Firefighter Deaths and Injuries - Research Paper Example

Firefighter Deaths and Injuries Introduction Firefighters experience serious risks to their health and life due to the nature and conditions of their work. The problems are because of exposure to numerous physical agents both the physical and thermal workload and chemical agents which could be toxic, and above all the high level of stress during emergency operations (Szubert & Sobala, 49). In the U.S., there is an annual collection of data by NFPA showing the number of firefighter fatalities and elaborate on the injuries or illnesses found. Among the victims are prison inmates serving on firefighting crews, seasonal and full-time employees of state and federal agencies with fire suppression responsibilities, military personnel assigned fire suppression duties, civilian firefighters working at military installations members of industrial fire brigades and members of local career and volunteer fire departments (Fahy & LeBlanc, 1). Peterson adds that firefighters opt to protect property and save people under serious and risky circumstances. In the United States, about 100 firefighters die annually in the line of duty while about 95,000 are injured, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report of 2006 (2). In the United States, twenty-one firefighters died in 2005, during the execution of non-emergency-related on-duty doings. Moreover, there was one fatal stroke case as well as five sudden cardiac deaths among the firefighters while undertaking the usual station or administrative activities. While engaging in activities like a funeral detail, attendance at a convention, a parade, and fire apparatus maintenance four firefighters died due to sudden cardiac death or stroke. On the other hand, three firefighters lost their lives when their helicopter crashed while they were lighting fires at a set burn. In addition, crashes claimed other five lives -- one each while en route to get a vehicle inspection sticker, after a boat parade, during a conservation project, while en route to pump out a residence, and while driving to a meeting (Fahy & LeBlanc, 3). Causes and Mitigation Strategies of Firefighter injures and deaths There are various health impairments and disorders influenced by the job attributes. These comprise traumas, injuries, cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer respiratory diseases, and cancers of other sites like large intestine, bladder or kidney. Mental disorders referred to as the post-traumatic stress disorder are of much significance among health effects because of a traumatic experience in health-hazardous or a life-threatening circumstance. Long after original trauma, there could be manifestation of serious health problems (Szubert & Sobala, 49). There are reports on an upward trend in the incidence of heat stress injuries during wild land firefighting operations. There can be dehydration by the firefighter when he or she is working under both high ambient air temperatures and high radiant heat flux conditions. This can also occur if positive preventative procedures are not implemented as a normal way of doing business on a daily basis heat stress can be experienced (Mangan, 38). It is in the operational area at the scene of a fire that about one-third of on-duty firefighter fatalities occur. The deaths occur because of asphyxiation, sudden cardiac death, electrocution, stroke, crushing injuries, internal trauma, and burns while restraining or putting out fires. In addition, another one-third of on-duty deaths happen on the way to or from an event in motor vehicle and other accidents. On the other hand, ten percent of firefighter casualties occur during training, for example physical fitness activities, apparatus and equipment drills, classes or seminars, underwater/dive training, and live fire training. It is also possible for the firefighters to die while carrying out nonemergency on-duty activities and at non-fire emergencies. Traumatic injuries account for more than one-half of all on-duty firefighter causalities including, electrical, shock asphyxiation, crushing injuries, burns, drowning, and internal trauma (Peterson, 2). Firefighters’ inappropriate behavior and carelessness account for about a half of accidents while the main causes of injuries being stumble, lost balance, slip or fall. Other factors responsible of accidents at work include poor physical condition and lack of physical fitness among firefighters, insufficient knowledge about risks happening in different circumstances of duty performance, loose conduct outside actions, insufficient equipment of firefighters with modern technical means, too much involvement in group sport and lack of warming up before physical exercises (Szubert & Sobala, 55). In addition, fire and rescue operations greatly depend on the public expectations. In many cases, fire fighters are likely to take on a more risk-prone method when the public is watching maybe because of the high expectations making them choose a more aggressive approach. In addition, it also influences the attitude and image of the fire fighter as a hero, hence sacrificing life when undertaking duties on the fire ground. The lack of knowledge on the importance of physical fitness and healthy living or the danger of heat stress and its causes could be the reason for the high cardiovascular related causalities. On the other hand, trauma related fatalities may be because of the lack of knowledge on the effect of reckless driving or safety related problems when working on roofs above a working fire (Svensson, 3). During the 1987 and 1988 fire seasons, there were evident effects on the short-term and long-term exposure to high levels of environmental smoke from wild land fires