NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 71)

Because fireground injuries are of particular concern, we examined their causes. The definition of cause here refers to the initial circumstance that led to the injury. The leading causes of fireground injuries are overexertion and strains, which accounted for 28.4 percent, and falls, jumps, and slips, which accounted for 21 percent. Other major causes were coming in contact with an object, which accounted for 11.7 percent, and exposure to fire products, which accounted for 8 percent. Fire department vehicle collisions In 2011, there were an estimated 14,850 collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles, where departments were responding to, or returning from, incidents. To put this number into perspective, fire departments responded to more than 30.1 million incidents in 2011, so the number of collisions represents about one tenth of 1 percent of total responses. However, these collisions resulted in 970 firefighter injuries, or 1.4 percent of all firefighter injuries. Another 790 collisions involved firefighters’ personal vehicles that were being used to respond to, or return from, incidents. These collisions resulted in an estimated 190 injuries. Average fires and fireground injuries per department by population protected The number of fires a fire department responds to is directly related to the population protected and the number of fireground injuries incurred by a department is directly related to its exposure to fire— that is, the number of fires the department attends. The second point is clearly demonstrated when we examine the range of the statistics, from a high of 120.1 for departments that protect communities of 1 million or more to a low of 0.2 for departments that protect communities of with populations under 2,500. A useful way to look at firefighter injury experience and to obtain a reading on the relative risk that departments face is to examine the number of fireground injuries that occur for every 100 fires attended. This takes into account relative fire experience and allows more direct comparison between departments protecting communities of different sizes. The overall range of rates varied less, from a high of 2.8 for departments that protect communities of 250,000 to 499,999 to a low of 1.2 for departments that protect communities of 2,500 to 4,999 population. Thus, the wide range noted in average fireground injuries by population protected narrows when relative fire experience is taken into account. The overall injury rate for departments protecting communities of 50,000 population or more was 2.5 injuries per 100 fires, or 67 percent higher than the injury rate for departments protecting communities of less than 50,000. We also calculated the risk of fireground injury per 100 firefighters by size of community protected. Larger departments generally had the highest rates, with departments protecting communities of 250,000 to 499,999 having the highest rate at 6.9 injuries per 100 firefighters. As community size decreases, the rate drops steadily, to a low of 0.9 for departments protecting less than 2,500 people. That is a more than a motor vehicle crash on a five-lane highway just after midnight. After placing the apparatus in a blocking position, they immediately began establishing a traffic control zone, consisting of signs and reflective cones, and assessing the scene. Due to recent rains, the pavement was wet and slippery. Two firefighters, both of whom were wearing turnout pants, firefighting boots, fire helmets, gloves, and reflective vests, left the traffic control zone and approached a police cruiser parked nearby to check on the vehicle’s driver, who was slightly injured in the crash. As they were walking toward the car, a vehicle drove through the crash scene, hitting them. One of the men, who had three years’ experience, fractured his ankle and was out of work for more than six weeks. The other, a 46-year-old with 24 years’ experience, suffered a knee injury and could not perform firefighting duties for 15 weeks. Both were cleared to perform firefighting duties after their rehabilitation. The department did not provide specific information on the location of the crash relative to the roadway, the size of the control zone, the location of the apparatus, or the way the response was coordinated with law enforcement. Rollover While Responding Three firefighters were taken to local hospitals after they were involved in a crash while responding to a structure fire in a 3,500-gallon (13,249-liter) tanker with baffles. As they approached the scene, the driver began slowing down to turn into a driveway when the tanker lost traction on a patch of ice. It began to skid and then rolled over twice before coming to rest on its wheels. The driver, who was wearing his seatbelt, suffered lacerations and contusions. A second firefighter, who was sitting in the middle of the front seat and also wearing a seatbelt, suffered lacerations. The third firefighter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was not wearing a seatbelt and was fortunate to suffer only minor lacerations and contusions. All three were treated at the emergency room, released, and cleared for firefighting duties. Injured While Responding The driver of a fire engine was seriously injured in a crash while responding in “emergency mode” to an unreported type of situation when an oncoming vehicle hit the apparatus, causing it to careen into a telephone pole. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 NFPA JOURNAL 71

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2012

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Past + Present
Easy Being Green?
Pressure Points
2011 Large-Loss Fires
2011 Firefighter Injuries
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

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