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Features
2006 Fire Fighter Injury Study Narratives
NFPA Journal®, November/December 2007
By Michael J. Karter and Joseph L. Molis
Fall—Training
A company officer with 11 years experience suffered a fractured skull after he fell during a training session.
The 32-year-old instructor was briefing students on the training activity when the railing he was leaning against collapsed and he fell seven feet (2.1 meters) to the pavement below.
The victim was wearing a partial protective ensemble consisting of his protective coat and pants, helmet, and gloves. He returned to work five months after suffering two skull fractures and a shoulder injury.
Motor Vehicle Crash—Responding Returning
An engine company responding to an emergency medical call crashed and injured four fire fighters and seriously injured the company officer.
The engine swerved to avoid a vehicle and overturned onto its roof after it went through a red traffic light. The responding engine truck was traveling north approaching an intersection when the operator noticed a vehicle traveling east stopped in the middle of the intersection.
The driver applied the brakes and realized he was not going to stop in time. He instinctively turned the truck to the right to avoid the collision but, he turned the apparatus into a second vehicle traveling west in the left turn lane. The driver steered away to avoid a collision with the second vehicle, which caused the apparatus to flip onto its roof and slide for several yards.
All members, except the company officer were wearing seatbelts and only suffered some cuts and bruises. The company officer fractured a leg and had more severe injuries than those wearing seatbelts.
The victims were not wearing structural fire fighting protective clothing because they were responding to the medical call from a training exercise.
According to the department’s investigation, the driver admitted to being at fault. He was going too fast and did not stop for the red light. The driver and company officer were disciplined for their actions.
Fire Fighter Struck by Vehicle
A fire fighter with 15 years experience suffered minor injuries when cargo loaded on a tractor trailer struck him at an emergency scene. The 51-year-old was directing traffic to allow a medic unit transporting crash victims cross the road.
The tractor trailer with its oversized load of wooden trusses was passing the fire fighter when it hit him. The trusses, overhanging the trailer by 4 feet (1.2 meters), knocked the victim to the ground. He regained his footing and avoided the trailer’s rear axles. The tractor trailer driver stopped the truck after seeing the fire fighter go down in a twisting motion.
The victim was treated for a large abrasion on his shoulder and released from the hospital. He returned to work the next scheduled day. The only protective gear worn at the incident was a fluorescent-reflective vest.
Fall from Ladder
A company officer, 47, was injured while advancing a hoseline up a ground ladder. After stepping onto the roof, he lost his balance and fell approximately 25 feet (7.6 meters). He suffered only minor injuries.
An occupant of a two-family dwelling called the fire department reporting a fire in a rear bedroom. The family, alerted by smoke detectors, had already evacuated the dwelling when the fire department arrived four minutes later. The fire of undetermined origin caused approximately $30,000 in damages.
The department report credits the use of his protective helmet in reducing the severity of his injuries. The officer was wearing a full structural firefighter protective ensemble at the time of his injury. He missed two work days and returned to full duty without any complications.
Fire Fighter Struck by Vehicle
Two fire department units responded to a medical call of a person on an interstate who was in respiratory distress. The closest engine company was staffed with a fire fighter and a paramedic-level ambulance that was staffed with two fire fighters.
The engine company arrived on scene approximately 6 minutes after dispatch and the ambulance arrived 2 minutes later. The ambulance crew reported that the engine company had been struck by a tractor trailer truck and they had a fire fighter down. The ambulance crew requested additional resources and began treating the fire fighter and the patient suffering respiratory distress.
According to the department’s investigative report, the engine arrived on scene and parked in the emergency breakdown lane and put on its emergency lights.
The fire fighter, 36, exited the vehicle and was retrieving medical equipment from the driver’s side compartment that was behind the pump panel. The fire fighter stated he heard a truck and looked up only to see the truck headed for him.
The truck struck the parked apparatus with its right rear wheel, damaged the left rear tailboard, and tore two compartment doors off the fire engine. The right rear wheels of the passing truck and the flying compartment doors struck the fire fighter. The victim landed in the road but rolled under the fire apparatus.
The fire engine was also damaged.
The truck driver was looking down, trying to retrieve a pair of glasses. When he looked up, he was heading for the fire engine. He was not hurt in the incident.
The fire fighter suffered numerous broken bones and underwent several surgeries. He was hospitalized for more than a month and returned to full duty 11 months after the incident.
Porch Collapse
A fire fighter and a company officer were injured when a porch collapsed during a fire at a single-family dwelling.
The collapse occurred five minutes after fire fighters arrived on scene, while two members of the three-person crew were stretching a handline onto the porch.
After completing his assessment of the fire conditions, the lieutenant, 32, ordered a handline deployed to extinguish the front porch fire. The fire fighter, 25, on the handline extinguished the fire and began moving onto the porch where he was joined the company officer as began forcible entry into the structure.
After completing his task, the lieutenant moved behind the fire fighter and noticed the porch roof shift. He immediately tugged on the handline and warned the fire fighter but the porch collapsed onto the fire fighter.
