And the tales grow taller on down the line
By Bill Carey
Originally published 10 November 2017.
Previously, there was a discussion that spun itself into firefighter fatalities and everything related. Among the electronic dialogue were two statements, paraphrased,
‘Over and over we see guys getting caught in flashover because you won’t cool from the exterior,’
and
‘Collapse, flashover, out of air are the leading causes of death in actual firefighting.’
Yeah, those are false.
From 2007 to 23 October 2017 there have been 156 on-duty deaths listed in the activity type Advancing Hoselines (including Wildfire) by the United States Fire Administration (USFA). Some believe that the majority causes and natures of these deaths are due to flashover, structural collapse, and disorientation. A review of this data shows that is not correct.
Data collected for this review came from the largest activity type to have a deep number of incidents that would reflect most fire department operations. Past research and writing on the subject have indicated that firefighter deaths involving search and rescue and ventilation, regarding actual structure fires, are also quite low.
See:
On-Duty Deaths Under Search, 2011 – 2016
On-Duty Deaths and Advancing Hoselines, 2016
Currently in 2017 eight fatalities are listed as advancing hoselines. Five of the eight are due to cardiac or similar trouble where the victim fell ill either during or after the incident. Of the currently 76 firefighter fatalities this year, not one involves a firefighter dying while on a hoseline inside a burning structure. One listed under search and rescue was caught in a collapse during a commercial structure fire and one listed under ventilation fell from a tower ladder bucket during a residential structure fire.
Of the total of the 156 in this period 43% are due to fire behavior, structural collapse, disorientation and the like.
Advancing Hoselines (including Wildfire)
2016
Two out of four fatalities, 50%
2015
Five out of nine fatalities, 56%
2014
Eight out of 17 fatalities, 47%
2013
Nine out of 28 fatalities, 32%
2012
Five out of 14 fatalities, 36%
2011
Four out of 15 fatalities, 27%
2010
Three out of 11 fatalities, 30%
2009
Three out of 12 fatalities, 25%
2008
11 out of 17 fatalities, 67%
2007
18 out of 22 fatalities, 82%
The significantly higher percentages in some of the years presented is in part due to multiple fatality incidents, especially 2007, and 2008. In other years, the percentage is high due to the total number being small. Note that in 2013 two multiple fatality incidents claimed 24 firefighters but that year’s total had a low percentage that died due to the assumed causes. These are the multiple fatality incidents:
2014
Toledo, Ohio: Two firefighters killed
Boston, Massachusetts: Two firefighters killed
2013
Houston, Texas: Five firefighters killed
Prescott, Arizona: Nineteen firefighters killed
2012
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Two firefighters killed
Missoula, Montana: Two firefighters killed
Charlotte, North Carolina: Four firefighters killed
2011
San Francisco, California: Two firefighters killed
Britton, South Dakota: Two firefighters killed
2009
Craigsville, West Virginia: Two firefighters killed
Houston, Texas: Two firefighters killed
2008
Salisbury, North Carolina: Two firefighters killed
Colerain Township, Ohio: Two firefighters killed
2007
Charleston, South Carolina: Eight firefighters killed*
Manhattan, New York: Two firefighters killed
*USFA data records eight Charleston firefighters as having died while advancing hoselines and one as having died while doing a search, in the Sofa Super Store fire.
The Majority Cause and Nature While Advancing Hoselines (including Wildfire)
2017
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 4
Wildland: 3
2016
Wildland: 2
Disoriented: 1
Structure Collapse: 1
2015
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 4
Structure Collapse: 4
Disoriented: 1
2014
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 6
Fire Behavior: 5
Structure Collapse: 2
Plane Crash: 1
Disoriented: 1
Struck By: 1
Wildfire: 1
2013
Wildfire: 19
Structure Collapse: 6 (including Houston)
Fire Behavior: 2
Ran Out of Air: 1
2012
Plane Crash: 6
Structure Collapse: 4
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 2
Fire Behavior: 1
Wildfire: 1
2011
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 6
Fire Behavior: 4
Wildfire: 3
Structure Collapse: 2
2010
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 3
Vehicle Accident: 2
Disoriented: 1
Fall: 1
Fire Behavior: 1
Struck By: 1
Structure Collapse: 1
Wildfire: 1
2009
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 5
Asphyxiation: 3
Fire Behavior: 1
Plane Crash: 1
Trauma: 1
2008
Structure Collapse: 6
Fire Behavior: 4
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 4
Out of Air: 1
Plane Crash: 1
Shot: 1
2007
Structure Collapse: 13 (includes Charleston)
Fire Behavior: 4 (includes live burn training)
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 2
Disoriented: 2
Electrocution: 1
Exposure: 1
By the numbers of each year totaled, Structure Collapse has killed the most firefighters, however, we need to note that two multiple fatality incidents (Houston, five firefighters; Charleston, eight firefighters) are an anomaly to the individual data. So, minus the 13 killed in two incidents, Structure Collapse is then second to Heart Attack and other cardiovascular related deaths. That doesn’t mean that we are not taking away their value, but that they exist as an exception to the average.
Structure Collapse: 39 (26 minus the multiple fatality incidents)
Heart Attack, CVA; Stress/Overexertion; Ill; Unknown*: 36
Fire Behavior: 22
Disoriented; Out of Air; Asphyxiation: 11
* In the past two years, the USFA has been recording firefighter on-duty deaths that are not immediately reported as a heart attack or CVA as ‘Unknown’. In the narrative of these notifications there are indications that the death is cardiac in nature, but the nature and cause has not been immediately identified, thus they are unknown.
Even if we include the multiple fatality anomaly (13 deaths in two incidents), heart attacks and similar causes still hold a considerable majority. Almost double the number killed due to fire behavior and triple those killed due to disorientation or related, heart attacks and/or cardiovascular problems are a leading killer of firefighters directly involved in firefighting operations.
Image courtesy of Ultimate Classic Rock/REO Speedwagon.
Data Not Drama 