U.S. Fire Administration Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2006 July 2007 FIREFIGHTER FATALITIES IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2006 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Fire Administration July 2007 In memory of all firefighters who answered their last call in 2006 • To their families and friends • To their service and sacrifice U.S. Fire Administration Mission Statement As an entity of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the mission of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is to reduce life and economic losses due to fire and related emergencies, through leadership, advocacy, coordination, and support. We serve the Nation independently, in coordination with other Federal agencies, and in partnership with fire protection and emergency service communities. With a commitment to excellence, we provide public education, training, technology, and data initiatives. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 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 (USFS), the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), as well as the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), 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 United States 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 reduced greatly through efforts to improve training, emergency scene operations, and firefighter health and safety initiatives. Cover Photo: The funeral of Firefighter Hector “Sandy” McClune. Firefighter McClune suffered a heart attack on the scene of a wildland fire. Photo courtesy of Kathy McLaughlin/Poughkeepsie Journal. FIREFIGHTER LIFE SAFETY INITIATIVES (www.EveryoneGoesHome.com) 1. Define and advocate the need for a cultural change within the fire service relating to safety; incorporating leadership, management, supervision, accountability, and personal responsibility. 2. Enhance personal and organizational accountability for health and safety throughout the fire service. 3. Focus greater attention on the integration of risk management with incident management at all levels, including strategic, tactical, and planning responsibilities. 4. All firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices. 5. Develop and implement national standards for training, qualifications, and certification (including regular recertification) that are equally applicable to all firefighters based on the duties they are expected to perform. 6. Develop and implement national medical and physical fitness standards that are equally applicable to all firefighters, based on the duties they are expected to perform. 7. Create a national research agenda and data collection system that relates to the initiatives. 8. Use available technology wherever it can produce higher levels of health and safety. 9. Thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities, injuries, and near misses. 10. Grant programs should support the implementation of safe practices and/or mandate safe practices as an eligibility requirement. 11. National standards for emergency response policies and procedures should be developed and championed. 12. National protocols for response to violent incidents should be developed and championed. 13. Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support. 14. Public education must receive more resources and be championed as a critical fire and life safety program. 15. Advocacy must be strengthened for the enforcement of codes and the installation of home fire sprinklers. 16. Safety must be a primary consideration in the design of apparatus and equipment. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments . iii Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives . iv Background. 1 Introduction. 2 Who is a Firefighter?. .2 What Constitutes an Onduty Fatality?. .3 Sources Of Initial Notification. 4 Procedure for Including a Fatality in the Study. 4 2006 Findings. 6 Career and Volunteer Deaths. 7 Multiple Firefighter Fatality Incidents . 9 Wildland Firefighting Deaths . 10 Type of Duty. 13 Fireground Operations . 15 Other On Duty . 17 Responding/Returning. 18 Training. .20 Nonfire Emergencies. 21 After the Incident. .21 Career, Volunteer, and Wildland Deaths by Type of Duty. .22 Type of Emergency Duty. 22 Cause of Fatal Injury. 24 Stress or Overexertion . 25 Vehicle Crashes. 26 Caught or Trapped. 27 Collapse. 27 Struck by Object . 28 Lost or Disoriented. 29 Contact/Exposure. 30 Other. .30 Nature of Fatal Injury . 30 Heart Attack. .31 Internal Trauma. 33 Asphyxiation. .34 Burns . 35 Crushed. 35 Cerebrovascular Accident . 36 Electrocution. 36 Other. .36 Firefighter Ages. 37 continued on next page Fixed Property Use for Structural Firefighting Deaths. .38 Type of Activity. .39 Fire Attack . 40 Search and Rescue. .41 Standby and Support . 41 Pump Operations – Water Supply. 41 Incident Command. 41 Other Activity. 41 Time of Injury. 42 Month of the Year. 42 State and Region. .43 Analysis of Urban/Rural/Suburban Patterns in Firefighter Fatalities . 47 IN CONCLUSION. 48 Special Topic. 49 Engineered Wood Products . 49 Overview. 50 Before the Fire. .51 Strategic Considerations . 51 Tactical Considerations. 52 Resources . 52 Appendix A: Summary of 2006 Incidents. 55 Incidents Prior To 2006 . 95 Appendix B: Inclusion Criteria for NFPA’s Annual Firefighter Fatality Study. 98 Introduction. 98 What is a Firefighter?. 98 What does ‘on duty’ mean?. 98 Categories not included in the study. .99 2006 Experience. .99 Appendix C: Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act of 2003. 100 Appendix D: National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. 102 Firefighter deaths that occurred in 2006 as the result of an incident that occurred in 2006. 103 Firefighter deaths that occurred in 2006 from incidents in previous years. 104 Firefighter deaths that occurred in previous years . 104 BACKGROUND For three decades, the United States Fire Administration (USFA) has tracked the number of firefighter fatalities and conducted an annual analysis. Through the collection of information on the causes of firefighter deaths, the USFA is able to focus on specific problems and direct efforts toward finding solutions to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities in the future. This information also is used to measure the effectiveness of current programs directed toward firefighter health and safety. Several programs have been funded by the USFA in response to this detailing of firefighter fatalities. For example, the USFA has sponsored significant work in the areas of vehicle operation safety and roadside incident safety. The data developed for this report are also used widely in other firefighter fatality prevention efforts, research, academia, and by the press. In addition to the analysis, the USFA provides the list of onduty firefighter fatalities to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The Foundation tracks line-of-duty fatalities and applies their criteria (see Appendix D) to identify those firefighters to be honored at the events of the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. Where the criteria are met, the fallen firefighter’s next of kin, as well as members of the individual’s fire department, are invited to the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. The service is held at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, during Fire Prevention Week in October of each year. Additional information regarding the Memorial Service can be found at www.firehero.org or by calling the NFFF at (301) 447-1365. Other resources and information regarding firefighter fatalities, including current fatality notices, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial database, and links to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit (PSOB) Program can be found at www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/ 1 INTRODUCTION his report continues a series of annual studies by the USFA of onduty firefighter fatalities in T the United States. The USFA is the single public agency source of information for all onduty firefighter fatalities in the United States each year. This information is in the public domain and may be accessed on the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/. The unique and specific objective of this study is to identify all onduty firefighter fatalities that occurred in the United States and its protectorates in 2006, and to present in summary form the circumstances surrounding each occurrence. The study is intended to help identify approaches that could reduce the number of firefighter deaths in future years. In addition to the 2006 overall findings, this study includes information on the hazards to firefighters presented by engineered lumber when it is exposed to fire conditions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/) is also a unique.