risk communication.
How to Submit a SAFENET
- Go to the Create SAFENET page. Complete and submit a SAFENET.
- You have the right to anonymously report unsafe conditions in accordance with 29 CFR 1960. However, sharing your submittal with supervisors and other affected individuals is encouraged and may enhance immediate and long-term systems improvements.
- Base your submittal on firsthand experience or observation.
- Do not base your submittal on hearsay or other secondhand information, and do not use unprofessional, offensive, or destructive content; such submittals will not be posted.
What Happens After You Submit a SAFENET
The SAFENET administrator will remove the name of the submitter and all individual, crew, and team names to protect anonymity. Fire, incident, agency, and unit names will remain.
Within 24 hours the submittal will be forwarded to the pertinent NWCG RMC agency SAFENET representatives as determined by agency involvement through jurisdiction, personnel, contractors or other resources.
Within two working days, the NWCG RMC agency SAFENET representatives will determine suitability for posting. Representatives may address unacceptable content by denying the post or delaying the post until unacceptable content is rewritten or removed. The SAFENET administrator will request the NWCG Risk Management Committee approve any delayed or denied posts.
The agency SAFENET representatives may initiate an agency response at any time. These should be recorded using the agency response link on the SAFENET or by emailing the SAFENET administrator. Multiple agency response submittals are permitted. Submitters are encouraged to login to the SAFENET website to see their submittal acknowledged and addressed by the NWCG RMC agency representative and designees.
Submittals related to incidents with ongoing serious accident investigations will not be posted until the investigation is completed. These submittals will be forwarded to the serious accident investigation team.
The finalized submittal will be posted on the SAFENET website and remain there permanently.
Why You Should Submit a SAFENET
Collection and analysis of a safety related data can contribute to individual and institutional learning and improvement. This only happens with your participation and support. Please consider submitting a SAFENET next time you are involved with a safety related event that others could learn from.
Other Reporting Systems
- AGENCY REPORTING SYSTEMS must be used by all firefighters according to their agency specific accident and incident reporting direction. SAFENET augments these systems; it does not replace them.
- RAPID LESSON SHARING is a reporting system hosted by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center that enables firefighters to share knowledge to improve safety, performance, efficiency and organizational learning throughout the entire wildland fire community. If you have a lesson gained while working in the wildland fire service, please consider sharing it at http://www.wildfirelessons.net/resources/rapidlessonsharing.
- SAFECOM is an aviation mishap reporting and prevention tool for everyone associated with DOI and U.S. Forest Service aviation operations. The system is used to report any condition, observation, act, maintenance problem, or circumstance with personnel or aircraft that has the potential to cause an aviation-related mishap. SAFECOMS may also be used to identify good "acts, events, and circumstances" as well as unsafe situations. Locate SAFECOM at https://www.safecom.gov/.
SAFENET Information
For SAFENET information or input please contact SAFENET_Administrator@blm.gov.
