NFPA Journal - Fall 2023 - 76

NFPA Research The Reports
three firefighters were killed in helicopter
crashes while supporting firefighting
at wildfires. The remaining firefighter
suffered an unknown medical emergency
while serving as a crew boss at a wildfire.
Work as a firefighter includes significant
physical demands and takes place
in environments that include a range of
hazardous conditions. Inclement weather
and nighttime conditions can add
additional risk to the performance of firefighting
duties. Moreover, as this report
clearly shows, the risk of fatal injury for
firefighters is not confined to work at fire
scenes but also includes training activities,
nonfire emergencies, and transport
to and from emergency scenes.
Although the downward trend in the
annual number of fatal firefighter injuries
is an encouraging indication that
injury prevention efforts through the
years are meeting with success, there is
a clear need for continuing attention to
firefighter safety and health.
To this end, sudden cardiac deaths
remain a critical concern, with the inclusion
of deaths within 24 hours of duty
bringing the issue into sharper focus.
Fitness programs, annual medical evaluations,
and medical monitoring are
well-recognized preventive measures for
cardiac health for all firefighters. But the
predominance of volunteer firefighters
among the sudden cardiac deaths within
24 hours suggests the need for additional
areas of intervention. Age is an important
risk factor for cardiac injury and is an
issue that is particularly relevant to the
volunteer firefighter community.
Education about symptoms of cardiac
distress should be a component of risk
reduction efforts for firefighters. Such
efforts have special importance for volunteers,
who may not return to the station
following an alarm and may not have
immediate access to medical treatment.
Vehicle crashes and struck-by-vehicle
incidents-a perennial concern for
firefighters-accounted once again for
a substantial share of the fatal injury
deaths in 2022. Three two-fatality crashes
in which fire department vehicles were
struck by trucks were especially notable
76 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2023
Fatal injuries at structure fires due to roof or floor collapses,
falling objects, entrapment, or rapid fire progress serve as a
cautionary reminder that building fires are burning hotter and
faster than previously. It is vital that firefighter activities inside
structures be undertaken with special consideration for the
potential of a premature failure of structural components
within this new context for building fires.
and underscore the importance of vehicle
safety awareness, as well as outreach to the
public and the transportation industry.
Finally, the fatal injuries at structure
fires due to roof or floor collapses, falling
objects, entrapment, or rapid fire progress
serve as a cautionary reminder that
building fires are burning hotter and
faster than in previous years, due to engineered
structural components used in
the construction of the buildings as well
as the proliferation of synthetic materials
in indoor furnishings. It is vital that
firefighter activities inside structures be
undertaken with special consideration
for the potential of a premature failure
of structural components within this new
context for building fires.
Advances in firefighting practices
and procedures, communications and
equipment, training programs, and education
have all helped to improve safety
and health outcomes for the firefighting
community through the years. Still, the
unique variety of hazards encountered
by firefighters across their multiple types
of duties pose an ongoing challenge
for comprehensive injury prevention.
Meeting this challenge will require commitment
from a variety of actors within
and outside the fire service.
RICHARD CAMPBELL is senior research analyst
in the Research Division at NFPA. JAY T.
PETRILLO is a fire data analyst at NFPA.
SELECTED 2022 FIREFIGHTER FATAL
INJURY INCIDENTS
Captain shot and killed
at fire scene
In the early-morning hours, the fire
department was dispatched to a reported
dumpster fire up against a commercial
building. During operations, a 47-yearold
fire captain and the crew of his
engine company were assigned to enter
the commercial structure to check for
fire extension. The captain was in the
process of forcing entry through a rear
roll-up door, using a saw to cut the lock,
when an occupant fired a gun multiple
times through the door, striking the
captain in the chest. The captain was
able to immediately retreat toward his
apparatus where firefighters discovered
he had been hit by the gunfire.
Life-saving efforts were immediately
initiated on the injured captain,
and he was transported to the hospital
where he later died of his injuries.
The alleged shooter was subsequently
arrested, and the incident remains
under investigation.
Firefighter killed in
structure collapse
At 1:04 p.m., the fire department was
dispatched to a reported structure fire
in a multifamily residential dwelling.
Arriving companies reported heavy fire
showing from the structure, and the incident
commander immediately requested
a second alarm, bringing additional companies
to the scene.
NFPA Journal - Fall 2023

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