trends in on-duty firefighter deaths and injuries focusing on career firefighters rita f. fahy...

R

Trends in On-Duty Firefighter Deaths and Injuries

Focusing on Career Firefighters

Rita F. FahyNational Fire Protection Association

Urban Fire ForumSeptember 6, 2014

R Presentation Overview

Review data sources for the two studies

Overview of injury statistics

Brief overview of the 2013 Firefighter Fatality Study

Trends in career firefighter fatalities

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Care

er F

irefig

hter

s per

1,0

00 P

eopl

e

Num

ber

of C

aree

r F

irefig

hter

sCareer Firefighters

Total Number and Rate per 1,000 People

Rate per 1,000 people

Number of firefighters

R Data Sources

Firefighter injury data:• Aggregate data collected as part of our annual fire

experience survey

• Based on national estimates from a stratified random sample of fire departments

• Career vs. volunteer status of victims not reported

Firefighter fatality data:• Firefighter fatality database is a ‘census’

R Firefighter Injury Study

Firefighter exposures

- to infectious diseases

- to hazardous conditions

Matrix reporting

- Nature of Injury by Type of Duty

Fire Ground injuries by Cause of Injury

Fire Department Vehicle Crashes

Firefighter Injuries - 1981 – 2012

Num

ber

of I

njur

ies

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

69,400

R Overall Results

69,400 firefighter injuries occurred on duty in 2012 – the lowest since study began in 1981.

There were 8,150 exposures to infectious diseases (e.g., hepatitis, meningitis, HIV, others) in 2012 (0.3 exposures per 1,000 emergency medical runs by fire departments in 2012).

There were 19,200 exposures to hazardous conditions (e.g., asbestos, radioactive materials, chemicals, fumes, other) in 2012 (18.2 exposures per 1,000 hazardous condition runs in 2012).

An estimated 14,350 firefighter injuries resulted in lost time in 2012 (20.6% of all injuries).

19811983

19851987

19891991

19931995

19971999

20012003

20052007

20092011

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

FiregroundOtherOn SceneTrainingResponding

Firefighter Injuries by Type of Duty

31,490

Fire Department Calls

Year Total Fires Medical False alr Mut aid HazMat HazCn Other

1986 11,890,000 2,271,500 6,437,500 992,500 441,000 171,500 318,000 1,258,000

1991 14,556,500 2,041,500 8,176,000 1,578,500 494,000 221,000 428,500 1,617,000

1996 17,503,000 1,975,000 9,841,500 1,816,500 688,000 285,000 536,500 2,360,500

2001 20,965,000 1,734,500 12,331,000 2,157,500 838,500 381,500 605,000 2,917,500

2006 24,470,000 1,642,500 15,062,500 2,119,500 1,159,500 388,500 659,000 3,438,500

2010 28,205,000 1,331,500 18,522,000 2,187,000 1,189,500 402,000 660,000 3,913,000

2011 30,098,000 1,389,500 19,803,000 2,383,000 1,252,000 379,000 720,000 4,171,500

2012 31,854,000 1,375,000 21,705,500 2,238,000 1,326,500 360,000 694,000 4,155,000

Change from 1986

More than doubled Down 2/5

More than tripled

More than doubled Tripled

Doubled

More than

doubledMore than

tripled

U.S. Fire Department Calls

86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 1202468

10121416182022242628303234 Total

MedicalFiresOtherFalse alarmsMutual aidHazConditionsHazMat

Nu

mb

er

of

Ca

lls

(in

mil

lio

ns

)

U.S. Fire Department Calls

86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 120

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22 Medical

Fires

Other

False alarms

Mutual aid

HazConditions

HazMat

Nu

mb

er

of

Ca

lls

(in

mil

lio

ns

)

Year Injuries Per 1K fires Injuries Per 1K Incidents199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012

43,08045,50043,06541,39537,86038,04536,88041,95044,21038,34036,59532,20532,67530,50531,490

