Death in the Line of Duty…a Summary of a NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation

On March 1, 2002, a 21-year-old male volunteer fire fighter (the victim) died after becoming separated, disoriented, and lost as he, the Chief, and other fire fighters were trying to escape from the interior of a fully involved house fire. Two fire fighters eventually pulled the victim out of the house into the front yard, but he was unresponsive and not breathing. The victim received cardiopulmonary resuscitation and was transported to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should: ensure that Incident Command (IC) conducts a complete size-up of the incident before initiating fire fighting efforts, and continually evaluates the risk versus gain during operations at an incident. Departments should also ensure that the first officer or fire fighter inside evaluates interior conditions and reports them immediately to Incident Command

ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to operate safely and effectively

ensure that a Rapid Intervention Team is established and in position immediately upon arrival

use evacuation signals when command personnel decide that all fire fighters should be evacuated from a burning building or other hazardous area

ensure that a separate Incident Safety Officer, independent from the Incident Commander, is appointed

ensure that team continuity is maintained

ensure that ventilation is closely coordinated with the fire attack

instruct and train fire fighters on initiating emergency traffic (Mayday-Mayday) when they become lost, disoriented, or trapped

ensure that backup lines are equal to or larger than the initial attack lines

ensure that fire fighters are equipped with a radio that does not bleed over, cause interference, or lose communication under field conditions