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NIOSH Investigation Report: Virginia
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The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program has released the investigation report of the line of duty death of a Virginia firefighter trainee following an entry-level certification class.
Read the Report
On November 9, 2008, a 42-year-old female volunteer fire fighter trainee participated in an entry-level fire fighter certification class.
The training included turnout gear dressing drills, hose maze, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) skill station/low profile, and maneuvering through a maze with no smoke or fire while wearing full turnout gear and SCBA.
After completing the hose maze evolution, the Trainee was tired and sweating heavily. After lunch, the Trainee began the maze portion and completed approximately half of the exercise when her SCBA low-air alarm sounded.
The Trainee informed the instructor that she wanted to continue. After entering the next portion of the maze and crawling up a slight incline, she did not turn around and back down the decline as required.
The Instructor saw that something was wrong and spoke to the Trainee but received no response.
At this time, the Trainee’s personal alert safety system (PASS) alarm sounded. It took instructors about 10 minutes to remove the Trainee from the maze.
NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to address general safety and health issues.
Had these recommended measures been in place prior to the Trainee’s collapse, it is possible her sudden cardiac death may have been prevented.
The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program has released the investigation report of the line of duty death of a Virginia firefighter trainee following an entry-level certification class.
Read the Report
The training included turnout gear dressing drills, hose maze, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) skill station/low profile, and maneuvering through a maze with no smoke or fire while wearing full turnout gear and SCBA.
After completing the hose maze evolution, the Trainee was tired and sweating heavily. After lunch, the Trainee began the maze portion and completed approximately half of the exercise when her SCBA low-air alarm sounded.
The Trainee informed the instructor that she wanted to continue. After entering the next portion of the maze and crawling up a slight incline, she did not turn around and back down the decline as required.
The Instructor saw that something was wrong and spoke to the Trainee but received no response.
At this time, the Trainee’s personal alert safety system (PASS) alarm sounded. It took instructors about 10 minutes to remove the Trainee from the maze.
NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to address general safety and health issues.
Had these recommended measures been in place prior to the Trainee’s collapse, it is possible her sudden cardiac death may have been prevented.
- Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to fire fighters.
- Incorporate medical monitoring of trainees into rehabilitation programs.
- Educate fire fighters to report signs and symptoms consistent with a heart attack to appropriate authorities for prompt medical evaluation.
- Perform a preplacement and an annual physical performance (physical ability) evaluation.
- Ensure fire fighters are cleared for return to duty by a physician knowledgeable about the physical demands of fire fighting, the personal protective equipment used by fire fighters, and the various components of NFPA 1582.
- Phase in a comprehensive wellness and fitness program for fire fighters.
- Provide fire fighters with medical clearance to wear a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) as part of the Fire Department’s medical evaluation program.
- Ensure that all SCBA training is conducted in accordance with NFPA 1404, Standard for Fire Service Respiratory Protection Training.
- Ensure that training maze props or trailers used in SCBA confidence training have adequate safety features such as emergency egress panels, emergency lighting, ventilation, and a temperature monitoring system to measure the ambient temperature inside the maze.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by roy yoder on
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56 percent of the 100 plus deaths of firefighters are heart attacks. and if you want to reduce that number it won't be fire training but health and we still won't stop firefighters from dying. we need to try and educate and lower the number but we were born and at some time we will die. I know that may be harsh and I don't like the class A uniform as well as the turnout gear for that reason. Stay safe and be ready for when your time comes. In Christ, roy yoder
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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I don't think it's harsh so much as it's fatalistic; since we're all going to die why bother taking any preventative measures, right?
With 56% of LODD's a result of MI/strokes a lot of those are a result of bad eating habits, lack of physical conditioning, age and smoking. Enact more stringent physical/medical requirements, prohibit smoking, and reduce active-member age and I suspect that the number of MI/stroke related deaths will drop considerably. Add to that more stringent and enforced safety measures like driver training, reduce or eliminate POV response AND warning lights and the LODD rate would likely drop again. Equally stringent training SOP's would reduce the death rate by a few more. In the end what we would be left with would be the unpredictable MI/stroke event and the tragic but sometimes unpreventable LODD at a working fire. So fatalism is NOT the way I would look at and I try and be safe and healthy, well trained and alert.
Finally, even if someone wants to place their well being in a higher power, I fully expect them to make every personal effort to reduce their risk, because if they are not then they are putting me at risk, and no matter who you are "IN...." it's not doing me any good. The only way to stay safe is to BE safe.
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