A few months ago, I attended my first National Fallen Firefighters Foundation memorial weekend. My apprehension for attending such a somber event quickly dissipated when I saw family members of recently fallen firefighters embraced and consoled by caring volunteers and returning survivors.
The NFFF published a memorial book to honor last year's fallen, and I felt angry as I flipped through it. I empathized and was angry for the parents who lost their young firefighter son because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt when his vehicle was in a collision. I felt angry for the fragile, elderly woman who lost her 78-year-old husband when he suffered a heart attack during a fire call. I felt angry because so many people work so hard to keep first responders safe, yet individuals continue to take risks that get them injured or killed.
Of the 83 line-of-duty deaths to date this year, 45 responders died from a heart attack or stress-related illness. Nine died in vehicle accidents. There's a good chance that the number could be lower than previous years, but how many of these deaths could have been prevented?
People have argued that with 1.4 million firefighters in this country, about 100 LODDs each year isn't bad, given the hazards of the job. While that may be true, some of the deaths should not happen. It's time to start asking some hard questions.
Should departments have a cut-off age for firefighters? If a department doesn't provide annual physicals, how high is the risk that a firefighter will have a heart attack during a response? Should firefighters with serious medical problems be restricted from responding to calls? Are chiefs putting firefighters at risk by sending them to incidents with unhealthy firefighters?
David Murphy, a fire science instructor at the University of North Carolina, told me that firefighters die from “fat-ego-mph.”
It's well known that obesity, clogged arteries or similar conditions contribute to more than half of the firefighter deaths each year. But ego is a killer best described by Chief Alan Brunacini when he said, “ego eats brains.” That can be seen by the speed at which emergency apparatus and private vehicles travel when responding to calls — a primary factor in vehicle collisions.
I know that my rants about unbuckled seatbelts and firefighter physicals won't single-handedly change the fire-service culture. But I'm committed to that change. So are many other voices in the industry who care about getting first responders to do these simple things.
I care because firefighters and emergency responders are a precious commodity. I've seen first-hand how hard they study, train and work. And every time I hear that a first responder was killed because he didn't take the very first step of protection, I worry about their loved ones and the pain they will suffer — no family should have to bury a loved one because of an unbuckled seatbelt.
Early this year, US Airways airlines pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger miraculously landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. After 42 years of flying, Sullenberger said his whole career was judged by that one incident and the 150 people he saved. Many consider Sullenberger a hero.
But in his book, Sullenberger states that he doesn't see himself a hero.
“Heroes are those that run into burning buildings,” he wrote. He's talking about all of you.
Ask every person to commit to health and safety so they always can exit the burning buildings they so bravely run in to. Be a hero in your department.
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