Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110964

Ann E. Farmer, MS, Divison of Safety Research (DSR), CDC- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 1095 Willowdale Road, MS/1808 * after june please information to 1423 W 5th St., Cedar Falls, IA, 50613, Morgantown, WV 26505, 304-285-6218, annelizabethfarmer@hotmail.com and Dawn N. Castillo, MPH, Division of Safety Research (DSR), CDC- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 1095 Willowdale Road, MS/1808, Morgantown, WV 26505.

Objective: Rates of firefighter trauma deaths in burning structures have not significantly decreased since the 1970s. The purpose of this study was to examine recent firefighter deaths to determine the extent to which firefighters died while trying to save lives versus trying to save buildings.

Methods: Data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program were examined for firefighter fatalities in structure fires from October 1997 to December 2003. The presence of civilian victims was used to define a life verses structure saving operation.

Results: Out of the 46 structure fires examined, there were 74 firefighter deaths, 66% (49) of which occurred in structures known to have no civilian victims. A higher proportion of volunteer firefighters died in unoccupied structures than did career firefighters (84% verses 57%, respectively). Seventy-six percent of fire departments responding to these structure fires had incident command standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Conclusions: Firefighters appear to be dying more often to save unoccupied property than to save lives. Incident commanders and firefighters should consider using defensive tactics when the risk to firefighters far outweighs the benefits to saving property. The majority of fire departments responding to structure fires that resulted in firefighter fatalities had incident command SOPs, indicating the need to ensure that SOPs address defensive firefighting for unoccupied structures, and are implemented at the fire scene.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the extent to which firefighters died while trying to save unoccupied property.
• Assess the apparent effectiveness of current incident command standard operating procedures in structure fires.
• Recognize the need for defensive tactics in higher risk unoccupied structure fires.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.