Why do fire ground duties trigger sudden cardiac events in firefighters

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hales, Thomas R.
• Description:
  Fire suppression involves physically demanding work in hot, dangerous environments with heavy encapsulating protective gear while being exposed to toxic chemicals and particulate matter in fire smoke. Thus, it is not surprising that firefighters have high rates of injuries and illness. Approximately 85-100 firefighters die each year on duty with approximately 35-45 being caused by sudden cardiac events. But these on-duty sudden cardiac events do not occur randomly. Rather, they occur in a much higher proportion on the fire ground when firefighters are performing fire suppression operations. For more than two decades, Smith et al. has meticulously documented the physiologic effects of fire suppression on the cardiovascular system. In the current issue of the Journal, Smith et al. summarizes this research and proposes flow diagrams about how these physiologic changes, in combination with other risk factors, could trigger a sudden cardiac event in susceptible firefighters. This commentary reviews the association between firefighting and cardiovascular disease and suggests additional research to direct prevention efforts. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Emergencies Emergency Responders Firefighters Fires Mortality Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety

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• Keywords:
  Cardiac Arrest Cardiac Function Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular Function Cardiovascular System Cardiovascular System Disease Cardiovascular System Disorders Emergency Responders Emergency Response Fire Fighters Fire Fighting Fire Fighting Equipment Fire Suppression Heavy Equipment Injury Prevention Mortality Data Mortality Rates Mortality Studies Physical Capacity Physical Fitness Physical Stress Physiological Effects Physiological Response Risk Factors

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• ISSN:
  0091-6331
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; 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:
  89
• Volume:
  44
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048188
• Citation:
  Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2016 Jul; 44(3):89
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:397f08ce4b8b71b391057647d8be4f2ea99c43882f724639c006b186b2df9dc58ecdca120ab46183ca8a57a7fa5b746a112c337488ef8269ef0d6788c990e25c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203007/cdc_203007_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 53.99 KB ]