NFPA Journal - July/August 2020 - 75

Selected 2019 US Firefighter Fatalities (continued)

AP/WIDE WORLD

Vehicle-related deaths
In 2019, four firefighters died in vehicle crashes,
four were struck by vehicles, and one fell from a
moving vehicle. In the past, crashes of road vehicles consistently accounted for the second-largest
share of on-duty deaths, but the number has
dropped in recent years, with fewer than five
deaths in three of the last 10 years. Deaths in road
vehicle crashes, which accounted for three of the
four crash deaths in 2019, have ranged over the
years from a high of 25 to this year's low of three.
Two of the four firefighters who died in crashes
were killed while responding to emergencies: one
to a motor vehicle crash and one to a wildland
fire. One firefighter was driving his own vehicle
from his shift at one fire station to an overtime
shift at another station. None of the drivers was
wearing a seatbelt, and speed was a factor in the
two of the response deaths.
In the one crash that did not occur on a road or
highway, the firefighter was killed in a helicopter
crash during operations at a prescribed burn. The
pilot and another crew member were injured.
Four firefighters were killed when struck by
vehicles: two while operating at crash scenes,
one at the scene of a structure fire, and one
while returning from a fire. One was assessing
the condition of the driver of one of two vehicles
involved in a crash when he was struck in the
head by the side mirror of a passing semi-tractor
trailer truck and pinned between the two vehicles. He was wearing a traffic safety vest but no
other details about scene security were reported.
Another firefighter was struck at the scene of a
pre-dawn crash when the driver of a semi-tractor
trailer failed to stop and struck two parked cars
at the scene before striking the firefighter who
was standing near the original crash. The driver
said that he thought the emergency lights of the
parked emergency vehicles ahead of him were the
lights of an oncoming ambulance, and that faulty
brakes on his truck prevented him from stopping
in time. A third firefighter was retrieving a tool
from his fire truck at the scene of a structure fire
when he tripped getting out of the driver's side
of the truck, fell into the path of a passing vehicle, and was run over. The driver did not have
time to react and could not avoid him. In the
fourth incident, two firefighters were in a tanker
returning from a fire call when they got out of the
truck to check the tires after hearing a strange
noise. While standing on the dark, unlit narrow
road, they were struck by the personal vehicle
of another returning firefighter who did not see
them standing in the road. One of the firefighters
was killed and the other was injured.
A firefighter responding to a motor vehicle
crash in the front passenger seat of a fire engine
fell to the ground and struck his head when the
cab door opened as the vehicle slowly made a

chest. The other firefighters
in the collapse zone received
varying degrees of injuries and
were treated and transported to
area hospitals.
Over the course of the fire,
six fire departments were
involved in suppression activities. A state investigation
report on the fire indicated
that several command duties
outlined in NFPA 1561, Standard on Emergency Services
Incident Management System
and Command Safety, had not
been followed. These included
establishing a command post,
using an accountability system,
and conducting ongoing situation assessments. A unified
command was not established.
A complete walk around
the structure was not conducted until after the collapse
occurred.
GUNSHOT AT EMS CALL FOR
NARCOTIC OVERDOSE
A 36-year-old firefighter was
shot and killed while on an
EMS call. The 14-year veteran
firefighter responded at approximately 5:30 p.m. to reports
of a man having a seizure. The
unconscious victim was found
on a transit bus, not breathing.
Firefighters began treatment
while awaiting the arrival of an
ambulance and medics. When

the medics arrived, firefighters
continued to assist with the
patient. The patient eventually
regained consciousness and
spontaneous respirations after
administration of the narcotic
antagonist, naloxone.
The firefighters, medics, and
police officers began transferring the patient to a stretcher
when he became unruly and
uncooperative. Medics and
firefighters attempted to calm
the patient by explaining that
he needed to be transported
to the hospital. He was advised
that the beneficial effects of the
medicine they had just administered would wear off, rendering
him unconscious again. Police
eventually had to step in and
attempt to control the patient.
While police officers were
trying to calm the patient and
search for weapons, he pulled a
small pistol from his pocket and
began firing. As the police officers and firefighters took cover,
gunshots hit one firefighter in
the back, a police officer in the
leg, and a civilian in both the
head and leg.
As the police continued to
exchange gunfire with the suspect, the other firefighters on
scene immediately emerged
from cover to retrieve a medical
equipment bag and to tend
to the injuries of the downed

An aerial view following a propane gas
explosion in Maine. The blast killed one
firefighter and injured several other people.

N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL

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NFPA Journal - July/August 2020

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