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The proportion of firefighter deaths
that have occurred during training has
increased while the number of firefighter
deaths overall has declined over the
years, according to a National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) report
released last month.
The NFPA report finds that 100 firefighters
died while engaged in training-related
activities from 1996 through 2005, accounting
for 10 percent of all on-duty firefighter
deaths during that time. Of these 100
victims, 47 were local volunteer firefighters,
39 were local career firefighters, and
the remaining 14 were from other organizations.
"Training is an essential part
of fire department operations and it
is worrisome that the training proportion
of firefighter deaths has increased,"
said Rita F. Fahy, Ph.D., manager of
fire databases and systems for NFPA.
"Firefighting is a dangerous profession
and to see deaths occurring due to activities
that are meant to prevent death and
injury is distressing."
The largest number of firefighters
died while participating in apparatus
and equipment drills, accounting for
36 deaths. Twenty-one of the 36 firefighters
who died during this activity suffered
sudden cardiac death. The second largest
number of training deaths over the 10-year
period occurred while firefighters were
taking part in an activity meant to
promote health - 30 died during physical
fitness training. Twenty-three of the
deaths during physical fitness training
were attributed to cardiac events.
Sudden cardiac death (usually heart
attacks) is the number one cause of
firefighter fatalities overall and the
same is true for those during training.
Just over half of the firefighters who
died while training during the 10-year
period died, due to cardiac events.
According to the study, sudden cardiac
death was responsible for 53 of the
100 deaths.
"It is our hope that this 10-year
study will help prevent future deaths
by identifying areas where training
safety can be improved," said Fahy.
Each year NFPA issues an in-depth report
on firefighter fatalities in the United
States. The new 10-year analysis on
deaths related to training utilizes
information from these broader annual
studies that cover overall firefighter
fatalities in the U.S.
NFPA publishes a range of standards
that provide guidelines for safely conducting
firefighter training and address health
issues. NFPA 1403, Standard on Live
Fire Training Evolutions describes a
process for conducting live fire training
evolutions to ensure that they are conducted
in safe facilities and that the exposure
to health and safety hazards for the
firefighters receiving the training
is minimized. NFPA 1582, Standard on
Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program
for Fire Departments contains descriptive
requirements for a comprehensive occupational
medical program.
Free firefighter fatalities and injuries
reports from NFPA can be found at:
http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=416&itemID=18242&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/One-Stop%20Data%20Shop/Statistical%20reports/Firefighter%20fatalities%20and%20injuries
U.S. Firefighter Deaths Related to Training,
1996-2005
Rita F. Fahy
June 2006
16 pages.
Training is a vital part of fire department
operations, but it too often results
in deaths and injuries. Between 1996
and 2005, 100 firefighters in the U.S.
died while engaged in training-related
activities (10 percent of all on-duty
firefighter deaths). The deaths occurred
during a broad range of activities,
including apparatus and equipment drills;
physical fitness; live fire training;
underwater/dive training; and while
attending classes or seminars.
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/OS.FFFtraining.pdf
Firefighter Fatalities in the United
States
Rita F. Fahy & Paul R. LeBlanc
June 2006
32 pages.
In 2005, a total of 87 on-duty firefighter
deaths occurred in the U.S. The 87 on-duty
deaths represent the lowest total since
1993, and the third lowest death toll
since NFPA began tracking these deaths
in 1977. Responding and returning from
alarms accounted for the largest shares
of firefighter deaths, with 26 deaths.
Fire ground operations accounted for
25 deaths. This continues the trend
that deaths on the fire ground account
for less than one third of the deaths
each year. Stress and overexertion,
which usually results in heart attacks
or other sudden cardiac events, continued
to be the leading cause of fatal injury.
Of the 47 stress-related deaths in 2005,
40 (46%) were classified as sudden cardiac
deaths (usually heart attacks). Overall
statistics on line-of-duty firefighter
fatalities in 2005, including non-incident-related
deaths. Includes patterns, trends, career
vs. volunteer comparisons, and brief
narratives on selected incidents. Reports
for earlier years back to 1980 are available
for $10.00 each. http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/osfff.pdf
U.S. Firefighter Fatalities Due to
Sudden Cardiac Death, 1995-2004
Rita F. Fahy
June 2005
11 pages.
Sudden cardiac death claims more firefighter
lives during on-duty activities than
any other cause of death. This study
reviews trends in these deaths between
1995 and 2004.
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/OSCardiacDeath.pdf
U.S. Fire Service Fatalities in Structures
Rita F. Fahy
July 2002
11 pages.
Firefighters today are dying inside
structures at a rate that parallels
their on-duty death rate during the
1970s. These findings are based on an
analysis of on-duty firefighter deaths
from 1977-2000.
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/fffstructure.pdf
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