This revelation can cause firefighters to view their opportunities to be heroes as limited. If the hero image is reinforced constantly through the culture, it can lead to frustration for some and produce one of two effects: practical overreaction and opportunistic risk. Practical overreaction happens when a firefighter, in an attempt to earn recognition, demonstrates exaggerated behavior in response to common incidents where no great or extraordinary measures are necessary. In opportunistic risk, firefighters during a high-impact incident see an opportunity to be recognized and may engage in extremely risky behavior.

Those who praise and admire risky behavior may not realize that they may be enabling firefighters to believe that their actions are acceptable and expected. The television and film industries repeatedly show firefighters in high-risk situations demonstrating unsafe behavior. But these are all very controlled situations. Is this Hollywood depicting its perception of the fire service? Or in the case of FDTDS, do firefighters lose their lives trying live up to a larger-than-life Hollywood image? Situations on actual emergency scenes are dynamic, unpredictable and sometimes volatile. They require stable thought processes based on sound tactical decisions to minimize the danger while simultaneously maintaining the firefighter's personal safety.

Oddly enough, the very things that protect firefighters may contribute to FDTDS. With the advances in protective gear over the last decade — positive-pressure ventilation, electronic monitoring SCBAS, better and more durable bunker gear, and hoods and PASS devices (which have recently become suspect) — firefighters may have a false sense of security. The truth is that firefighters have the same level of vulnerability today as they did 20 or 30 years ago if they have they believe their equipment and gear will insulate them from all dangers.

Some have argued that this false sense of security may even cause firefighters to go beyond their level of training or comfort. When this happens, firefighters have exceeded their tipping point and placed themselves and possibly their entire crew in danger. Most firefighters who find themselves in this situation intuitively know that they are outside their comfort zone and will reposition themselves to a more secure environment.

The problem comes when firefighters venture beyond the tipping point and escape unharmed. This increases their belief that because their behavior did not result in an injury, it must be OK. Unfortunately, some firefighters extend this venture further and further with each experience, ultimately leading to a serious injury or death.

Because of the stressful nature of firefighter work, it stands to reason that staying in physical shape would be a priority with firefighters, but that is not always the case. The majority of firefighters who are dying in the line of duty are doing so because of sudden cardiac arrest, precipitated by, during or within 24 hours of an emergency event. Some have a history of maintaining poor physical health, diet and overall lifestyle. Do they believe this is the image of a firefighter and if their physical condition contributes to their death, it just goes with the territory? Is this belief being reinforced by the culture?