Fire Fighter/Operator Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death While Operating a Fire Engine at a Structure Fire – Louisiana

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 September 11, 2009, a 44-year-old male career Fire Fighter/Operator (FF/O) responded in his privately owned vehicle to a two-story structure fire. On scene while wearing full turnout gear, he connected the engine to a hydrant, assisted on a 2½-inch hoseline to protect exposures, and, after additional fire fighters arrived, operated the pump panel on the fire engine. As the FF/O went to the rear of the engine, he suddenly collapsed. The Deputy Police Chief, standing nearby, saw the FF/O collapse and notified the Fire Chief, who notified the on-scene ambulance. Ambulance paramedics treated the FF/O and transported him to the local hospital's emergency department (ED). Despite advanced life support for a total of 39 minutes (at the scene, during transport, and in the ED), the FF/O died. The death certificate and the autopsy, completed by the assistant coroner, listed "hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with coronary insufficiency" as the cause of death. NIOSH investigators conclude that the FF/O's underlying heart condition, coupled with the stress of responding to the alarm and performing fire suppression tasks, probably triggered either a heart attack or a cardiac arrhythmia, resulting in his sudden cardiac death. NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to address general safety and health issues. It is unclear if the recommended programs would have prevented the FF/O's sudden cardiac death had they been in place. 1. Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to all fire fighters consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments. 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 NFPA 1582. 3. Phase in a comprehensive wellness and fitness program for fire fighters. 4. Perform an annual physical performance (physical ability) evaluation. 5. Provide fire fighters with medical clearance to wear self-contained breathing apparatus as part of the Fire Department's annual medical evaluation program. 6. Conduct annual respirator fit testing. 7. Discontinue lumbar spine x-rays as a screening test administered during the preplacement medical evaluation.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Emergency Responders Firefighters Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Accident-prevention Cardiac-function Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Medical-examinations Medical-screening OSHA Region 6 Physical-fitness

  More +
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death: Medical ; Cardiovascular: Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Artery Disease and Coronary Vascular Disease) ; Non-Cardiac: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Series:
  Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP)
• Subseries:
  Death in the Line of Duty Report
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFFFACEF200926
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; 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:
  1-12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036523
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2010-107415
• 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 F2009-26, 2010 Jan ; :1-12
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services: Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2009/09/11
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9390aa113be531bd6c1998fffb393be4b528a5389da72bf4e1ea72a13cef02c081558fd1d46d548a1958ab861a484f75ba8218bbeee5d328edbc6e11433fc907
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163562/cdc_163562_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 684.81 KB ]