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
- 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.