By Bill Carey
23 September 2023
Fresh from questions and conversations during Training Days about firefighter line-of-duty deaths, here is the interior fatality data as of 23 September.
The fire service currently stands at 59 on-duty deaths as defined and recorded by the United States Fire Administration (USFA). In those 59 deaths, seven are traumatic (due to fire behavior, collapse or disorientation) that occurred inside a burning structure.
All seven interior deaths are currently listed under the Activity Type, Advancing Hoselines. Readers familiar with this site know that the USFA information is subject to change without notice, sometimes years after the deaths, and sometimes does not correctly identify the victims’ actual fireground activity.
Two of the seven deaths are the Newark, New Jersey firefighters killed while fighting a fire in a cargo ship on 5 July. While these deaths are not the typical interior deaths recorded here they are listed nonetheless. Their deaths are also the only interior, multi-fatality incident to date.
There are no interior deaths, to date, involving Search and Ventilation.
Four of the seven deaths occurred inside residential structures. Three involved single-family dwellings and one involved an apartment building. One death involved a commercial structure, a theater that was being renovated.
The leading cause of death is interior collapse, yet the specific details for some victims are not available. Caught/Trapped is the second leading cause.
The company assignments for the victims is almost even. Four were assigned to engine companies and three to truck companies. Again the specific details about some of the victims are not available, but for the most part all were on the initial alarm.
This information is subject to change based on USFA changes and investigation reports.
Related:
“Halftime Numbers”
Main photograph and “advancing hoselines” photograph courtesy of the author. Other photographs courtesy of Unsplash.
Data Not Drama 