The 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives developed at the 2004 Firefighter Life Safety Summit in Tampa, Florida, were created to identify changes needed in the fire service to reduce the number of line-of-duty deaths. With the wrap-up of the 38th Annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend on Sunday, let us spend a couple of minutes reflecting on our mission to make sure Everybody Goes Home.
Great Strides
There has been a trend of less than 70 firefighter line-of-duty-deaths (LODD) from 2014 to 2018, a significant improvement over the average of 100 deaths from 2002 to 2008. (Fahy & Molis, 2019). Specifically looking at deaths on the fireground, we average 26 firefighter fireground fatalities a year since 2007. This is a significant improvement over the average of more than 80 fireground deaths per year in the 1970s.
In addition, deaths from responding or returning from alarms continue a five-year trend of low occurrences. That number was twice as high in the 1980s.
Bill Carey, the online news manager for Clarion Fire & Rescue Group, is the go-to person when discussing the data from line-of-duty deaths.
Carey also pointed out with the 37th LODD announcement on September 23, 2019, the number of LODDs announced a year earlier was 65. While presenting at Andy Fredericks Training Days last month Carey observed “We have gone years without someone dying in a vacant building. That’s amazing!”
Issue from 2004 that still needs work
We are still dropping dead of sudden cardiac arrest, the #1 cause of line-of-duty deaths since NFPA began tracking trends in 1977. For 2018 it represents 39% of the LODD deaths. IAFC President Gary Ludwig previews an initiative that will be rolled out in a couple of months:
New Issue: Occupational Cancer
The International Association of Fire Fighters reports that nearly 60 percent of the names added to IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial since 2002 are those of firefighters who have died from occupational cancers. (IAFF 2018 and 2015)
A total of 33 states cover firefighters for one or more cancers under workers’ compensation as a result of presumption legislation. In 20 of these states, the language in the presumption legislation contains broad or nonspecific language that can be interpreted to cover any cancer experienced by a firefighter. In the other 13 states, only certain specific cancers are covered, most commonly leukemia (12 states), brain cancer (10 states), bladder cancer (9 states), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (9 states), and gastrointestinal cancer (8 states). (FRCE 2019)
New Issue: Firefighter Emotional Health
Since 2017, the rate of firefighter suicide exceeds the rate of line-of-duty deaths (Heyman, Dill & Douglas 2018). A 2015 study by Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FFBHA) reports that 37% of those surveyed contemplated suicide and almost 7% had attempted it. That is more than 10 times the rate of the general population (Fisher, 2018).
The increased emergency service workload is taking a toll on firefighters (Jahnke, Poston, Haddock, and Murphy, 2016). In one study, between 7 and 37 percent of firefighters met the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (Tull, 2019). Similarly, the number of firefighter suicides has been rising (Heitman, 2016).
Firefighters are heavier users of alcohol than the general population. One study reported that 58% of the firefighters reporting binge drinking (Carey, Al-Zaiti, et al 2011), in comparison to 23% of males in the general population who report binge drinking (CDC 2016).
When considering family and marital issues, Gagliano & Gagliano (2018) identify three things that make firefighting different from other professions:
- Exposure to danger
- Exposure to trauma
- 24-hour shift
Creative and Dedicated Colleagues Continue to Work to Reduce Line Of Duty Deaths
None of these issues have an easy solution. The National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and the International Association of Fire Fighters are working on a variety of programs to address these issues and improve firefighter resiliency.
They could always use a hand. Consider getting involved in some way, everyone can make an impact.
When we look at the state of firefighter line of duty deaths in 2034 you can see how your contribution in 2020 resulted in the same type of strides made from 2004-2019.
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Fahy, R. F. and J. L. Molis (2019 June). Firefighter Fatalities in the US – 2018. Quincy MA, National Fire Protection Association. https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/Emergency-responders/osFFF.pdf
First Responder Center For Excellence [FRCE} (2019) Presumptive Legislation for Firefighter Cancer. Crofton, MD: First Responder Center for Excellence for Reducing Occupational Illness, Injuries and Deaths, Inc. https://www.firstrespondercenter.org/cancer/toolsresources/presumptive-legislation-firefighter-cancer-state/
IAFF (2018 February 01) Cancer Summit. http://client.prod.iaff.org/#page=Cancer_Summit_2018
IAFF (2015) Cancer In The Fire Service. John P. Redmond Symposium. National Harbor, MD. https://services.prod.iaff.org/ContentFile/Get/10166
Hayman, M., J. Dill and R. Douglas (2018). The Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders. Boston, Ruderman Family Foundation.
Fisher, N. (2018). More Firefighters Committed Suicide In 2017 Than Died In Line Of Duty. Forbes. New York, Forbes.
Jahnke, S. A., Poston, W. S., Haddock, C. K., and Murphy, B. (2016). Firefighting and mental health: Experiences of repeated exposure to trauma. Work, 53(4), 737-744
Tull, M. (2019 June 10) “Development of PTSD in Firefighters” New York, NY, Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/rates-of-ptsd-in-firefighters-2797428
Heitman, S. C. (2016) Suicide in the Fire Service: Saving The Lives of Firefighters. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA. https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/48534
Carey, M. G., S. S. Al-Zaiti, G. E. Dean, L. Sessanna and D. S. Finnell (2011). “Sleep Problems, Depression, Substance Use, Social Bonding, and Quality of Life in Professional Firefighters.” Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine 53(8): 928 – 933.
CDC (2016) “Fact Sheets – Excessive Alcohol Use and Risks to Men’s Health.”
Gagliano, A. and M. Gagliano (2018). Challenges of the Firefighter Marriage. Tulsa, OK, Pennwell Corporation.