Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Structure Fire Response – Mississippi

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 January 14, 2010, a 55-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (FF) responded to a mobile home fire. The FF performed exterior overhaul (mop-up) operations for approximately 14 minutes, when he suddenly collapsed. Crew members provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as an ambulance was requested. The ambulance arrived, provided advanced life support, and transported the FF to the local hospital's emergency department (ED). CPR and advanced life support continued in the ED until the ED physician pronounced him dead. The death certificate listed "sudden cardiac death" as the cause of death. No autopsy was performed nor were any carboxyhemoglobin levels measured to test for carbon monoxide exposure. Given the FF's probable underlying coronary artery disease (CAD), NIOSH investigators concluded that the physical exertion involved in responding to the call and performing exterior overhaul triggered his sudden cardiac death. NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations, which may have prevented the FF's death. 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.) Conduct annual respirator fit testing. 7.) Perform an autopsy on all on-duty fire fighter fatalities.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Emergency Responders Firefighters Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Medical-screening OSHA Region 4 Physical-fitness Physical-stress

  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/NIOSHFFFACEF201029
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Mississippi ; 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:
  1-11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20038104
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2011-104463
• 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 F2010-29, 2010 Dec ; :1-11
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services: Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2010/01/14
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b785b41f9a6358a6420a041d121c843ca85b3d8fcff47e3e6cd8b58269c5ea6a015628f5f00581490880ad3e226c4448bc52a6097bf76a11d45ab7d279f3063b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163533/cdc_163533_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.48 MB ]