CARLA FIREY
Firehouse.com News
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has
released five reports on firefighter fatalities. Each of the reports
details the results of a NIOSH investigation.
Report F2000-41 -- On September 27, 2000, Firefighter Paul Husband of the
Mobile, Alabama Fire-Rescue Department
died after he fell under the wheels of a ladder truck. Husband had
reportedly been running beside the truck and attempting to board after it
had exited the station bay. As the truck made a right turn, Husband made a
final attempt to board the truck. He lost his grip and footing, and was run
over by the truck’s left rear outside dual tandem wheels. CPR was
administered and rescue personnel were called to the scene. Advanced life
support was provided as Husband was transported to a medical facility. He
was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.
NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar
occurrences, fire departments should:
- Ensure that firefighters do not attempt to board moving fire and emergency apparatus
- Ensure the department’s SOPs are followed and refresher training is provided
- Ensure personnel onboard emergency and fire apparatus are seated, belted, and accounted for, prior to movement
Report F2000-38 -- On August 13, 2000, Firefighter Warren J.C. Smith of the
Indianapolis Fire Department died during a diving rescue training exercise.
A weighted baby doll had been sunk to approximately 70 feet in a large, open
lake. Smith and his diving partner were performing a fan search pattern.
Smith remained stationary, and his partner swam in a gradually widening
180-degree sweep. Smith and his partner became separated from one another,
and Smith may have become entangled in the lines used for the search. He
was retrieved from the water and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was attempted.
Advanced life support techniques were applied once the boat reached shore,
but Smith was pronounced dead at the medical trauma center.
NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar
occurrences, fire departments should:
- Ensure that positive communication is established among all divers and those personnel who remain on the surface
- Ensure that underwater searches are completed individually to avoid possible rope entanglement
- Ensure that equipment checks are performed before each dive
- Consider that appropriate medical fitness evaluations for SCUBA work are obtained and updated on all divers
- Ensure that all divers record each dive in a dive log
- Ensure that divers are trained to perform rescue operations for other divers who may be in distress
- Consider developing a pre-dive checklist for all diving situations, including training
- Consider supplying divers with an alternative air source
- Consider upgrading their diving standard operating procedures (SOPs) and include the 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910 for commercial diving operations
- Consider upgrading manual underwater communication devices with hands-free underwater communication devices.
Report F2000-37 -- On August 9, 2000, Springfield, Illinois Fire Capt. Steve
Wilmot died after hospitalization from a fall during an arson investigation.
On July 18, 2000, Wilmot and another arson investigator were dispatched to
the scene of a single-family dwelling fire. During the investigation,
Wilmot stepped into a refrigerator to obtain a photograph. As he stepped
out of the refrigerator, his boot became caught and he lost his balance.
Wilmot fell onto a bed frame and his camera was caught between the left side
of his chest and the bed slats. Upon arriving home that evening, Wilmot
felt ill and sought medical treatment at an urgent-care facility. For the
next three weeks Wilmot was evaluated and treated in and out of the hospital
for complications resulting from the fall. He died on August 9, 2000.
Wilmot’s chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and cirrhosis due to HCV,
as well as post-injury medications, contributed to his liver failure.
NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar
occurrences the following recommendations should be considered:
- Fire departments should ensure that fire fighters and EMTs have mandatory annual medical evaluations and periodic physical examinations according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582, Standard on Medical Requirements for Fire Fighters and Information for Fire Department Physicians.
- HCV infection, by itself, should not preclude or restrict fire-service employees from engaging in fire-service activities. Rather, fire-department physicians should determine if HCV liver disease is of sufficient severity to prevent employees from performing, with or without reasonable accommodation, the essential functions of the job without posing a significant risk to the safety and health of themselves or others.
- Fire departments should update their written "Communicable Disease Program" to assure consistency with the NFPA 1581: Standard of Fire Department Infection Control Program and the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard [29 CFR 1910.1030; 56 Fed. Reg. 64004 (1991)].
Report F2000-25 -- Volunteer firefighter Jim Griffith of the Winterset Fire
Department was killed on April 7, 2000 by a fuel tank explosion. Griffith
responded to a call reporting a grass fire around a large fuel tank. He
attempted to knock down the fire and cool the tank. A civilian began
cutting a hole in the tank with a cutting torch. The tank swelled and then
exploded. The east end of the tank separated at the seam and was blown 114
feet. Griffith was in direct link of the east end of the tank and was
killed instantly.
NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar
occurrences, fire departments should:
- Ensure that, for fires involving potentially dangerous substances, firefighters utilize and follow the guidelines set forth in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s North American Emergency Response Guidebook
- Develop, implement, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) that address firefighter safety regarding emergency operations for hazardous substance releases
- Ensure that emergency response personnel adhere to the procedures outlined in 29 CFR 1910.120(q)2 - Emergency response to hazardous substance releases
Report F2000-17 -- On February 14, 2000, volunteer firefighter Paul Cooper
of Hoopa, California, died from injuries sustained when the engine he was
driving crashed into a tree. Th accident occurred on February 11, 2000.
Cooper was responding to a motor-vehicle incident call when he swerved to
the right shoulder of the road to avoid colliding with an oncoming vehicle.
Cooper overcompensated when he tried to steer the engine back onto the road.
The engine crossed both lanes and struck a large tree. Cooper was trapped
in the truck and extricated an hour and a half later. He died in the
hospital three days later.
The NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar
occurrences, fire departments should:
- Ensure all drivers of fire apparatus are licensed for the vehicles they are expected to operate
- Ensure all drivers of fire department vehicles are responsible for the safe and prudent operation of the vehicle under all conditions
- Ensure all drivers of fire department vehicles receive driver training at least twice a year
- Establish, implement, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) on emergency vehicle operation
- Develop and document an inspection, maintenance, and repair schedule for fire apparatus.
NIOSH Firefighter Fatality Investigation Reports can be found on the web site.
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