Are we getting sloppy?

West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion aftermath

The unusually high occurrence of incidents that have resulted in multiple Line of Duty Deaths (LODDs) makes me wonder: are we getting sloppy or is it just coincidence? Since I am not a big believer in coincidence, which is defined as "happening without planning; the fact of happening by chance," (emphasis added), then it must be we are tending to get sloppy. Mind you, I am in no way saying that all departments are getting sloppy, just that it is the only way my mind can comprehend it. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) (United States Fire Administration, 2013) there have been 77 firefighter deaths-to-date during 2013; that compares with 83 for all of 2012. According to the 2012 provisional report from the USFA the occurrence of fatalities broke down as follows: volunteer firefighters - 40 (accounting for 49.4% of the total); career firefighters - 30 (accounting for 30% of the total); wildland firefighters (contract) - 3 (accounting for 3.7% of the total); wildland firefighters (full-time) - 2 (accounting for 2.5% of the total); paid-on-call firefighters - 2 (accounting for 2.5% of the total); wildland firefighters (part-time) - 2 (accounting for 2.5% of the total); part-time firefighters (paid) - 1 (accounting for 1.2% of the total); and industrial firefighter - 1 (accounting for 1.2% of the total).

Surprisingly - given the number of multi-fatality incidents - the most frequent cause of LODDs was heart attack with 40 reported (accounting for 49.4% of the total) Other causes - in descending order - included: trauma with 24 occurrences reported (accounting for 29.6% of the total); asphyxiation with five (5) occurrences (accounting for 6.2% of the total); other (non-specified) with four (4) occurrences (accounting for 4.9% of the total); cerebrovascular accident (CVA) with three (3) occurrences (accounting for 3.7% of the total); crushing injury with two (2) occurrences (accounting for 2.5% of the total); violence (non-specified) with two (2) reported (accounting for 2.5% of the total); and heat exhaustion with one (1) occurrence (accounting for 1.2% of the total).

EKG tracing

Have you ever stopped to wonder we, as firefighters, have a higher occurrence of heart attack?  According to Dr. James Howard writing in the National Institute of Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Science Blog, it is a combination of both personal and workplace factors (Howard, 2013). Personal factors include: 1) age; 2) gender; 3) family history of heart disease; 4) pre-existing diabetes mellitus; 5) hypertension; 6) smoking; 7) elevated cholesterol; 8) obesity; and 9) lack of exercise. Add to those these additional workplace factor and you have the proverbial "perfect storm" to cause a heart attack: 1) exposure to fire smoke (it contains carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and particulates); 2) heat stress; 3) noise; and 4) shift work. There are some steps fire service personnel can take to decrease their risk of heart attack such as pre-placement medical evaluations for new hires. This serves two purposes: 1) it provides a baseline assessment of the person's overall health; and 2) encourage participation in a comprehensive wellness/fitness program. Additional he recommends reducing exposure to fire-related smoke and doing our best to ensure our stations are a smoke-free environment.

Reference

Fire Administration, U. S. (2013, January 07). Us fire administration releases 2012 firefighter fatality statistics. Retrieved from http://www.usfa.fema.gov/media/press/2013releases/010713a.shtm Retrieved: September 3, 2013

Howard, J. (2013, November 01). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2007/11/01/fire/ Retrieved: September 3, 2013