Did you know how firefighters get

injured on the job???

By: Daniel Khalili & David FogalDue: 2/22/10

INJURY DEFINED

Injury: Physical damage that is suffered by a person and requires treatment by a practitioner of medicine (physician, nurse, paramedic, EMT) within one year of the incident (regardless of whether treatment was actually received), or results in at least one day of restricted activity immediately following the incident. Examples of injuries resulting from fire are smoke inhalation, burns, wounds and punctures, fractures, heart attacks (resulting from stress under fire condition), strains and sprains. (*20)

Did you know that…

80,100 firefighter injuries occurred in the line of duty in

2007, 38,340 of which occurred during

fireground operations…(*1)

Only 6.9% of all firefighter

injuries in 2007 were in the form

of burns…(*2)

In 2007, 915 firefighter injuries resulted from vehicle collisions

responding to or returning from an incident…(*3)

Did you know…

For the 2003-2006 period, the most common

injuries received by firefighters at the

firegroundoccurred in the arm or hand, 8,115 injuries or

20%...(4*)

From 2003-2006, an average of 150

firefighters per year were struck by an uncharged hose,

resulting in injury…(*5)

In 2004, 105 firefighters

were injured due

to stair collapse at

the scene of a fire…(*6)

In 2004, the overall injury

rate for vacant and

under construction properties

was 33 firefighters per 1,000 fires...(*7)

Did you know…

Heart attacks and internal trauma

accounted for the majority of firefighter fatalities in 2004 (79 percent), but these

categories for injuries accounted for only 2 percent of firefighter

injuries…(*8)

Injury and Type of PropertyIn 2004, 89% of Firefighter Injuries were related to structure fires. About 75% of those structure fires took place on residential property. In sum, structure fires on residential property gives a 68% rating for Firefighter injuries. Vehicle, outside, and other fires accounts for 11% of Firefighter injuries in 2004. (*9)

100- ~ ~ INJURY AND TYPE OF PROPERTY ~ ~90-80-70- 68%60-50-40-30- 21%20- 11%10-0-Structure Fires Structure Fires Vehicle/Residential Non-Residential Outside/Property Property Other (*9)

Firefighter Injuries by Property Type, Structure Fires Only, 2004

RESIDENTIAL

• 1 and 2 Family Dwellings

• Multifamily Dwellings

• Other Residential

(*10)

Firefighter Injuries by Property Type, Structure Fires Only, 2004

NON-RESIDENTIAL*Storage 5.2%*Stores/Offices 4.9%*Manufacturing 2.5%*Eating/Drinking 1.2%*Public Assembly 1.0%*Outside/Special 0.6%*Basic Industry 0.5%*Educational 0.3%*Non-Residential 0.3%*Institutional 0.2%OTHER*Nonspecified Property 6.8% (*10)

So what does this say about Structure Fire injury?

• Fires on one- and two-family dwelling properties accounted for 59 percent of all firefighter injuries in 2004.

• Multifamily property fires, primarily apartment and row/townhouse fires, accounted for 15 percent.

• Also, storage and stores/offices were the majority of non-residential property types. Due to the size, layout, and contents of the structure; they often result in substantial injuries.

(*11)

For Example….• …the injuries that resulted from an abandoned cold

storage warehouse fire in Worcester, MA, in December 1999 in which 399 firefighters were injured.

(*12)

While such mass injury incidents do occur, it should be noted that most of the time, a injury incident only involves one Firefighter. Additionally, these injuries do not result in the injured Firefighter taking any time off work. (*13)

100- 81.9% ~ Firefighter injuries PER Incident ~ 80—60—40—20— 12.7% 3.4% 2.0% 0— 1 2 3

>3

Did You Know?

• •Firefighters are 15 times more likely to be injured in structure fires than in non-structure fires.

• •With regard to confined fires (fire within a non-combustible container and no outside damage) Firefighter injury can be expected to be very low.

•Career Firefighters experience a significantly higher loss in time off work due to injury than do volunteer Firefighters.

(*14)

Cause of Injury Producing Fires

• 55% of fires that ended in Firefighter injury do not have enough information provided to assign a cause. (*15)

• On top of that, 69% percent of these “unknown cause” incidents occur on residential properties.(*15)

• It is of vital importance that these unknown cause incidents become determined. It is clear to see from the given statistics that civilian injuries (44 percent), is 21 percent lower than the 55 percent for firefighter injuries.(*15)

Causes Continued…Incendiary, Suspicious 12.6%Children Playing 0.5%Smoking 2.7%Heating 3.7%Cooking 3.2%Electrical Distribution 2.3%Appliances / AC 2.4%Open Flame, Ember, Torch 7.0%Other Heat, Flame, Spark 5.1%Other Equipment 1.6%Natural 2.8%Exposure 0.9%

UNKNOWN 55% (*15)

SEVERITY OF INJURY

• 52 % result in no lost work time.

• 30 % of firefighter injuries result in lost work time with the bulk of these injuries (29%) moderate in severity.

• Less than 2 percent of injuries are severe or life- threatening.

• The severity of the injury was not specified for 18 % of the reported firefighter injuries .

(*16)

AGE More than one-third of all injuries (35 percent)

occurred to firefighters aged 30 to 39.

Typically, the leading causes of injury among younger firefighters relate to smoke inhalation and exhaustion.

Among older firefighters, strains and sprains are the more common injuries.

(*17)

Another Study Shows… The factor of not how, but where, the injury occurs

has a high unknown area. This is just above 20% !!!

Injury at incident outside above ground was found to be at 37%.

Injury at incident inside above ground was found to be at 35%.

Other areas, such as en route, inside vehicle, below ground, etc. where found to be at very low percentages.

(*18)

Type of Injury

• Trauma was the leading nature of injury to firefighters in 1998.

• Sprains/strains and bleeding/bruise/cut/wound combined accounted for 44% of injuries.

• Burns and pain accounted for an additional 23%.

• Heart attacks, internal trauma, and asphyxiation combined represented 16% of injuries, although these accounted for 89% percent of firefighter fatalities.

(*19)

FIREFIGHTER ACTIVITY AT TIME OF INJURY

Three major activities that the firefighter performs on the scene

accounted for 73% percent of injuries in 1998: Fire extinguishment (43%)

Suppression support (22%) Miscellaneous at scene (8%)

(*19)

Did you know that…

TRENDS

> From 1990 to 1999, total firefighter injuries have trended down –17% and fireground injuries –26%.

> These improvements were driven by significant injury reductions since 1994.

(*19)

FACT

• Injury Reduction can and has been made through proper channels of education, training, awareness, and implementation.

• Therefore, it can be rightly assumed that an even more positive trend can be made in the reduction of Firefighter Injury.

• While some injury is inevitable, most people think that injury reduction is too unpredictable.

• Facts show the opposite, Facts show the possibility of a safer future, if done so accordingly.

THE END