Firefighters looking out for eachother --- online.

Database Seeks to Lower Firefighter Deaths.

It's a scene that plays out in firehouses every day: Firefighters return from a blaze or rescue call and talk about a close call that could have injured or killed someone. The International Association of Fire Chiefs wants firefighters nationwide to learn from such stories through the National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System.

The national database went online last month after the completion of a pilot program involving 38 fire departments across the country. The Web site lets firefighters report such incidents anonymously and without fear of punishment.

"You come back from a call and you talk about something that happened and you learn," said John Tippett, a Montgomery County, Md., fire battalion chief who helped the group develop the site. "The guys on the next shift don't always hear about it, other companies don't hear about it."

Online: The National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System Task Force