NFPA Journal - July/August 2018 - 92

Selected 2017 U.S. Firefighter Fatalities (continued)
several more times but the
messages were unintelligible.
A rapid intervention team
(RIT) was deployed under the
command of a battalion chief
leading the rescue operations.
They located one of the overcome firefighters and removed
him nine minutes after the RIT
entered the building. He was
rushed to the hospital aboard
an advanced life support
ambulance. He suffered exten-

the number killed
responding to or
returning from alarms,
the fewest in the 41
years of the study
sive burns and was admitted to
the intensive care burn unit.
A second RIT was sent in to
locate the other missing firefighter. Nearly 45 minutes into
the incident and 19 minutes
after his partner was rescued,
the victim was located and
removed from the building.
He was pronounced dead at
the scene. One firefighter
was injured during the rescue
efforts, suffering from smoke
inhalation and exhaustion.
The fire department examined all protective clothing
and did not find any major
defects with their protective
ensembles. The victim was a
31-year-old firefighter with six
years' experience. His cause
of death was listed as conflagration injuries. The manner of
death was listed as homicide.
The cause of the fire was
determined to be incendiary
and arson charges were filed
against an owner of one of the
occupancies.
FALL FROM LADDER DURING
TRAINING EXERCISE
A 29-year-old firefighter suffered critical injuries during
training on the upper floors of
a local six-story hotel. Several
fire companies were participating in the drill. The victim was a
member of a ladder company.
The training plan was communicated to all members and an
operational briefing was held
prior to the start of the evolution. Personnel participating
in the drill were wearing complete structural firefighting
protective ensembles, including self-contained breathing
apparatus (SCBA).
The operator of the ladder
truck positioned the apparatus

in front of the hotel and the
aerial ladder was raised to the
roof at a 73-degree angle and
extended 86 feet (26 meters).
As the aerial was being raised,
two firefighters raised a
35-foot extension ladder to
a second-story fire escape
balcony. They returned to the
apparatus, donned their SCBA,
grabbed the roof kit, and
climbed onto the pedestal.
Three firefighters began
to ascend the aerial ladder.
Approximately 60 feet (18
meters) up the ladder, the
lead firefighter fell, landing on
the ladder's pedestal. He was
treated at the scene and transported to a local trauma center.
The firefighter succumbed to
his traumatic injuries several
days later.
The department issued a
brief report after the incident
and had its members review
the inherent dangers of carrying equipment while climbing
ladders.
VEHICLE CRASH
RESPONDING TO FIRE
A 54-year-old firefighter suffered traumatic injuries when
the mobile water supply vehicle she was driving crashed.
The truck left the roadway and tipped over while
responding to a structure fire
in a residential occupancy.
After tipping onto its side,
the truck struck an embankment. The fully loaded tank
detached from the truck and
crashed into the cab, killing the
firefighter.
INMATE WILDLAND
FIREFIGHTER DIES IN
CHAINSAW ACCIDENT
A crew of inmate firefighters
was cutting a fire line in steep
terrain approximately two
miles (three kilometers) from
a wildfire. The cutting teams
decided to leapfrog each other
along the fire line. They completed about 70-80 feet (21-24
meters) of fire line when they
came across a rock outcropping with a steep drop-off.
During the operation, a
22-year-old inmate firefighter
lost his balance and his
momentum carried him off
the outcropping. He inadvertently straddled his chainsaw,
which lacerated his upper right
thigh just behind his Kevlar
chaps, severing his femoral
artery. Nearby firefighters
began treatment including a
tactical tourniquet. The incident commander requested
an advanced life support
ambulance. The firefighter was
transported by ground and
pronounced dead at the emergency room.

92 | NFPA JOURNAL * J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

Control campaign. The findings from these studies will
inform relevant NFPA standards for the fire service as well
as educational and training programs aimed at reducing
firefighter exposures.
There has been increased focus on first responder behavioral health issues and the importance of prevention
programs and peer support for firefighters. Data collected
by the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance has shown
that, as with heart disease and cancer, this is a problem
that follows firefighters after their careers end, whether in
retirement or some other form of separation from the fire
service. In 2012, the National Volunteer Fire Council (nvfc.
org), with support from USFA, published a report produced
by FBHA on behavioral health and suicide prevention.
Training programs and resources are also available from
the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (firehero.org)
and the NVFC. The NVFC program, "Share the Load" (nvfc.
org/programs/share-the-load-program), points firefighters, EMTs, and their families to resources and support for
mental well-being. The IAFF offers a peer-support training
course for its members.
Heart disease, of course, has long been recognized
as a significant factor in firefighter on-duty deaths, as
sudden cardiac death consistently accounts for approximately half of the on-duty fatalities. Several NFPA
standards focus on health risks to firefighters. NFPA 1582,
Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire
Departments, outlines for fire departments the medical
requirements that must be met by candidate firefighters and incumbent fire department members. NFPA 1500,
Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness
Program, calls for fire departments to establish a firefighter health and fitness program that meets NFPA 1583,
Health-Related Fitness Programs for Fire Department
Members, and requires that firefighters meet the medical requirements of NFPA 1582. Information on developing
a wellness-fitness program is available from other organizations, including the NVFC's Heart-Healthy Firefighter
Program (healthy-firefighter.org), launched in 2003 to
address heart attack prevention for firefighters and EMS
personnel through fitness, nutrition, and health awareness;
and the Fire Service Joint Labor-Management WellnessFitness Initiative, a cooperative effort by the IAFF and the
International Association of Fire Chiefs that's available at
iafc.org.

Acknowledgements
This study is made possible by the cooperation and assistance of the United States fire service, NIOSH, the USFA,
the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land
Management of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The
authors would also like to thank Carl E. Peterson, retired
from NFPA's Public Fire Protection Division, for his assistance on the study.
RITA F. FAHY, PH.D., is manager of fire databases and systems in NFPA's
Fire Analysis and Research Division. JOSEPH L. MOLIS is a fire data
assistant at NFPA and a lieutenant with the Providence, Rhode Island, Fire
Department. PAUL R. LEBLANC is a fire data assistant at NFPA and a
retired lieutenant with the Boston, Massachusetts, Fire Department.

http://nvfc.org http://nvfc.org http://www.firehero.org http://nvfc.org/programs/share-the-load--program http://nvfc.org/programs/share-the-load--program http://www.healthy-firefighter.org http://www.iafc.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - July/August 2018