The roof porch pinned the fire fighter and knocked the lieutenant onto the ground.
The apparatus operator saw the collapse and called a mayday situation. The lieutenant got back on his feet and, despite his injuries, helped two other fire fighters on scene lift a large section of debris to remove the fire fighter from the collapse.
A battalion chief arrived on scene approximately a minute after the collapse and began medical treatment of the injured fire fighter.
The fire fighter suffered second and third degree burns to his left shoulder, hip, and foot. The third degree burns covered nine percent of his body. He was wearing a full protective ensemble that had to be removed from service and destroyed after the incident. He was hospitalized for two weeks and returned to full duty two months after the incident.
The lieutenant suffered second degree burns to his right arm and a puncture wound to his right hand. He was treated and released from the hospital and returned to full duty.
His complete protective ensemble was damaged and removed from service.
The single-family home was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire. The cause was determined to be unintentional and occurred when a nail nicked a wire during renovation. The home also showed signs of a severe termite infestation that required the removal of several studs connected to the porch, weakening the structure before the fire.
Struck by Object—Wildland
A 28-year-old fire fighter was seriously injured when dead tree limb fell and struck him in the back. The victim was hospitalized for three days and has not returned to active firefighting duty.
He was one of three fire fighters assigned to an engine company operating as a strike team. The company was performing mop-up operations when the injury occurred.
The victim’s company was under a tree during a rest period when they heard a crack and saw a large section of the tree fall.
The victim was kneeling and could not get out of the way when the large snag broke away from the tree and fell about 10 feet (3 meters) and struck the fire fighter in the back.
The two other fire fighters scrambled to safety. Several crews in the vicinity immediately administered basic life support until an advanced life support crew responded.
The injured fire fighter was carried to a landing zone where a helicopter flew him 39 minutes to a medical facility.
Severe Cut
A fire service veteran suffered a career-ending injury while combating a 5-acre (2-hectare) brush fire.
The victim, who had 39 years experience, was assigned to an engine company as part of a strike team. The crew augmented a hoseline that was already in operation.
While hiking on a narrow trail on a steep hillside, the victim, 61, lost his balance many times. To regain his balance, he used a shovel as leverage and accidentally jammed it into his left foot. He kept walking because he believed he only bruised his foot.
Time passed. He realized he was bleeding profusely. The fire fighter had severed an artery, cut two tendons, and suffered nerve damage. A medic assigned with the crew immediately bandaged his wound and slowed the bleeding.
The injured fire fighter was transported to the hospital. He was hospitalized for four days and underwent two surgical procedures to repair the damage.
Roof Collapse—Structure Fire
A partial collapse of a bowstring truss roof injured two fire fighters during a warehouse fire.
The warehouse was part of a dry cleaning business. Both fire fighters were advancing a 2½-inch handline inside the front doors when the collapse forced heat and smoke upon the victims. Both hastily retreated from the building.
The first fire fighter suffered minor burns and returned to full duty. The second burned his hand, wrist, shoulder, and buttocks. He was not hospitalized but missed 11 days of work and was placed on light duty for nearly six months. He made a full recovery.
Both wore full protective structural firefighting protective ensemble. A rapid intervention team of four fire fighters was assembled at the time of the collapse but they were not deployed because the injured fire fighters escaped on their own.
The department credits their complete protective ensemble for limiting their burn injuries. The report states that the fire fighters should not have been inside the building because of the heavy fire conditions, bowstring truss construction, and no one was in the warehouse.
Fall—Structure Fire
A lieutenant, 41, was injured in a fire at a vacant two-story, unsecured mill building. The first floor was the origin of the incendiary fire where several couches and mattresses were ignited.
An officer and three fire fighters deployed a handline through the front doors. While crawling on the floor looking for the seat of the fire, the lieutenant fell 12 feet (3.6 meters) into a pit with debris at the bottom.
The officer, a 19-year veteran, injured his back, knee, and wrist. His mask was dislodged and he had having trouble breathing while inside the pit. He tried called for help but was not heard. He extricated himself from the pit by climbing a fixed ladder on the side of the pit and two fire fighters helped him out of the building.
The lieutenant returned to full duty three months after the incident but continued physical therapy for his injuries. Nearly a year after the incident, he was still having problems with his wrist and required surgery.
He is currently on injury leave but is expected to make a full recovery and return to full duty.
He was wearing a full protective ensemble. At the time of the fall, the rapid intervention team was not on scene. It is unknown why the dispatchers or anybody on scene heard his mayday transmission.
In this Section: |
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Large Loss for 2006 In 2006, fire departments in the United States responded to an estimated 1,642,500 fires, which an estimated loss of $11.3 billion. |
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Protecting Life and Property Significant changes in 2008 editions of NFPA 1141 and NFPA 1144 |
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U.S. Fire Fighter Injuries - 2006 83,400 fire fighter injuries occurred in the line of duty in 2006, an increase of 4.1 percent from the year before. |
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2006 Firefighter Injury Incidents A company officer with 11 years experience suffered a fractured skull after he fell during a training session. |
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