30-Year-Old Lieutenant Dies in Sleep Following Department Training – Vermont

Details

• Personal Author:
  Smith, Denise L. ; Dick, Wendi
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Description:
  Death in the Line of Duty…a Report from the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
  
  On February 28, 2018, a 30-year-old male paid on call lieutenant was found deceased in his bed after having completed fire department training the night before. The Medical Examiner's report listed the cause of death as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease noting that there was a finding of severe, focal atherosclerosis in the left anterior descending artery and a history of hypertension. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigators concluded that the training exercises may have triggered a sudden cardiac event in an individual with atherosclerosis and hypertension. However, the precise cause of the death is unclear as no thrombus was found and the heart did not have clear evidence of major structural changes. Key Recommendations - NIOSH offers the following recommendations to help reduce the risk of sudden cardiac events among firefighters at this and other fire departments across the country. 1) Ensure that all firefighters receive an annual medical evaluation consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. 2) Ensure firefighters are cleared for duty by a physician knowledgeable about the physical demands of firefighting and the personal protective equipment used by firefighters as per NFPA 1582. 3) Phase in a comprehensive wellness and fitness program for firefighters.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Emergency Responders Firefighters Fires Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Cardiovascular Disease Emergency Responders Fatalities Fire Fighters Fire Fighting Heart Disease Hypertension Medical Fitness Evaluation OSHA Region 1 Physical Fitness Physiological Testing

  More +
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Cardiovascular: Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Artery Disease and Coronary Vascular Disease)
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Death in the Line of Duty Report
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFFFACEF201905
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Vermont ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065460
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE F2019-05, 2019 Sep ; :1-9
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2018/02/28
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c42867e5c8236552ce2c5194cfb187b0dbb7780e1eb4c4b1e41c69f824474712a912c726b0769e31a19a684479b5ef890581168dc3ac90650d6c7aa8454045ca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163326/cdc_163326_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 423.08 KB ]