Engineer Suffers Fatal Heart Attack at Scene of Residential Fire – Michigan

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baldwin, Tommy N.
• 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 22, 2007, a 56-year-old male volunteer Engineer was paged to a residential fire. He responded to a nearby fire station and drove an engine to the scene. On-scene, he assisted crew members in pulling an uncharged 1¾-inch hoseline. The fire was extinguished shortly thereafter, and the Engineer notified the Fire Marshal that he did not feel well and that his chest hurt. Assessment provided in the rehabilitation (rehab) unit by the on-scene ambulance crew revealed the Engineer was suffering from a heart attack (myocardial infarction). Despite advanced life support treatment initiated in rehab, the Engineer became unresponsive with labored breathing. As the ambulance began transport to the hospital's Emergency Department, the Engineer lost his pulse and stopped breathing. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was begun and advanced life support treatment continued en route to the hospital. Approximately 55 minutes after his collapse, despite CPR and advanced life support administered on-scene and at the hospital, the Engineer died. The death certificate, completed by the medical examiner, listed "myocardial infarction" as the cause of death. No autopsy was conducted. The NIOSH investigator concludes the Engineer's response to the structure fire and his exertional activity at the fire, coupled with his underlying atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD), triggered his heart attack and sudden cardiac death. The NIOSH investigator offers the following recommendations to address general safety and health issues. Had these recommended measures been in place prior to the Engineer's collapse, perhaps his sudden cardiac death could have been prevented at this time. 1. Provide annual medical evaluations to fire fighters consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments, to determine their medical ability to perform duties without presenting a significant risk to the safety and health of themselves or others. 2. Incorporate exercise stress tests following standard medical guidelines into the Fire Department's medical evaluation program. 3. Secure endotracheal tubes to prevent dislodgment during patient treatment, transfer, and transport. 4. Phase-in a comprehensive wellness and fitness program for fire fighters to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and improve cardiovascular capacity. 5. Perform an autopsy on all on-duty fire fighter fatalities.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Emergency Responders Firefighters Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Cardiac-function Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-function Cardiovascular-system Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Emergency-responders Fire-fighters Medical-examinations Medical-monitoring Medical-screening OSHA Region 5 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/NIOSHFFFACEF200815
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• 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:20035074
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2009-106703
• 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 F2008-15, 2008 Sep ; :1-12
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services: Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2007/06/22
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fcf65a781b6edafa7b107fe72fd1960d8803a5a395f7981c1732e274b17b140bb5201910bec922855467c89afc0e771bc95f41ed7bc0d3d8a178aa1aa703774b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163614/cdc_163614_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 537.93 KB ]