Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Ladder Training – Texas

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baldwin, Tommy N. ; Hixon, Darius ; 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 May 17, 2012, a 69-year-old male volunteer fire fighter ("the FF") was participating in ladder training as part of the state 70-hour, 11-component fire fighter introduction training program. The FF had completed 10 of the training components, with only the ladder training remaining. The ladder training involved climbing a 24-foot extension ladder to the second story window of the training building while wearing full turnout gear and a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) (off-air), and carrying an ax. After entering the second floor window, the FF was supposed to descend an attic ladder to the first floor and exit the structure. After climbing most of the distance up the extension ladder, the FF became dizzy and climbed back down to the ground. Suddenly he became unresponsive and pulseless
  
  crew members began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and requested an ambulance (2050 hours). The on-site paramedic unit and an ambulance unit provided advanced life support (ALS) on-scene and en route to the local hospital's emergency department (ED). En route and in the ED, a total of three shocks (defibrillations) were administered without return of a heart rhythm or pulse. After 11 minutes of resuscitation inside the ED, the FF was declared dead at 2133 hours, and resuscitation efforts were discontinued. The death certificate listed "acute myocardial infarction" as the cause of death. No autopsy was performed. Given the FF's probable underlying coronary heart disease (CHD), NIOSH investigators concluded that the physical stress of ladder training triggered a heart attack or an arrhythmia, which resulted in his sudden cardiac death. NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to prevent future similar incidents and to address general safety and health issues: 1. Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to all fire fighters in accordance with NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. 2. Ensure that fire fighters are cleared for duty by a physician knowledgeable about the physical demands of fire fighting, the personal protective equipment used by fire fighters, and the various components of NFPA 1582. 3. Phase in a mandatory comprehensive wellness and fitness program for fire fighters. 4. Perform an annual physical performance (physical ability) evaluation for all members. 5. Perform an autopsy on all on-duty fire fighter fatalities.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Firefighters Fires Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Fire-fighting-equipment Heart Ladders Medical-screening OSHA Region 6 Physical-fitness Physical-stress Respiratory-protective-equipment Self-contained-breathing-apparatus Training

  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/NIOSHFFFACEF201219
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Texas ; OSHA Region 6
• 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:
  1-13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041903
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2013-103266
• 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 F2012-19, 2012 Dec ; :1-13
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2012/05/17
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:30feb012ec5884b8736d0c38f79538e466b5f345ded585f942fcd95f23d4a6b20344d5f53e4ff656eabeefbce83bf3d6fcabb82bc3a7ebd1bf1105ff1b5b82e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163473/cdc_163473_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 565.15 KB ]