NFPA Journal - July/August 2019 - 84

Selected 2018 US Firefighter Fatalities (continued)
activity while operating at a
technical rescue about two and
a half hours prior to his death.
An autopsy was performed
on the victim, and post mortem
results indicated he had a prior
cardiac history of hypertension
and coronary artery disease
(CAD), including left ventricular
hypertrophy (LVH), a risk factor
for sudden cardiac death. The
autopsy results also indicated
that LVH can be caused by
hypertension and CAD. The
cause of death identified
through the medical examiner
was most likely hypertensive
and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
The department indicated it
does not have an established
wellness and fitness initiative
but does provide annual physicals to its members.

suffering multiple injuries
ranging from broken bones to
abrasions and contusions.
According to the investigation
report, officers and crews were
warned twice that day to avoid
being under the air drops. One
of the warnings occurred during
the safety briefing, and another
was broadcast over the tactical
radio channel prior to the air
drops. It is not known if the
ground crews heard the warnings over the tactical channel.
Another factor was the equipment used in the tanker. This
type of plane did not use gravity
to spread the retardant material.
The product was released under
pressure using compressed
air, and the force applied to the
treetops at low altitude was
enough to take down trees in
the drop zone.

TREE KNOCKED DOWN BY
RETARDANT DROP DURING
WILDLAND FIRE
A wildland crew was operating
at approximately 3,000 feet
(915 meters) above sea level,
tasked with reinforcing a dozer
line and placing a hose lay to
support the operation. A large
air tanker capable of carrying
19,200 gallons (72,700 liters) of
retardant was used to reinforce
the dozer line.
During the afternoon, the
temperature was 82°F (28°C)
with wind blowing from the
northwest at approximately
3-5 mph (5-8 kph). All crews
had attended a safety briefing
before beginning operations.
An announcement had been
broadcast on the tactical radio
warning that air tankers were
working in the area. On the third
drop from the air tanker, the
retardant landed approximately
300 feet (90 meters) outside
the target area, away from the
dozer line. On the fourth drop,
the tanker crew was asked to
drop the retardant closer to the
dozer line at a minimum altitude
of 3,200 feet (975 meters), just
200 feet (61 meters) above the
crews. Members of the crew
on the ground identified a drop
path using a smoke trail for the
incoming air tanker.
The pilots' view was obscured
by heavy vegetation, and they
did not notice a rise in ground
elevation in the flight path,
which resulted in the drop being
much lower than expected. The
drop knocked over an 87-foot
(26-meter) Douglas fir tree,
striking the crews below. One
firefighter, a 42-year-old battalion chief who had responded
on mutual aid from another
state, was killed instantly, suffering crushing injuries when he
was struck by the falling tree.
Three firefighters were injured,

STRUCK BY VEHICLE
At approximately 9 p.m. during a
tropical storm, the fire department
responded to a car crash on an
interstate highway. An engine
company with three firefighters
and a lieutenant arrived at the
scene of the crash in the median
of the highway. They properly
parked their apparatus and exited
the truck.
The driver and the firefighter
seated behind him headed toward
the victims. As the lieutenant
began walking toward the crash,
he looked back to check on the
firefighter who had been seated
behind him and saw him grabbing
the medical bag from the truck. He
also saw an approaching tractor
trailer and yelled a warning to his
crew. The firefighter behind the
lieutenant jumped back into the
cab of the engine. The other three
firefighters were all in front or at
the front of the truck when it was
struck by the tractor trailer.
The engine company lurched
forward, striking all three crewmembers and coming to rest on
the lieutenant. Other emergency
apparatus were just arriving
on scene when the collision
occurred, and responders began
caring for all the victims, including
a prolonged extrication of the
driver of the tractor trailer.
The driver of the engine company suffered severe trauma with
multiple fractures. The firefighter
who jumped into the back into the
crew cab of the engine suffered
minor injuries. The firefighter
who had been seated behind the
driver lost his right leg. It was his
first shift as a member of the fire
department.
The 43-year-old lieutenant, who
had been a member of the department for 13 years, died from blunt
force trauma. The fire department
reported that the crews had
followed all standard operating
procedures.

84 | NFPA JOURNAL * J U L Y /A U G U S T 2 0 1 9

mental well-being. The IAFF offers advice on establishing
a peer-support program; it also plans to launch a suicide
reporting system in 2019, and is developing handouts to
provide psychoeducation to fire departments when they
experience a death by suicide. In collaboration with the
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the Medical University of South Carolina has developed a training course
for counselors who work with firefighters. NFPA 1500,
Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and
Health Program, requires access to a behavioral health program that provides assessment, counseling, and treatment
for issues including "stress, alcohol and substance abuse,
anxiety, depression, traumatic exposure, suicidality, and
personal problems."
In March, a bill was reintroduced in Congress to establish a public safety officer suicide reporting system at the
CDC to collect information on the incidence of suicide
in this group, as well as to aid in the study of ways to
reduce deaths by suicide among firefighters and other
first responders by improving detection, prevention, and
treatment of behavioral health issues. It would also allow
funding for peer support programs.
Heart disease, of course, has long been recognized as a
significant factor in firefighter on-duty deaths, as sudden
cardiac death consistently accounts for approximately
half the on-duty fatalities. Several NFPA standards focus
on health risks to firefighters. NFPA 1582, Standard on
Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire
Departments, outlines for fire departments the medical
requirements that must be met by candidate firefighters
and incumbent fire department members. NFPA 1500
calls for fire departments to establish a firefighter health
and fitness program that meets NFPA 1583, Standard
on Health-Related Fitness Programs for Fire Department
Members, and requires that firefighters meet the medical
requirements of NFPA 1582. Information on developing a
wellness-fitness program is available from other organizations, such as the Fire Service Joint Labor-Management
Wellness-Fitness Initiative created by the IAFF and the
International Association of Fire Chiefs. The NVFC developed its Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, launched in
2003 to address heart attack prevention for firefighters
and EMS personnel through fitness, nutrition, and health
awareness.
On-duty firefighter fatalities have arrived at a new plateau, with approximately 70 or fewer deaths per year. While
that represents an impressive improvement compared to
the death toll in the late 1970s, as this report shows, there
are still areas where progress can continue.
This study is made possible by the cooperation and
assistance of the United States fire service, CDC's National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the United
States Fire Administration, the Forest Service of the US
Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
and the Bureau of Land Management of the US Department
of the Interior.
RITA F. FAHY, PH.D., is a manager in NFPA's Applied Research Division.
JOSEPH L. MOLIS is a fire data assistant at NFPA and a battalion chief
with the Providence, Rhode Island, Fire Department.

NFPA Journal - July/August 2019

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