was. Smoke inversions in those years, bothered not only the direct fire area, but also the incident base camps and neighboring communities for days continually. The incidence of upper respiratory- tract infections was high for firefighters and the infections lasted for periods as long as 3 to 4 months after the firefighting operations because they were spending over multiple 21-day assignments under these circumstances (Mangan, 38). Stakeholders in the firefighting department have developed various strategies to reduce the firefighter fatalities and deaths. For instance, a Memorandum of Understanding among NFPA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) occurred in 2005 concentrating on emergency reactor, safety and protective clothing and equipment. At this point, the fire departments across the country were encouraged to dedicate a day to concentrate on safety through the co-sponsoring of NFPA and several other fire service organizations in the first annual National Firefighter Safety Stand Down (Fahy & LeBlanc, 11). In addition to this, the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program is a program of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Since 1998, this program has performed surveys of firefighter line-of-duty deaths and prepared recommendations for preventing future deaths and injuries. NIOSH employs the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) model to carry out surveys. Each survey summarized the incident and incorporated recommendations for preventing similar events in future. The aim of the FACE program is to avoid occupational causalities across the nation by recognizing and inspecting work situations exhibiting high risk for injury, and then preparing and circulating prevention policies to those who can intercede in the workplace (Peterson, 3). In order to prevent firefighter injuries and deaths, candidates for firefighters should have outstanding aptitude, skills and physical suitability. This is because of the physical, organizational and biochemical features of this profession. Candidates for firefighting should also have good sight, hearing and color distinction (Szubert & Sobala, 49). Moreover, there should be systematic exploration of expertise, approaches and schemes for managing fires and other emergencies. There is a need for the extension of firefighter training for the actual firefighters and officers. This will enable the concerned parties to perform their duties in a safe way. There is also the need for professionals and experts to integrate with fire officers and firefighters. This association will adequately produce competent firefighters and provide a safe environment for the firefighters (Svensson, 10). In addition, in order to reduce harm occurring on the ground, there should be the development of secure and proficient individual concept. Efficient collaboration and the development of integrated contact among the different stakeholders are also crucial and form a fundamental element of any fire safety-training programme (Klein, 18). According to Svensson, for effective fire fighter knowledge, there should be the presence of positive fire behavior. All the fire fighters and fire officers should entirely understand how fire grows under different situations on the fire ground. In this regard, there are various aspects that firefighters and fire officers ought to know for safety. This includes the knowledge of fuel controlled fires and ventilation-controlled fires. This also includes the knowledge of how different entities and materials act under fire circumstances (8). Mangan feels that firefighters have a personal role to guarantee their individual capability in carrying out the job by having good physical condition. They should make the right nutritional options to uphold them on multi hour and multiday fire tasks. In addition, they should maintain healthy lifestyles, which will help them, remain on the job in times of decreased resistance to sicknesses (39). A part from individual responsibility of the firefighters, fire agencies has a key responsibility to offer an environment that promotes healthy and safe personnel. This may comprise exercise facilities, work capacity testing and health-screening plans (40). Conclusion For the past twenty years, there have been many cases of fighter injuries and deaths. These situations occur due to a mixture of several factors including individual, institutional and environmental factors. Firefighters and other concerned officers should receive adequate training to become competent enough for handling fire accidents. In addition, fire departments should provide the necessary facilities and safety equipments to the firefighters. In an individual level, firefighters should develop diverse qualities to help them have the confidence and aptitude while in their work. In addition to this, they should develop a healthy eating habit and lifestyle to help them maintain themselves in the job. Work Cited Fahy, Rita & LeBlanc, Paul. Firefighter Fatalities in the United States: 2005. 2006. Web. Klein, Roger. Risk Assessment and Firefighter Safety. Patterns of Injury in the United Kingdom. 2001. Web. Mangan, Richard. “Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities among Wildland Firefighters.” Fire Management Today 62.3 (2002): 36-40. Peterson, Kristina. Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program: Findings from a National Evaluation. 2010. Web. Szubert, Zuzanna and Sobala, Wojciech. “Work-Related Injuries among Firefighters: Sites and Circumstances of Their Occurrence.” International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 15.1 (2002): 49-55. Svensson, Stefan. Reducing fire fighter fatalities: The knowledge based approach. 2006. Web. Read More