Wildland Fire Fighter Trainee Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Physical Fitness Exercise – California

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
  
  In 2011, a 54-year old State inmate was accepted into the State's "Conservation Camps" program which trains inmates for wildland fire suppression. On January 4, 2012, the trainee was participating in a physical fitness exercise which involved hiking in moderately steep terrain while wearing wildland personal protective equipment (PPE) and carrying hand tools. The PPE and the tools weighed approximately 18 pounds. As the Trainee completed the exercise, the crew leader determined he needed medical attention and called for an ambulance. While awaiting an ambulance, the Trainee's condition deteriorated and he became unresponsive. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was begun and 15 minutes later an automated external defibrillator (AED) from the responding engine arrived and advised no shock. Approximately 3 minutes later, the ambulance with paramedics arrived and provided advanced life support (ALS). Despite CPR and ALS in the ambulance and in the local hospital's emergency department (ED), the Trainee died. The autopsy report listed "acute myocardial infarction due to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease" as the cause of death. Given the Trainee's underlying cardiovascular disease, NIOSH investigators concluded that the physical stress of physical fitness training probably triggered his sudden cardiac death. NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to address general safety and health issues and to prevent future similar events. 1. Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to all fire fighters consistent with NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, and NFPA 1051, Standard for Wildland Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications. 2. Make basic life support equipment, including an AED, readily available during strenuous training exercises. 3. Provide fire fighters with medical clearance to wear a respirator as part of the Fire Department's medical evaluation program. 4. Provide annual respirator fit testing for fire fighters who wear respirators.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Firefighters Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Heart Medical-screening OSHA Region 9 Personal-protective-equipment Physical-fitness Physical-stress

  More +
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Cardiovascular: Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Artery Disease and Coronary Vascular Disease) ; Cardiovascular: Arrhythmia
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Death in the Line of Duty Report
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFFFACEF201205
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  California ; 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:
  1-13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20041680
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2013-101724
• 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 F2012-05, 2012 Oct ; :1-13
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2012/01/04
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b62f00f9e6ff4bd74da4576f8d45df791102b80f39917607c1dfaa6f33be89f74169f7d7b51b295fbda298dc18e21c01603ead084ae123bec016756dbe11c8ee
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163476/cdc_163476_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 521.49 KB ]