24.525.025.223.922.424.022.126.226.924.625.224.124.522.022.9

13,96013,56513,66014,14015,09514,55013,15012,25013,09015,43515,74515,45513,35514,90512,760

0.820.760.730.730.770.700.620.560.570.650.660.620.500.500.42

Firefighter Injuries and Injury Rates

At the Fireground At Non-Fire Emergencies

Firefighter Injuries at the Fire Ground and at Non-Fire Emergencies

Injuries

Injuries per 1K Inc

19981999

20002001

20022003

20042005

20062007

20082009

20102011

20120

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

N

umbe

r of I

njur

ies

Inju

ries p

er 1

,000

inci

dent

s

Non-Fire Emergency

Fire Ground

Fire Ground Injuries by Nature of Injury

83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 110

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Spr/strWound, etc.Smoke inhBurnsOtherHeat stressEye irritationBurns & SmokeHA/strokeN

umbe

r of I

njur

ies

Population Protected

Average Number of Fires

Average Number of

Fire Ground Injuries

Fire Ground

Injuries per 100 Fires

Fire Ground Injuries per

100 FFs

1,000,000 or more*500,000 - 999,999250,000 - 499,999100,000 - 249,99950,000 - 99,99925,000 - 49,99910,000 - 24,999

5,000 - 9,9992,500 - 4,999Under 2,500

4,223.22,506.51,157.0

509.5223.0113.665.235.324.512.5

87.181.538.09.84.02.11.00.40.30.2

2.13.33.31.91.81.81.51.11.21.6

4.37.18.34.53.93.42.41.31.00.8

Average Number of Fires, Fire GroundInjuries and Injury Rates by Population Protected

* Excludes New York City

Year Collisions FF Injuries Collisions FF Injuries199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012

14,65015,45015,30014,90015,55015,90015,42015,88516,02014,65014,95015,10014,20014,85014,300

1,050875990960

1,040850980

1,1201,250915670820775970725

1,3501,0801,1601,3251,030980

1,1501,0801,070665

1,000870

1,000790750

3159017014021085220125210120701007519070

Vehicle Crashes and Resulting InjuriesWhile Responding to or Returning from Alarms

Involving FD Vehicles Involving FF personal vehicles

Crashes and Firefighter InjuriesWhile Responding to or Returning from Alarms

19981999

20002001

20022003

20042005

20062007

20082009

20102011

20120

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

FD crashesPV crashesFD injPV inj

Num

ber o

f Cra

shes

R

Firefighter Fatalities

R Who is a firefighter?

State and local fire service personnel, career and volunteer

State or local public service officer, acting as firefighter

Federal government fire service personnel

Temporary fire suppression personnel operating under official auspices of one of the above

Privately employed firefighters

R How do we define “on-duty?”

At scene of alarms, whether fire or non-fire

En route responding to or returning from alarms

Performing other duties, including training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigation, etc.

Performing non-fire duties on official assignment

Station duty

R

What do we count as an on-duty fatality?

Any injury that was incurred while on duty and proves fatal

Any illness that was incurred as a result of actions while on duty and proves fatal

On-duty fatalities are associated with specific on-duty activities and are reported as of the date of injury or onset.

Defining the U.S. Firefighter Death Problem

Off-Duty, Retired and Former Firefighters


The long-term health effects of firefighting cannot be reliablymeasured, in terms of resulting job-related deaths. A completepicture of the hazards of firefighting would include thesefatalities.


On-Duty Firefighters

The NFPA inclusion criteria counts deaths where onset occurred while the firefighter was on-duty. USFA addsHometown Hero/PSOB qualifiers who were off-duty.

NFFF


The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation uses the most narrow inclusion criteria, counting on-duty deathsand Hometown Hero qualifiers, but excluding on-duty deaths where drug abuse or negligence was a factor.

