NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 74)

2011 FIREFIGHTER INJURIES u  firefighter is given intravenous fluids at the scene of a   A fire at a county fair in Mississippi. At least two firefighters were overcome by heat. some windows and jumped out headfirst, landing on the roof of a porch 12 feet (3.6 meters) below. A rapid intervention team was deployed to the porch roof, where they rescued the victims and transferred them to ambulances. The lieutenant, a 41-year-old with 18 years’ experience, fractured his hip when he jumped from the window. The 37-year-old firefighter, who had 17 years’ experience, sustained second- and third-degree burns and musculoskeletal injuries to his hip and lower back. He was hospitalized for nearly a week. Both men, who were wearing a full protective ensemble, were eventually cleared for firefighting activities. The other member of the three-man crew was in the stairwell leading into the top floor supporting hose line operations when the ceiling collapsed. He fell backwards down the stairs, spraining his knee and ankle. He was cleared for firefighting activities two weeks after the incident. The origin and cause of the fire is reported as undetermined, and the house had no smoke alarms. Although the fire department report did not explain why the lieutenant’s maydays were missed, the fire department did outline in its investigation several ways to improve firefighter safety. Structure Fire Three firefighters suffered injuries while fighting an incendiary fire that started in a back bedroom of a vacant, single-family, wood-frame house that covered 1,300 square feet (121 square meters). A 25-year-old rookie suffered second-degree burns to the back of his neck while pulling ceilings, and a 28-year-old firefighter with four years’ experience suffered steam and heat burns on his wrist while operating a hose line inside the house. Both were cleared to resume firefighting activities after the incident. The third man, a 47-year-old seasoned veteran with 25 years’ experience, suffered burns to his head and face after falling through the roof and first-floor ceiling while performing vertical ventilation. He was found by the interior companies, who helped him outside to be checked by EMTs. The firefighter, who was not wearing self-contained breathing apparatus when he fell through the roof, returned to firefighting activities nearly a month after the incident. Once the injured were removed from the building, the incident commander switched to a defensive stance and performed a personnel accountability roll call to account for all firefighters on scene. the actual number of total firefighter injuries falls within 5 percent of the estimate. The results in this article are based on injuries that occurred during incidents attended by public fire departments, 2,790 of which responded to the 2011 fire experience survey. No adjustments were made for injuries that occurred during fires attended solely by private fire brigades, such as those at industrial or military installations. Data collection for the selected incidents was enhanced by a form that was sent to departments requesting information. The form included questions about type of protective equipment worn, the age and rank of firefighters injured, and a description of the circumstances that led to injury. Acknowledgments NFPA thanks the many fire departments that responded to the NFPA Survey for U.S. Fire Experience 2011 for their continuing efforts in providing in a timely manner the data so necessary to make national projections of firefighter injuries. The authors also thank the many NFPA staff members who worked on this year’s survey, including Frank Deely, John Baldi, and John Conlon for editing and keying the survey forms and for their follow-up calls to fire departments, as well as Norma Candeloro for processing survey forms and preparing the report on which this article is based. We are also grateful to the U.S. Fire Administration for its work in developing, coordinating, and maintaining NFIRS. MichAeL J. KARteR, JR. is senior statistician with NFPA’s Fire Analysis and Research Division. JOSePh L. MOLiS is a fire data assistant and a lieutenant with the Providence, Rhode Island, Fire Department. 74 NFPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 Photograph: AP/Wide World

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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