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FIREFIGHTER DEATH AND INJURY STATISTICS US and NY STATE 2008-2009 ---PAGE BREAK--- Preliminary USFA figures for 2009 source: USFA Provisional Report 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2009 ---PAGE BREAK--- Preliminary 2009 USFA LODD statistics (NFPA narrowly defines “firefighter” and “line of duty,” so their numbers are generally about 10% smaller) 93 firefighter LODDs were reported to USFA, 8 of which were in New York 47 were volunteers; 38 were career There were 6 multiple-fatality incidents There were 15 fatal wildland incidents and 22 fatal structure fires ---PAGE BREAK--- Preliminary 2009 USFA LODD statistics There were 38 deaths unrelated to an incident. (For example, heart attacks at home) If incident-related, the most dangerous type of duty associated with LODD was on-scene fire (28 deaths) ---PAGE BREAK--- Preliminary 2009 USFA LODD statistics Stress/overexertion was by far the biggest killer (52 deaths) Heart attack was the biggest medical factor, causing 41 deaths The 41-50 and 51-60 year age brackets were most at risk overall ---PAGE BREAK--- Preliminary 2009 NYS Line-of-duty deaths Walter Hessling, Dix Hills, 11/27/09 – Stroke following response to MVA Patrick Joyce, Yonkers, 10/2/09 – Jumped from 3rd floor to escape flames Richard Holst, Huntington, 9/9/09 – Undetermined collapse at fire scene Charles “Chip” McCarthy, Buffalo, 8/24/09 Jonathan Croom, Buffalo, 8/24/09 Paul Warhola, Brooklyn, NY, 8/14/09 - Cerebrovascular accident at scene Robert Johnson, Mahopac Falls, 7/5/09 – Fell at the scene of a fire safety demo Mark Bradley Davis, Cape Vincent, 1/31/09 – Shot by mentally disturbed EMS patient Lt McCarthy & FF Croom were killed while searching a burning commercial structure when the main floor collapsed ---PAGE BREAK--- The National Picture: analysis of 2008 deaths source: NFPA Journal, July-August 2009 ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths (not including 9/11/01 WTC deaths) 91 112 103 103 97 105 103 87 89 102 103 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Number of Deaths Year On-Duty U.S. Firefighter Deaths, 1998-2008 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths: Career & Volunteer 1998 - 2008 (not including 9/11/01 WTC deaths) 33 38 28 25 29 25 29 25 23 42 46 49 70 58 66 50 58 64 54 46 53 68 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 Number of Deaths CAREER VOLUNTEER ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths by Type of Duty, 2008 source: USFA Fireground 37% Responding to or Returning from Alarms 18% Training 8% Non-Fire Emergencies 11% Other on-duty 26% ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths by Cause of Injury, 2008 source: USFA Struck by or Contact with Object 37% Caught or Trapped 13% Fell/Jumped 6% Overexertion, Stress, Medical 39% Other 5% ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths by Nature of Injury, 2008 source: USFA Other 9% Burns 4% 6% Internal Trauma 41% Heart Attack 40% ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths by Age & Cause of Death, 2008 source: USFA 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 6 13 8 20 19 9 13 1 3 9 6 7 Number of Deaths Age Heart Attack Non-Heart Attack ---PAGE BREAK--- US Firefighter Deaths in Motor Vehicle Accidents, 1998-2008 0 5 10 15 20 25 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 7 10 10 10 7 13 8 10 9 17 14 3 1 2 1 1 4 5 3 1 5 1 Volunteer (red) Career (blue) ---PAGE BREAK--- Background Information on US Firefighter Deaths Sources: National Fallen Firefighters Foundation National Fire Protection Association US Fire Administration ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 Firefighter Fatalities Who is dying? Career firefighters (defined as those who are employed full-time as firefighters) suffered 46 deaths in 2008. Volunteer and part-time paid firefighters accounted for 68 deaths. 41% of firefighter fatalities were under the age of 40. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 Firefighter Fatalities Where are we dying? Nationally, fireground activities are the most hazardous. Response/return was third: Of the 15 deaths in road vehicles, 2 victims were not wearing seatbelts. Additionally 13 were killed in wildland aircraft crashes. 6 firefighters were killed when struck by vehicles at the scene of an emergency. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 Firefighter Fatalities Why are we dying? Stress and overexertion are still the leading killers The largest single cause of firefighter deaths in 2008 was sudden cardiac vascular or cardiac events. Heart attacks caused the deaths of 46 on- duty firefighters; 4 died of cardiac vascular accidents. More than half of 2008 firefighter deaths were from traumatic injuries such as burns, drowning, vehicle crashes, and other physical injuries. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 Firefighter Fatalities Where are we dying? 