NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 72)

2011 FIREFIGHTER INJURIES Traffic on both sides of the road was yielding to the fire engine, which was traveling eastbound on a two-lane road, when a vehicle in the westbound lane began passing traffic stopped around a curve in the road and drove at the oncoming fire apparatus. The fire truck turned to the right in a defensive maneuver and a glancing collision occurred, sending the apparatus off the roadway and into a telephone pole, crushing the driver’s compartment and trapping the driver in the wreckage. The fire department reports that all five firefighters in the engine were wearing seatbelts, which helped minimize the injuries of all but the driver, who suffered a severe, crushing leg injury and is unable to return to the fire service. Training Demonstration A 35-year-old firefighter suffered severe head injuries when he slipped and fell 20 feet (6 meters) as he descended an aerial ladder, landing headfirst onto the turntable during a public relations demonstration. There was a mist and drizzle during the event when the victim was on the ladder, which the department reported was at an angle of approximately 30 degrees. The only protective clothing the 11-year-veteran was wearing was a pair of gloves. He was hospitalized for 10 days and is no longer able to perform firefighting duties. Structure Fire A firefighter suffered a serious foot injury while fighting a fire in a vacant, single-family house that started at ground level on an exterior wall of the garage. By the time the fire department arrived, the fire had spread into a stairwell and compromised the attic. Due to the extent of the fire and the condition of the two-story, wood-frame house, the incident commander decided to conduct defensive operations, fighting the blaze mainly from the exterior of the structure using two aerial ladders and exterior water streams. At one point during operations, the incident commander decided that crews should open part of the gable roof end and a portion of the roof to better access the burning structure. Two firefighters and the aerial ladder operator discussed their new task on the turntable of the aerial, and the two firefighters began climbing the ladder. At some point, they turned around and it appeared as though they were talking to the ladder operator. As they continued climbing, the operator began to extend the ladder, crushing the foot of one of the firefighters between the rungs. a seven-to-one difference in risk of injury between communities of 250,000 to 499,999 and the smallest communities of less than 2,500. Although a department protecting a community with a population of 250,000 to 499,999 has, on average, more than 22 times as many firefighters than a department protecting a population of less than 2,500, the larger department attends more than 86 times as many fires and, as a result, incurs considerably more fireground injuries. Where all departments reported sufficient data by region for the number of fires a fire department responds to and the number of fires attended, the Northeast reported a higher number of fireground injuries per 100 fires for most community sizes than any other region of the United States. Improving firefighter safety As these statistics attest, firefighting presents great risks of personal injury to firefighters. Moreover, because of the kind of work performed and the hazards of the incident scene environment, it is unlikely that all firefighter injuries can be eliminated. However, a risk management system and the application of existing technology can offer options to reduce current injury levels. NFPA 1500, Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, contains information that can be of help in developing such systems. Section 4.3 addresses ways in which top fire service management can commit to reducing injuries, while Section 4.5 discusses the establishment of a safety committee, headed by a safety officer, to recommend a safety policy and the means of implementing it. Paragraphs 4.4.4 and 4.4.5 address the development and implementation of an investigation procedure that includes all accidents, near misses, injuries, fatalities, occupational illnesses, and exposures involving fire department members. Sections 7.1 through 7.8 provide information on choosing appropriate protective equipment and a mandate to use it, while Sections 7.9 through 7.14 contain information on developing and enforcing an SCBA use and maintenance program. Sections 6.2 and 6.3 address the development and enforcement of policies on safe practices for drivers and passengers of fire apparatus, while Chapter 5 contains information about training all members for emergency operations. Paragraph 4.1.2 of NFPA 1500 covers the development of procedures to ensure that sufficient personnel respond for firefighting and overhaul duties, as do NFPA 1710, Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, and NFPA 1720, Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments. Sections 10.1 through 10.3 of NFPA 1500 address the implementation of regular medical examinations and a physical fitness program, as do NFPA 1582, Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, and NFPA 1583, Health-Related Fitness Programs for Firefighters. Section 8.1 of NFPA 1500 contains information about the adoption and implementation of an incident management system, as does NFPA 1561, Emergency Services Incident Management System. 72 NFPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012

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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