Off-Duty, Retired and Former Firefighters


On-Duty Firefighters

R

41 volunteer firefighters

30 wildland firefighters

25 career firefighters

1 prison inmate

97 On-Duty Fatalities in 2013

77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

0

15

30

45

60

75

90

105

Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deaths 1977 - 2013*

Nu

mb

er o

f D

eath

s

* excluding the 340 firefighter deaths at the World Trade Center in 2001

Volunteer

Career

2013 Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty

Fire ground (58%)

Responding to or returning from alarms (18%)

Training (7%)

Non-fire emergency

(7%)

Other on-duty (10%)

2013 Career Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty

Fire ground(48%)

Responding to or return-ing from alarms (12%)

Training (4%)

Non-fire emergency

(8%)

Other on-duty (28%)

Fire ground Resp/ret Training Non-fire emergency

Other0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deaths

by Type of Duty1993 - 2014

VolunteerCareer

Num

ber o

f Dea

ths

Fire ground Resp/ret Training Non-fire emergency

Other0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deaths

by Type of Duty1993 - 2014

VolunteerCareer

Perc

enta

ge o

f Dea

ths

Career Firefighter Deaths by Time of Day2004 - 2013

0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Career Firefighter Deaths by Time of Incident2004 - 2013

0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Fire Ground Resp/Ret

Training Non-Fire

Other


0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16Fire Ground


0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

1

2

3

4

Responding to or Returning From Alarms


0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9Training


0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

1

2

3

4

Non-Fire Emergencies


0001-0200

0201-0400

0401-0600

0601-0800

0801-1000

1001-1200

1201-1400

1401-1600

1601-1800

1801-2000

2001-2200

2201-2400

unreporte

d0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Other On-Duty

Overexertion/stress/medical

(33%)

Fell/jumped (3%)

Rapid fire progress/ex-plosion (31%)

Lost inside (3%)

Crashes (10%)

Struck by object (9%)

Exposed to electricity (1%)

Structural collapse (8%)Assault (1%)

2013 Firefighter Deaths by Cause of Injury

2013 Career Firefighter Deaths by Cause of Injury

Overexertion/stress/medical

(44%)

Fell from structure (4%)Explosion (4%)

Lost inside (8%)

Crash (4%)

Struck by vehicle (8%)

Structural collapse(28%)

Ove

rexe

rtion/s

tress

/medica

l

Caught/tra

pped

MV C

rash

es

Struck

by

Obje

ct

Fell/jum

ped

Exposu

re

Assault/g

unshot

Oth

er0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deathsby Cause of Fatal Injury

1994 - 2013

VolunteerCareer

Nu

mb

er

of

De

ath

s

Ove

rexe

rtion/s

tress

/medica

l

Caught/tra

pped

MV C

rash

es

Struck

by

Obje

ct

Fell/jum

ped

Exposu

re

Assault/g

unshot

Oth

er0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deathsby Cause of Fatal Injury

1994 - 2013

Volunteer

Career

Pe

rce

nt

of

De

ath

s

Sudden cardiac death (30%)

Other (4%)

Internal trauma/crushing (33%)

Burns (25%)

Asphyxiation (8%)

2013 Firefighter Deaths by Nature of Injury

2013 Career Firefighter Deaths by Nature of Injury

Sudden cardiac

death 40%

Internal trauma/ crush-ing 24%

Suicide 4%

Burns 8%

Asphyxiation 20%

Sudden card

iac

death

Inte

rnal tr

auma

Asphyx

iatio

n

Burns

Stroke

/aneury

sm/e

mbolis

m

Crush

ing

Drownin

g

Gunsh

ot/pro

ject

ile

Elect

rocu

tion

Oth

er0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deathsby Nature of Fatal Injury

1994 - 2013

Volunteer

Career

Nu

mb

er o

f D

eath

s

Sudden card

iac

death

Inte

rnal tr

auma

Asphyx

iatio

n

Burns

Stroke

/aneury

sm/e

mbolis

m

Crush

ing

Drownin

g

Gunsh

ot/pro

ject

ile

Elect

rocu

tion

Oth

er0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deathsby Nature of Fatal Injury

