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NIOSH Firefighter Fatality Investigation: Virginia Chief, Firefighter Killed; Ejected During Apparatus Rollover
NIOSH
The NIOSH Firefighter Fatality and Prevention Program has released the investigative report of a Virginia volunteer chief and firefighter killed after being ejected from a rollover crash in 2010.
On July 26, 2010, a 59-year-old male volunteer fire chief (victim 1) and a 67-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (victim 2) died from injuries sustained after they were ejected when their engine was involved in a crash and rolled over.
The engine, with its lights and siren activated, was responding to a mutual aid residential structure fire. The crash occurred when the engine entered an intersection with a red light and was struck by a sport utility vehicle. The engine rolled over and both victims were ejected.
Victim 1 was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Victim 2 was pronounced dead at the scene.
Both victims were reported to not be wearing their seat belts.
Contributing Factors
Key Recommendations
Additionally, states, municipalities, and authorities having jurisdiction should
Fire apparatus manufacturers, researchers, and standard setting bodies should
The NIOSH Firefighter Fatality and Prevention Program has released the investigative report of a Virginia volunteer chief and firefighter killed after being ejected from a rollover crash in 2010.
Read the Report:
Volunteer Chief and Fire Fighter Die After Being Ejected
Related
Fire Truck Tragedy in Rocky Mount, Virginia
Volunteer Chief and Fire Fighter Die After Being Ejected
Related
Fire Truck Tragedy in Rocky Mount, Virginia
On July 26, 2010, a 59-year-old male volunteer fire chief (victim 1) and a 67-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (victim 2) died from injuries sustained after they were ejected when their engine was involved in a crash and rolled over.
The engine, with its lights and siren activated, was responding to a mutual aid residential structure fire. The crash occurred when the engine entered an intersection with a red light and was struck by a sport utility vehicle. The engine rolled over and both victims were ejected.
Victim 1 was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Victim 2 was pronounced dead at the scene.
Both victims were reported to not be wearing their seat belts.
Contributing Factors
- Nonuse of seat belts.
- Failure of the motorist to yield the right-of-way to an approaching emergency vehicle with audible and visual signals in use.
- Failure to ensure that all approaching vehicles had yielded the right-of-way before advancing through an intersection.
- Use of an older apparatus with minimal safety features.
- Lack of intersection control device on emergency vehicle and traffic light.
Key Recommendations
- Ensure that written standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding seat belt use are established and enforced.
- Ensure that fire fighters use extreme caution while responding through intersections by coming to a full stop before entering a negative right-of-way intersection (red light, flashing red light, or stop sign) and by accounting for all lanes of traffic before proceeding through the intersection.
- Consider upgrading, retiring, or replacing older fire apparatus.
- Consider rollover protection for the crew areas of fire apparatus when upgrading or purchasing new apparatus.
Additionally, states, municipalities, and authorities having jurisdiction should
- Take steps to ensure that motorists are aware of, understand, and follow state traffic codes/laws pertaining to yielding the right-of-way to approaching, authorized emergency vehicles using audible and visual signals.
- Consider the use of intersection control devices on emergency vehicles and selected traffic lights.
Fire apparatus manufacturers, researchers, and standard setting bodies should
- Continue to improve fire apparatus safety standards and designs for increased crashworthiness of compartments for fire fighter survivability in rollover crashes.
- Continue to evaluate apparatus seating and seat belt design to ensure that riding positions and seat belts are comfortable and effective for fire fighters wearing personal protective equipment.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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Permalink Reply by Tyler Lyons on
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They were responding to a house fire.... they should have been using lights and siren... and they should have been wearing seat belts, and should have not blown the intersection... but I get what your sayin.
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Permalink Reply by Gregory Borg on
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We don't need no stinkin' seat belts.
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One would think that adding the risk factor of driving Code 3, that seat belts would be part of the plan... What a price to pay for a laxidasical attitude toward safety. I am so sorry for their families and fire service brothers and sisters. We need to take care of one another and reminding each other to buckle up is part of it in my world...
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Permalink Reply by Tracey Lynn Morris on
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yes you need seat belts if you want to live. I am alive thanks to a seat belt. We also need to follow all other safety procedures as the report says then we can safe more lives.
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I believe Greg was just being sarcastic here. Greg is a well known safety nazi here on the FFN.
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reaalized that . Can not write at present so forget it.
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I am not a bad person, I just have bad habits and, well, I am a smart ass, just ask Travis.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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How many times have we heard (or read):
We can't help if we don't get there.
Seatbelts save lives.
Drive like your life depends on it.
Drive with due caution.
A 37,000lb tanker does not roll over on its own. And an SUV, that was stopped, waited for the FM vehicle to clear and then proceeded through the (green) light behind another car, just wouldn't have enough momentum on impact to flip (or cause to flip) a 37,000lb tanker. So to me, the only reasonable explanation is that the tanker was going fast enough (with enough momentum) to have, upon swerving to avoid the SUV (and then being struck by it, rear left), hit the curb and roll THREE times.
What part of 'A big truck carrying a lot of water rolls over easily" do people NOT get? (Not to mention driving fast in POV's, a FF recently died in a POV crash responding to a brush fire.)
Since 1984, MVCs have accounted for between 20 and 25 percent of firefighter fatalities annually. One quarter of firefighters who died in MVCs were killed in private/personally owned vehicles (POVs). Following POVs, the apparatus most often involved in fatal collisions were tankers, engines/pumpers, and airplanes. More firefighters are killed in tanker collisions than in engines and ladders combined.
About 27 percent of fatalities killed in MVCs were ejected from the vehicle at the time of the collision; only 21 percent of firefighters were reportedly wearing their seatbelts prior to the collision.
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/history.shtm
There's certain amount of (sad) irony wherein a young FF may take part in a High School presentation on the risks of drinking, texting or just fast/reckless driving, and then get killed himself on the way to a call. And a Chief and long time firefighter? That just shouldn't have happened.
Does anybody else not see the tragedy, stupidity and senseless waste when firefighters are killed responding to (and for whatever damn reason, returning from) emergencies?
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Permalink Reply by Patti Walz on
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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look at how collapsed the crew compartment was...I don't think they would have survived either way.
Still should have had thier belts on and (more importantly) slowed down before going through the intersection.
Damn shame
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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Which is why seatbelts is one part of the issue and driving with Due Regard is the other. Bottom line is, was, and always will be, we are no good to anyone if we don't get there at all.
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