By Jeffrey Lindsey

If the annual firefighter fatality statistics published by the USFA can serve as any kind of a guide, we are getting ready to enter the most deadly month of the year. April saw almost 16 percent of the total fire deaths for firefighters in 2009. So what does that mean for you? In the reality of things, there is nothing more to it than for you to begin to think about ways to improve our survivability and reduce our fatality rate. Granted, in 2009 we stayed below 100 firefighter deaths; however, as long as we continue to have even one death each year, we need to continue to find ways to reduce the numbers, and that one could be where you come in.

I want to look at the preliminary numbers of firefighter fatalities in 2009. The following are some of the numbers I think it is important for us to look at. All information is from the USFA 2009 preliminary firefighter fatality report.

Nature of Fatal Injury:
43 Heart Attack 47.7%
28 Trauma 31.1%
8 CVA 8.88%
5 Asphyxiation 5.55%
2 Burns 2.22%
1 Electrocution 1.11%
1 Violence 1.11%
1 Heat Exhaustion 1.11%
1 Other 1.11%

Cause of Fatal Injury:
52 Stress/Overexertion 57.7%

Percent of Fatalities Related to Emergency Duty: 62.2%

Of course there are a lot of additional statistics and information on the number of firefighter fatalities from 2009, but let's look at these numbers for this column. We continue to see half of all firefighter deaths are a result of a heart attack. I will challenge these numbers. What precipitated the heart attack? Hydrogen cyanide is known for its effects on the cardiovascular system and presents signs and symptoms similar to a heart attack. Hence, are the heart attacks a result of hydrogen cyanide poisoning or truly cardiovascular in origin?

Taking a look at all the natures of fatal injuries, the majority can influence a good rehab program. Keep in mind that rehab should not be only a part of the emergency scene; rather it needs to be incorporated into all parts of our life as a firefighter.

So what does all this mean? Now is the time to get out and promote rehab in your department. Look at the number of deaths and the types of deaths. We can prevent many of these if we begin to work towards a concerted effort on our rehab activities. It all starts by training. Keep your personnel informed of the benefits of rehab. April was a deadly month in 2009 for firefighters across the United States, so let's work on reducing these numbers for April and keep the trend for the rest of 2010.

Here is a simple lesson plan for an in-service for your agency for rehab awareness.

1. Review the firefighter fatalities for 2009
2. Hydrogen cyanide
   a. Give an overview of the causes
   b. Discuss how to prevent exposure
   c. Describe the sign and symptoms
   d. Explain the treatment
3. CO
   a. Give an overview of the causes
   b. Discuss how to prevent exposure
   c. Describe the sign and symptoms
   d. Explain the treatment
4. Discuss your rehab SOG

Until next time, be safe and be sure to practice good rehab procedures for your incidents and training.

If you have a subject you would like me to cover in future columns on rehab and rehab training, please email me at Jeffrey.Lindsey@FireRescue1.com.

References
Lindsey, J. (2007) Fire Service Instructor Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
USFA (2010) A Provisional Report On-Duty Firefighter Fatalities in the United States
Date Range 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2009 retrieved from http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/09_fatality_summary.pdf on March 10, 2010
NFPA 1584 Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises (2008) National Fire Protection Association Batterymarch, Mass.