Occupational Safety

Firefighters

Over the last 15 years, the have been 1,920 firefighter fatalities in the U.S., averaging out to 128 deaths per year. Firefighter fatalities are a result of the dangerous environments and conditions under which firemen have to work. In order to survive these conditions firefighters must use protective clothing, respiratory protection, safety equipment, and standard operating procedures that reduce risk.

For however well prepared a firefighter might be, death is a risk he or she faces daily. There are several different causes of death among firemen fatalities, including:

• Stress induced heart attacks
• Stroke
• Asphyxiation
• Hypothermia
• Inhalation of toxic products
• Burns
• Traumatic injury
• Exposure to hazardous materials
• Radiation
• Drowning
• Electrocution
• Crushing
• Hemorrhage
• Gunshot
• Heat Stroke
• Aneurysm
• Pneumonia
• A combination of these factors

The following are the nine categories describing the mechanism of injury that lead to firefighter fatalities:

• Slip/Fall
• Struck by
• Overexertion/Strain
• Fire Department Apparatus Accident
• Caught/Trapped
• Contact with/Exposure to
• Exiting or Escaping/Jumped
• Assault
• Other

Aside from the many immediate dangers inherent to their jobs, firefighters also worry that repetitive exposure to toxic environments and carcinogens may put them at a higher risk to die prematurely.