Update to 2019 USFA Search & Rescue

Switch from Hoselines to Search

Bill Carey
4 September 2021

In January of 2020 I wrote about the on-duty death numbers from 2019 and the attention given to the historically low complete total. It wasn’t a historic low as far as the number of firefighters being killed inside burning structures [1] but it was a significant year.

To compare the total deaths and the inside deaths I wrote about the number of firefighters who died during the fire attack (advancing hoselines, search, and ventilation). At the time of the United States Fire Administration’s reporting there were no firefighter fatalities listed under Search and Rescue. Five firefighters died while “Advancing Hoselines” in 2019 (not including Wildland). At the time of their death notification this was their listed activity type.

Advancing Hoselines: 5

Iowa. Victim killed in an explosion of a grain silo the next day after the incident began

Maine. Victim killed in a fire behavior event (flashover) in an apartment fire

Illinois. Victim killed in a collapse in a fire in a single-family dwelling

Illinois. Victim killed in a collapse in a (abandoned) commercial structure fire

Massachusetts. Victim killed in a fire behavior event (flashover) in an apartment fire

In July of 2020 the USFA updated the activity type of three of these. These three are now listed under Search and Rescue:

Maine. Victim killed in a fire behavior event (flashover) in an apartment fire

Illinois. Victim killed in a collapse in a (abandoned) commercial structure fire

Massachusetts. Victim killed in a fire behavior event (flashover) in an apartment fire

This is also seen in the 2019 report as well [2]. Note that there are still five fatalities listed under Advancing Hoselines, but the USFA includes Wildland in that activity.

This update also changes the number of firefighters killed while advancing hoselines, inside, to two as far as how I break down the data.

References:

1. “One Out of 93” One firefighter died while inside a burning structure, in 2017. https://datanotdrama.wordpress.com/2021/07/01/one-out-of-93/
2. “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2019” United States Fire Administration, October 2020. Type of Fireground Activity, page 12, https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/firefighter-fatalities-2019.pdf

Photograph courtesy of Unsplash.