U.S. Fire Administration Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2007 June 2008 FIRE F IGHTER FATALITIES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2007 Prepared for United States Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Data Center Contract Number EME-2003-CO-0282 Prepared by C2 Technologies, Inc. Vienna, Virginia June 2008 In memory of all firefighters who answered their last call in 2007 To their families and friends To their service and sacrifice U.S. Fire Administration Mission Statement We provide National leadership to foster a solid foundation for local fire and emergency services for prevention, preparedness, and response. TABLE OF CON T EN T S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................................... v BA CKGROUND .............................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCT I ON .............................................................................................................................2 Who is a Firefighter? ............................................................................................................2 What Constitutes an On-Duty Fatality? .................................................................................2 Sources of Initial Notification ...............................................................................................3 Procedure for Including a Fatality in the Study ......................................................................4 2007 FI ND I NGS .........................................................................................................................5 Career and Volunteer Deaths ................................................................................................6 Multiple Firefighter Fatality Incidents....................................................................................7 Wildland Firefighting Deaths ................................................................................................7 TYPE O F DUTY ..........................................................................................................................10 Fireground Operations .......................................................................................................11 Responding/Returning ......................................................................................................12 Other On Duty ....................................................................................................................13 Training ............................................................................................................................13 Nonfire Emergencies ..........................................................................................................13 After the Incident ..............................................................................................................14 Career, Volunteer, and Wildland Deaths by Type of Duty .......................................................14 Type of Emergency Duty ......................................................................................................14 CA USE O F FA T A L INJURY ............................................................................................................15 Stress or Overexertion ........................................................................................................15 Vehicle Crashes .................................................................................................................16 Lost or Disoriented .............................................................................................................17 Caught or Trapped .............................................................................................................17 Collapse ............................................................................................................................17 Struck by Object .................................................................................................................17 Fall ....................................................................................................................................18 Other .................................................................................................................................19 continued on next page NA TURE O F FA T A L INJURY ...........................................................................................................20 Heart Attack ......................................................................................................................20 Internal Trauma .................................................................................................................21 Asphyxiation .....................................................................................................................22 Burns ................................................................................................................................23 Crushed .............................................................................................................................23 Cerebrovascular Accident ...................................................................................................23 Electrocution .....................................................................................................................23 Other .................................................................................................................................23 FI RE fi GHTER AGES ....................................................................................................................24 FI XED PROPERTY USE F OR STRUCTUR A L FIREfiGHTING DE A THS ......................................................25 TYPE O F ACTIVITY ......................................................................................................................26 Fire Attack .........................................................................................................................26 Search and Rescue ............................................................................................................27 Standby and Scene Safety ..................................................................................................27 Ventilation .........................................................................................................................27 Incident Command ............................................................................................................27 Pump Operations–Water Supply .........................................................................................27 TI ME O F INJURY ........................................................................................................................28 MONTH O F YE A R .......................................................................................................................29 ST A TE A ND REG I ON ....................................................................................................................30 AN A LYS I S O F UR ba N /RUR A L /SU B UR ba N PA TTERNS IN FI RE fi GHTER FATALITIES ..............................33 IN CONCLUS I ON .........................................................................................................................34 SPEC ia L TOP I C : SE A T B ELTS ........................................................................................................35 APPEND I X A .............................................................................................................................41 APPEND I X B .............................................................................................................................89 A C KNOWLEDGMEN T S This study of firefighter fatalities would not have been possible without the cooperation and assistance of many members of the fire service across the United States. Members of individual fire departments, chief fire officers, wildland fire service organizations such as the United States Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the United States Department of Justice, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), and many others contributed important information for this report. C2 Technologies, Inc., of Vienna, Virginia, conducted this analysis for the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) under contract EME-2003-CO-0282. The ultimate objective of this effort is to reduce the number of firefighter deaths through an increased awareness and understanding of their causes and how they can be prevented. Firefighting, rescue, and other types of emergency operations are essential activities in an inherently dangerous profession, and unfortunate tragedies do occur. This is the risk all firefighters accept every time they respond to an emergency incident. However, the risk can be greatly reduced through efforts to improve training, emergency scene operations, and firefighter health and safety initiatives. Cover photo courtesy of Glen E. Ellman, www.fortworthfire.com v B A C KGROUND For 31 years, the USFA has tracked the number of firefighter fatalities and conducted