Captain Suffers a Fatal Heart Attack While Participating in Fire Department Physical Fitness Training Program – California

Details

• Personal Author:
  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 May 14, 2007 the Captain reported to duty at his fire station at 0800 hours. About an hour later, the Captain and the other crewmember assigned to his station (Engineer), changed into gym clothes and drove their Engine to a paved walking/jogging trail to participate in their Fire Department fitness program. The temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. The two began walking a ½ mile flat section of the trail followed by walking another ½ mile steep section (approximately 8% grade). At the top of the steep section, the Captain rubbed his chest and complained "my heartburn is killing me today." Shortly thereafter, the two started jogging on the flat portion of the trail, when the Captain collapsed. The Engineer notified dispatch and then began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) including the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) from the Engine. About eight minutes after his collapse, ambulance paramedics arrived on-scene and administered advance life support which was continued in the hospital emergency department. Despite these resuscitation efforts, the Captain died. Both the death certificate and the autopsy report listed "acute myocardial infarction" (otherwise known as a heart attack) as the immediate cause of death due to "coronary artery disease." NIOSH investigators agree with these reports, and that the heart attack was probably triggered by the moderate to severe physical exertion associated with his fitness training. NIOSH investigators offer the following recommendations to reduce the risk of on-duty heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths in this and other fire departments across the country. It is unlikely, however, that implementation of any of these recommendations would have prevented the Captain's sudden cardiac death. 1. Provide annual medical evaluations to ALL fire fighters to determine their medical ability to perform duties without presenting a significant risk to the safety and health of themselves or others. 2. Conduct symptom-limiting exercise stress tests on some fire fighters based on their risk for a coronary heart disease event. 3. Discontinue biannual chest X-rays for the Hazmat team unless specifically indicated for an individual. 4. Conduct annual respirator fit testing. Secure funding from the governing municipality to upgrade the current fitness-wellness program.
  
  
• 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 9 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/NIOSHFFFACEF200816
• 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:
  1-16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034621
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2009-100855
• 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 F2008-16, 2008 Aug ; :1-16
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services: Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  2007/05/14
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7e1a8a8d5bef7e1b493eed2a3f816241eb129e7d17fddb7ff2602175322264c44d38749aa820b76f474a94289bf115784a97a83de0ddf600799165e23956b5a1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/163629/cdc_163629_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.14 MB ]