1994 - 2013

VolunteerCareer

Per

cen

tag

e o

f D

eath

s

20 & under

21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 over 60

0

50

100

150

200

250

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deathsby Age

1994 - 2013

Volunteer

Career

Nu

mb

er

of

De

ath

s

20 & under

21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 over 60

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Comparison of Career and Volunteer Firefighter Deathsby Age

1994 - 2013

Volunteer

Career

Pe

rce

nta

ge

of

De

ath

s

20 & under

21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 over 600%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

Career Firefighter Deathsby Age

1994 - 2013

Pe

rce

nta

ge

of

De

ath

s

20 and

under

21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 Over 60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Career Firefighter Deaths by Age and Cause of Death

1994 - 2013

Sudden cardiac death

Not sudden cardiac death

Age Group

Nu

mb

er o

f D

eath

s

1994-2013

Career Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty

Fire ground 47%

Resp/ret 9%

Training 13%

Non-fire emergency 7%

Other 25%

Structures 93%

Vehicles 1%

Refuse 1%

Wildland 5%

Career Firefighter Deaths by Type of Dutyand Incident Type

Fire ground 47%

Resp/ret 9%

Training 13%

Non-fire emergency

7%

Other 25%

Structure Fire Deaths by Fixed Property UseCareer Only

Public assembly (8.4%)

Residential (50.6%)

Stores/offices (17.1%)

Manufacturing/industrial (7.2%)

Storage (4.2%)

Vacant, etc. (12.5%)

1994-2013

Public assembly (8.4%)

Residential (50.6%)

Stores/offices (17.1%)

Manufacturing/industrial (7.2%)

Storage (4.2%)

Vacant, etc. (12.5%)

1994-2013

Structure Fire Deaths by Fixed Property UseCareer Only

Vol – 6.9%

Vol – 11.8%

Vol – 4.5% Vol – 4.9%

Vol – 62.2%

Vol – 8.5%

Cause Inside OutsideOn

RoofOn

Ladder TotalStructural collapseExertion/stress/other medicalFire progressLost insideStruck by object/vehicleExplosionFell in hole burned in floor/roofFell/jumped from structureOther fallsElectrocutionSmoke exposure (all no SCBA)GunshotOther caught/trapped

Total

5920493032732

5

13

187

532

45

1

1

48

13

22

8

1

12

4

655643307795335113

247

Causes of Fatal Injuries at Structure Fires

19

77

19

78

19

79

19

80

19

81

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40Career Firefighter Deaths at Structure Fires

Structure Fires

Patterns for Career Firefighter Deaths at Structure Fires

19

78

19

79

19

80

19

81

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0Sudden cardiac death at structure firesOther deaths insideOther deaths outside

Mid-Point of 3-Yr Range

Nu

mb

er

of

De

ath

s

Major Causes of Non-Cardiac DeathsInside Structures

19

78

19

79

19

80

19

81

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0 Asphyxiation/smoke inhalationBurnsInternal trauma/crushing injuries


Nu

mb

er

of

De

ath

s

Death Due to the Three Major Causes of Fatal InjuriesWhile Operating Inside at Structure Fires

19

78

19

79

19

80

19

81

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Structural collapseFire progressLost inside


Av

era

ge

Nu

mb

er

of

De

ath

s

R

• The average number of career firefighter deaths annually has dropped by half over the past 25 years.

• Among career firefighters, on-duty sudden cardiac deaths have dropped as well, but remain the #1 cause of on-duty firefighter deaths

• Almost half of all career firefighter deaths occur on the fire ground

Snapshot

R

Sudden cardiac death continues to be the major problem

Real progress has been made in reducing firefighter deaths over the past 30 years, but more can be done, but on-duty career firefighter deaths are at a plateau of approximately 25 deaths each year.

Concluding remarks

R

The 2013 firefighter fatality study was published in the July/August issue

of NFPA Journal

and

the full report is available

free on NFPA’s website: www.nfpa.org (under Research & Reports)

trends in on-duty firefighter deaths and injuries focusing on career firefighters rita f. fahy...

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