Line of Duty Death Report F2025-07: Volunteer Firefighter Dies and Second Injured in Privately Owned Vehicle Crash - Louisiana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lago, Louis
• Description:
  On July 15, 2025, a volunteer firefighter (Firefighter A) died, and another (Firefighter B) was injured during a single-vehicle crash while responding to a medical emergency. At approximately 03:35 hours, the parish public safety answering point (PSAP) received a 911 call from a motorist stopped on the side of the highway reporting trouble breathing and chest pains. Fire District 4 was dispatched for advanced life support (ALS) response. Upon activation of the pager for the dispatch, Firefighters A and B - who were married - responded in their privately owned vehicle (POV) from their home with Firefighter A driving. Dense fog and darkness created low visibility, which was compounded by rural roadway conditions that included loose surface material and no painted lines or reflectors. After traveling 0.9 miles, they approached a 90-degree righthand curve in the roadway. Firefighter A realized they had entered the curve before slowing down. Firefighter A engaged the brakes and directed the POV straight to avoid a rollover. The POV left the roadway, hit two trees, and came to a rest 97 ft from the edge of the roadway. The POV sustained severe damage (see Photo 1). Firefighter A was partially ejected and located by Firefighter B. She called 911 to report the crash, pulled him to a flat surface, and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Fire District 4 units arrived and provided medical treatment. With consultation from medical command at the local hospital, Firefighter A was pronounced deceased at the scene. Firefighter B was treated for minor injuries. Contributing Factors: Weather/roadway conditions with low visibility; Standard operating procedures (SOPs); Inattentive driving; Self-dispatch. Key Recommendations - Fire departments should: 1) Ensure that initial and annual emergency vehicle operations training emphasize adjusting driving for weather and roadway conditions present. 2) Enforce SOPs for driving and operating POVs that respond to an emergency. 3) Ensure all firefighters are trained in and recognize the ways that physiological and psychological factors affect driving when responding to an emergency. 4) Ensure all firefighters are trained on and aware of skill-based human performance mode errors. 5) Ensure emergency response protocols include content that explicitly prohibits firefighters and resources from self-dispatching to an emergency scene unless formally requested.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Firefighters Mortality Motor Vehicles Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Region 6; Fire fighters; Fire fighting; Fatalities; Emergency responders; Recommendations; Accident analysis; Motor vehicles; Drivers; Vehicle safety; Accident prevention
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death Trauma (0004) ; Motor Vehicle (0018) ; Privately Owned Vehicle (0020)
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  Firefighter Fatality Investigation
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Report
• Place as Subject:
  Louisiana ; West Virginia ; Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  14 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071012
• Citation:
  Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, F2025-07, 2025 Sep; :1-12
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  20250715
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5c4124cf10047672fccbe9cf4556a454d8185c25a2743792f668c653aa219df3905d43e2c63823d8a6244ebf2b4fc1b7bf88c105a68bde68514a776e7ab53665
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/257791/cdc_257791_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 956.14 KB ]