NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 12

Dispatches
the highest-risk properties within a
specific set of buildings for a specific
hazard. The organization's Exterior
Facade Fire Evaluation and Comparison
Tool (EFFECT), for instance, allows
authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs)
to evaluate high-rises within their
community at risk for fires involving
combustible exterior wall components
like flammable cladding and insulation.
But even when the risks related to
combustible exterior walls have been
identified, it's been a challenge to
address them because of the expense of
exterior wall removal and replacement
work-and that's likely to also be the
case for structural deficiencies like the
ones that had been identified at Champlain
Towers.
According to media reports, Champlain
Towers only had about $800,000
in reserve funding at the time of June's
collapse-just 5 percent of the $15 million
repair plan Wodnicki, the condo
board director, proposed in her April
letter to residents. " The only way to
pay for the project was to charge each
unit a special assessment, ranging from
$80,000 to $200,000, " The Philadelphia
Inquirer reported. " Owners balked at
the high cost, leading to infighting and
causing board members to resign. " The
paper went on to cite similar squabbles
that have played out nationwide.
One idea that may gain more
traction after the Surfside collapse,
Housewright said, is to enforce laws
requiring condo associations to maintain
a certain level of reserve funding
so repairs can be made if needed.
Another idea, she said, is to make sure
that local building code officials are
alerted when deficiencies are identified,
as well as " all residents-we don't
want to simply assume everyone in the
building, renters included, will learn
about it. "
In the meantime, Savage urged
anyone who's concerned about the code
compliance of a particular building to
reach out to the local AHJ. " There are
times when a concern is unfounded,
but there are times when it is a bona
fide issue that requires the enforcement
agency to get involved in the
name of life safety, " he said.
12 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2021
FIRE SERVICE HIT
HARD BY COVID-19
According to a New NFPA
report, last year was the
deadliest for U.S. firefighters
in decades, a direct result of
contact with coronavirus
By Jesse Roman
T
he COVID-19 virus
was by far the single
largest contributor
to firefighter line-ofduty
deaths last year,
according to preliminary findings
in the NFPA report, " U.S. Firefighter
Deaths in 2020, " expected for release
in August.
NFPA researchers found 80
instances where US firefighters contracted
the disease at work and later
died. Due largely to these COVID-related
deaths, the total number of
firefighter fatalities in the US last year
reached its highest level since the
1970s, with the exception of the 2001
terrorist attacks in New York City.
" Many of the [COVID] cases were
tied to specific emergency calls,
particularly medical calls, where
firefighters were exposed to infected
Pennsylvania firefighters salute at the funeral
of a colleague who died from COVID-19.
REPORT PREVIEW
members of the public. Other cases
were attributed to exposures at the
fire station, " according to the report.
As of press time, NFPA researchers
were still working to verify the exact
number of non-COVID firefighter
deaths that occurred in 2020. Preliminary
data, however, indicates that
66 firefighters died of causes other
than COVID last year, a jump from
the 48 deaths reported in 2019, but in
line with recent annual averages. The
largest share of non-COVID line-ofduty
deaths in 2020 occurred on the
fireground, or while responding to
and returning from alarms, the report
found. Half of the fireground deaths
involved wildland fires, and most of
those deaths involved aircraft crashes
over wildland fires.
Other than COVID-19, the largest
share of firefighter deaths were
cardiac-related, accounting for
approximately half of the non-COVID
on-duty deaths last year, according to
the report. Crashes were the second
highest non-COVID cause of death.
According to preliminary numbers,
the firefighters who died in 2020
included 30 volunteer firefighters, 24
career firefighters, 10 employees or
contractors of state and federal land
management agencies, and two members
of the military.
Look for the full report online at
nfpa.org/research, and for a report
summary in the Winter issue of NFPA
Journal.
GETTY IMAGES
http://www.nfpa.org/research
NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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