The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program recently issued reports on a Missouri career firefighter’s death in restaurant lounge fire (F2004-10) and Minnesota volunteer assistant chief’s death after being struck by a privately owned vehicle at a road construction site (F2003-37). The complete reports are posted online www.cdc.gov/niosh/firehome.html.

Missouri Death
On Feb. 18, 2004, in Missouri, a 40-year-old male career firefighter was fatally injured in a commercial restaurant/lounge structure fire. The victim, providing mutual aid, had been searching for the seat of the fire with two volunteer firefighters from another department when one of these firefighters lost the seal on his SCBA face piece. The firefighter immediately abandoned the nozzle position and retreated out of the closest door. The backup firefighter also retreated out of the building when his partner left. In the black smoke and zero visibility, the firefighters were unaware that the victim was still inside the structure. Soon after, the incident commander ordered an emergency evacuation because of an imminent roof collapse, and an air horn signal was sounded. Personnel accounting indicated that a missing firefighter (the victim) was still inside the building when the roof partially collapsed. After several search attempts, the victim was found in a face-down position with his mask and a thermal imaging camera cable entangled in a chair. His facemask was dislodged and not over his mouth. He was pronounced dead on scene.

According to the coroner’s report, cause of death was smoke inhalation. An independent toxicology report listed the victim’s carbon monoxide level at 51% saturation. There was no notable trauma.

NIOSH recommends that fire departments should:

• Conduct pre-incident planning and inspections to facilitate development of a safe fire ground strategy.
• Review, revise where appropriate, implement, and enforce written standard operating guidelines that specifically address: incident command duties, emergency evacuation procedures, personnel accountability, rapid intervention teams and mutual aid operations on the fireground.
• Train on the SOGs, the incident command system, and lost firefighter procedures with mutual aid departments to establish interagency knowledge of equipment, procedures and capabilities.
• Ensure that the IC maintains the role of directing fireground operations for the duration of the incident or until the command role is formally passed to another individual.
• Ensure that the IC conducts a risk-versus-gain analysis prior to committing firefighters to the interior and continually assesses risk versus gain throughout the operations.
• Consider appointing a separate, but systematically integrated incident safety officer.
• Ensure that all firefighters are equipped with radios capable of communicating with the IC.
• Ensure personnel accountability reports are conducted in an efficient, organized manner and results are reported directly to the IC.
• Revise and enforce policies and guidelines regarding activation of personal alert safety systems.
• Ensure that firefighters train with thermal imaging cameras and they are aware of their proper use and limitations.
• Ensure that individual firefighters are trained and aware of the hazards of exposure to carbon monoxide and other toxic fire gases.
  

Minnesota Death
On October 27, 2003, in Minnesota, a 49-year-old male volunteer assistant chief was fatally injured after being struck by a privately owned vehicle at a road construction site. At approximately 2145 hours, the victim and six other volunteer firefighters responded in three fire apparatus to a reported smoking generator at a road construction site. Two of the three fire apparatus returned to the fire department. The victim and two other firefighters remained with the brush truck to wait for a representative of the construction company. Upon leaving, the crew stopped to replace a road-closed barricade at the entrance to the construction site. Shortly thereafter, a civilian in a POV failed to make the turn necessary to detour around the construction site and struck the victim who was standing next to the brush truck. The victim was dragged about 60 feet and then trapped beneath the truck. He was declared dead at the scene.

The cause of death according to the medical examiner’s report was craniocerebral injuries and closed head trauma.

NIOSH recommends that fire departments should:

• Ensure that fire apparatus are positioned to protect firefighters from traffic.
• Establish, implement, and enforce standard operating procedures regarding safe work practices while responding to calls in or near moving traffic.
• Train personnel in safe procedures for operating in or near moving traffic.
• Ensure that when operating at an emergency scene, personnel wear high-visibility safety apparel suitable to the incident, such as a highly visible, reflectorized flagger’s vest (e.g., strong yellow-green or orange).