Fire Fighter Suffers Heart Attack During Structural Fire Fighting Operations and Dies 8 Days Later – Kentucky

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 30, 2011, a 49-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (FF) responded to a residential structure fire. The FF, wearing full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) on-air, climbed a 14-foot ladder to the second floor and performed exterior and interior fire suppression activities for about 30 minutes. After the fire was brought under control, he started to perform overhaul (mop-up) operations on the second floor when he suddenly collapsed. Crew members carried the FF down the stairs and outside the dwelling. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was begun as an ambulance was requested. The ambulance arrived, advanced life support was provided, and the FF was transported to the local hospital's emergency department (ED). In the ED, the FF regained a pulse but remained minimally responsive and was flown to a regional hospital where angioplasty was performed. Over the next 8 days, his condition did not improve and, after consulting with the family, the decision was made to remove the FF from life support. The attending physician pronounced him dead at 0434 hours on July 8, 2011. The death certificate listed "myocardial infarct" due to "cardiac arrest" as the cause of death. No autopsy was performed. Carboxyhemoglobin levels were not measured to test for carbon monoxide exposure. Given the FF's known underlying coronary artery disease (CAD), NIOSH investigators concluded that the physical exertion of responding to the call and suppressing the fire triggered his heart attack, which caused his death. NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to address general safety and health issues. Had some of these recommended programs been in place, it is possible the FF's death may have been prevented. 1. Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to all fire fighters. 2. Ensure fire fighters are cleared for return to 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 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582. 3. Phase in a comprehensive wellness and fitness program for fire fighters. 4. Perform a preplacement and an annual physical performance (physical ability) evaluation. 5. Provide fire fighters with medical clearance to wear self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) as part of the Fire Department's medical evaluation program. 6. Use a secondary (technological) test to confirm appropriate placement of the endotracheal tube. 7. Perform an autopsy on all on-duty fire fighter fatalities.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Emergency Responders Firefighters Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety
• Keywords:
  Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Heart Medical-screening OSHA Region 4 Personal-protective-equipment Physical-fitness Physical-stress Protective-clothing Protective-equipment Self-contained-breathing-apparatus

  More +
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Cardiovascular: Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Artery Disease and Coronary Vascular Disease) ; Non-Cardiac: Miscellaneous Medical COD
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Death in the Line of Duty Report
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFFFACEF201116
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• 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:20039840
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2012-101318
• 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 F2011-16, 2011 Sep ; :1-13
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services: Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2011/06/30
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:006174c4b533a8f8e75d264af1c10ba43138570fd51804ac69bd355faac23565e60b26e8b8e34e64d167d4016febe53e34533b528a6e974ff91aab9449b77b0e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163509/cdc_163509_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 475.19 KB ]