Wildland Fire Fighter Dies From Hyperthermia During Pack Test – Arizona

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baldwin, Tommy N. ; Hales, Thomas R.
• 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 Summary of a NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation
  
  On June 6, 2015, a 30-year-old male seasonal wildland fire fighter (FF) was completing the arduous duty work capacity test ("pack test"). After walking 3 miles with a 45-pound pack in 40 minutes, he collapsed about 100 yards before the finish line. Crew members assisted him to his feet and helped him cross the finish line. A standby emergency medical technician treated him for heat exposure. He became unresponsive and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was begun. The emergency medical technician notified Dispatch and departed with the firefighter in the ambulance. A paramedic unit met the ambulance en route to the hospital's emergency department (ED). The firefight was transferred to the paramedic unit where they provided advanced life support. They did cardiac monitoring and placed an intraosseous line for resuscitative medications. They continued CPR for about 14 minutes. The firefighter's clinical status did not improve. Medical control was notified and the firefighter was pronounced dead en route to the ED. The Medical Examiner completing the death certificate listed "hyperthermia" as the cause of death. The Forensic Pathologist completed the autopsy report. It listed "hyperthermia and probable dehydration due to physical exertion" as the cause of death. Key Recommendations: 1. Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to all fire fighters consistent with NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, to identify fire fighters at increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). 2. Ensure ice water immersion therapy is rapidly available for training involving heavy physical exertion. 3. Ensure fire fighters are acclimatized prior to the pack test.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Firefighters Fires Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety Wildfires Workload
• Keywords:
  Acclimatization Drinking Water Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Fire Suppression Health Standards Heat Exposure Hyperthermia Medical Fitness Evaluation Paramedical Services Physical Exercise Physiological Testing Preemployment Examinations Stress Therapeutic Agents Water Deprivation Water Supply Work Capacity

  More +
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Non-Cardiac: Heat Stress
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Death in the Line of Duty Report
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFFFACEF201516
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048908
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2017-100479
• 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 F2015-16, 2016 Jun ; :1-11
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2015/06/06
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0981dfd61d4f03ea3be3245324d2640e925228b7782f0321de80811cfc7c9d5ed63f8906610b9a6151ea944d6619144edc221f02c08f276f35814cef1ba2bb7e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163396/cdc_163396_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 278.33 KB ]