47% of firefighter deaths on the fireground were in residential occupancies. Residential fires accounted over 75% of civilian deaths. They also cause roughly eight of ten firefighter injuries every year. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 Firefighter Fatalities Where are we dying? Across the US, rural response is generally just as dangerous as urban / suburban fire response. ---PAGE BREAK--- New York State Line of Duty Deaths and Injuries Injury statistics for 2009 are not yet final, so 2008 is used. Note: Injury statistics are from the NYS Fire Incident Reporting System (report IIC series). Since participation is voluntary, the numbers are incomplete and reflect only reported casualties. FDNY deaths are included, but injuries are not. ---PAGE BREAK--- New York State Line of Duty Deaths, 1999-2009 (not including 343 FDNY deaths 9/11/01 at WTC) 8 5 11 7 7 6 16 11 8 7 8 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Number of Deaths Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 NYS Fire Service Injuries & Deaths by Activity Driving/Riding Vehicle 9% Fire Department Apparatus 2% Extinguishing/ Neutralizing 26% Suppression Support 16% Access/Egress 3% EMS/Rescue 13% Incident Scene Activity 8% Station Activity 4% Other Activity 7% Undetermined 1% No Response 11% ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 NYS Fire Service Deaths & Injuries by Type of Duty Suppression 62% EMS 8% Prevention, Inspection, Fire Investigation, Training 4% Other Assignment, Undetermined or No Response 26% ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 NYS Fire Service Injuries & Deaths by Cause Fall, Jump, Slip/Trip 20% Exposure to Hazard 17% Struck/ Assaulted 5% Contact with Object 14% Overexertion/ Strain 19% Other, Un- determined, No Response 26% ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 NYS Fire Service Casualties by Note: Burn includes chemical, electrical & scald Smoke/Hazard- ous Inhalation 2% Shortness of Breath 2% Burn 6% Cut, Puncture Wound, Bruise, Abrasion 17% Dislocation, Fracture, Strain, Sprain, Swelling, Crushing, Amputation 28% Cardiac/Respira- tory Arrest 2% Stroke/Heat Stroke 6% Undisclosed Sickness or Pain 17% Other, Undetermined, No Response 20% ---PAGE BREAK--- 2008 NYS Firefighter Injuries & Deaths by Location Enroute to FD Location or to incident or medical facility 5% At FD Location 6% At Scene or medical facility 75% Returning from Incident or medical facility 1% Other Locations or undetermined or no response 13% ---PAGE BREAK--- Fatal Accidents Non-fatal Personal Injury Accidents Accidents Causing Property Damage over $1000 2 [PHONE REDACTED] NYS Fire Vehicle Accidents (source: NYS DMV) There were a total of 364 fire apparatus accidents in 2008. Two persons died (both drivers, one driving a non-fire vehicle) and 293 were injured. ---PAGE BREAK--- NYS DMV Fire Vehicle Accident Reports: Manner of Collision, 2008 (accident not necessarily caused by FD driver) Top human factors cited: (36) Driver inattention (31) Failure to yield right of way (16) Turning improperly (11) Passing or lane change improper Top environmental factors cited: (17) Slippery pavement Obstructed or limited view Single Vehicle Accidents Two Vehicle Accidents Three Vehicle Accidents 27 311 26 ---PAGE BREAK--- Non-fatal Personal Injury Accidents Accidents Causing Property Damage over $1000 [PHONE REDACTED] NYS Ambulance Accidents (source: NYS DMV) There were a total of 574 accidents, but no fatalities this year 609 persons were injured (Includes EMS responders, patients, those in other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) ---PAGE BREAK--- Single Vehicle Accidents Two Vehicle Accidents Three Vehicle Accidents 73 439 62 NYS DMV Ambulance Accident Reports: Manner of Collision, 2008 (accident not necessarily caused by EMS driver) Top human factors cited: (81) Driver inattention (78) Failure to yield right of way (35) Following too closely (24) Traffic control disregarded (23) Unsafe speed (19) Turning improperly Top environmental factors cited: (25) Animals action (24) Slippery pavement (22) Obstructed or limited view ---PAGE BREAK--- For more information: Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2008 (USFA) http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/ff_fat08.pdf Firefighter Fatalities in the United States 2008 (NFPA) http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/osfff.pdf Firefighter Injuries in the United States (NFPA, 2009) http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/OS.firefighterInjuries.pdf Patterns of Firefighter Fireground Injuries (NFPA, 2009) http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/OS.patterns.pdf What’s Changed Over the Past 30 Years? (NFPA, 2007) http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/whatschanged.pdf ---PAGE BREAK--- Based on: “Firefighter Fatalities in the US in 2008” and “What’s Changed Over the Past 30 Years?” published in NFPA Journal, July-August 2009, p.60-67 USFA “Provisional Report” for 2009 and statistical reports from NYS DMV & NYS OFPC. Data compiled by the Diana Robinson Thank you!