Workplace Solutions: Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Working at Basement and Other Below-Grade Fires

Details

• Journal Article:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Personal Author:
  Merinar, Timothy R. ; Wertman, Stacy C. ; Loflin, Murrey E. ; Morris, Gary P.
• Description:
  Fire fighters are at significant risk of injury or death when fighting fires in basements or floors below-grade level. The increased risk is due to limited entry and egress; working above the fire; weakened floor structures; being caught in the fire's flow path; unknown fire load; ventilation issues; utility panels, hanging wires, meters, and connections; and appliances. These risks can lead to fire fighter entrapment from floor collapse, burns, and asphyxiation. Fire departments should conduct a complete 360-degree size-up to locate the fire, attack the fire externally, and reassess fire conditions prior to conducting interior operations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Firefighters Fires Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Fire fighters; Fire hazards; Fire safety; Traumatic injuries; Fatalities; Emergency egress; Surveillance
• Source:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2018-154, 2018 Jul; :1-5
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Subseries:
  Workplace Solutions
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2018154
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Periodical
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  5 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052217
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1c62a9038827db8497eff034bc80c61648183367f24e80d34125f57d879ae5778ab166a041af1ff9e61d5b9df500d6da8732a3ac3dca9b4083fdad415ff1a0fa
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/58329/cdc_58329_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 448.51 KB ]