Line of Duty Death Report F2022-05: 58-Year-Old Driver/Engineer with Diabetes Dies from Heart Attack, Florida

Details

• Personal Author:
  Eisenberg, Judith S. ; Saunders, Robert ; Wilkinson, Andrea ; Barger, Alexandra
• Description:
  On the morning of Sunday, June 5, 2022, a 58-year-old driver/engineer (ENG) with a history of diabetes left the fire station to return home after completing a routine 48-hour shift. He did not report feeling unwell to any of the staff at the station that weekend. During the early hours of Monday, June 6, 2022, he began to have chest pain and called 911. An EKG obtained by paramedics during transport was consistent with an acute heart attack. This was relayed to the Emergency Department (ED) staff resulting in their calling a "cath alert" (activating the cardiology staff and alerting those in the cardiac catheterization laboratory to an incoming critical patient). On arrival to the ED, he was being stabilized and prepared for transport to the cardiac catheterization laboratory when he went into cardiac arrest and was unable to be resuscitated. Key Recommendations - NIOSH offers the following recommendations to reduce the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac arrest among firefighters, including those with diabetes, at this and other fire departments across the country. Key Recommendation #1: Consider requiring annual medical evaluations. Although annual medical evaluations are not required by department policy, NFPA 1582 recommends annual medical evaluations of members [NFPA 2022]. [NFPA 2022]. Key Recommendation #2: Ensure that firefighters with insulin dependent diabetes (type 1 or type 2) meet the provisions set forth in NFPA 1582 to be able to engage in firefighting tasks safely without restriction. Key Recommendation #3: Phase in a mandatory comprehensive wellness and fitness program for firefighters following guidance from NFPA 1583, Standard on Health-Related Fitness Programs for Firefighters [NFPA 2015]. Key Recommendation #4: Ensure that firefighters undergo cardiovascular disease screening as recommended in NFPA 1582 [NFPA 2022]. Please note that although NFPA standards are updated periodically, it is our practice to cite the version in effect at the time of the fatality. In 2025, the NFPA standards 1581-1584 that we cite in this report were consolidated into a single standard designated as 1580.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Firefighters Fires Mortality Myocardial Infarction Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Region 4; Fire fighters; Fire fighting; Fatalities; Emergency responders; Recommendations; Cardiac arrest; Cardiovascular disease; Diabetes; Medical fitness evaluation
• FACE - Firefighter:
  Cause of Death Medical (0000) ; Cardiovascular (0001) ; Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Artery Disease and Coronary Vascular Disease) (0035)
• 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:
  Florida ; Ohio ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Atlanta Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  12 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071030
• 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 F2022-05, 2025 Jun; :1-10
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  92 - Public Administration - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  20220605
• 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:be80e03c3d1c4d81cd05ddd1e3ce8e115ddde135afb7a8498c5e7bf656ea1eea390ff78cd52ed823d68524a0494a0cf2b75c6940cc53e03e0965c27eedefc168
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/257806/cdc_257806_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 813.95 KB ]