The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) United States Fire Administration’s (USFA) special report “Large Loss Building Fires” examines the characteristics and causes of these fires. The report, developed by the USFA’s National Fire Data Center, is based on 2007 to 2009 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).
From 2007 to 2009, an estimated 900 large loss building fires were reported by U.S. fire departments annually. These fires caused an estimated 35 deaths, 100 injuries, and $2.8 billion in property damage. In this report, large loss building fires are defined as fires that resulted in a total dollar loss of $1 million or more.
According to the report:
- Fortyeight percent of large loss fires occur in residential buildings.
- Exposures are the leading cause of large loss building fires at 22 percent, followed by electrical malfunctions (12 percent), other unintentional careless actions (11 percent), and intentional (9 percent).
- A peak in large loss building fires is seen between the hours of 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.
- The attic is the primary area of origin of large loss building fires, along with cooking areas or kitchens.
“Large Loss Building Fires” is part of the Topical Fire Report Series. Topical reports explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in NFIRS. Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or firerelated topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information. Also included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues addressed in the report or that put the report topic in context.
For further information regarding other topical reports or any programs and training available at the USFA, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
June 17. Firefighter Corey Shaw, 22, Du Quoin (IL) Fire Department: injuries sustained in a wall collapse while operating at a large fire in an antique mall and opera house.
June 19. Assistant Chief Robin Erlic West, 55, Startex Fire Department, Wellford, SC: cause to be determined.
June 20. Forest Ranger Brett Fulton, 52, Suwannee Forestry Center, Florida Div. of Forestry, Lake City: position overrun by flames while conducting tractor plow operation on the Blue Ribbon fire in Hamilton County, Fl.
June 20. Forest Ranger Josh Burch, 31, Suwannee Forestry Center, Florida Div. of Forestry, Lake City: position overrun by flames while conducting tractor plow operations on the Blue Ribbon fire in Hamilton County, Fl.
June 23. Firefighter Chris Pham, 35, Dallas (TX) FireRescue: found unresponsive in quarters; cause to be determined.
June 27. Chief Matt Hadaller, 47, Lewis County Fire District #3, Mossyrock, WA: sudden illness after responding to two EMS incidents within the preceding 24 hours.
July 2. Firefighter Walter E. Hauser, 62, Rochester (NY) Fire Department: serious injuries suffered during a 1981 fire in a department store.
July 7. Firefighter Caleb N. Hamm, 23, Dept. of Interior Bureau of Land ManagementBonneville Hot Shots, Salt Lake City, UT: cause to be determined.
July 8. Firefighter Charles “Sparky” Sparks, 49, Adair County Volunteer Fire Department, Columbia, KY: apparent heart attack suffered while operating at a residential structure fire on June 30.
July 11. Fire Police Lieutenant John Lackovic, 60, Valley Forge (PA) Volunteer Fire Company: cardiac arrest.
July 20. Firefighter Travis Lee Miller, 31, WaterlooGrant Township (IN) Fire Department: apparent heart attack suffered on July 19 shortly after returning home from working a residential structure fire under extreme heat conditions.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
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NVFC inaugurates vehicle driving training
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)McNeil & Company’s STOP campaign reinforces the message, “Safety Tops Our Priorities.” STOP: Seatbelts Top Our Priorities is now available online at http://training.mcneilandcompany.com (access code 6832). The free 30minute training module emphasizes seat belt use.
NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg recommends that first responders take the free STOP training and urges department leaders to incorporate the program’s priorities into their regularly scheduled department training activities.
STOP’s completion tracking capabilities ensure that members have completed the course; a certificate of successful completion can be printed after individuals have finished the training. The NVFC, on request, will provide training officers with a report of members who have completed the training.
The NVFC also encourages departments to have their members sign the International First Responder Seat Belt Pledge, created in 2006 in memory of firefighter Brian Hutton, who died after falling from his fire truck on the way to a call. More than 850 departments and 150,000 firefighters including the full NVFC board of directors have signed the Seat Belt Pledge, committing to wear their seat belts. To register to take the STOP: Seatbelts Top Our Priorities training, go to http://training.mcneilandcompany.com and do the following:
- Select “Not Already Registered? Click Here.”
- Register as a student using access code 6832.
- Enter your email address and confirm.
- Enter a password and confirm.
- Enter your first and last names, and then enter the department with which you are affiliated.
- Check off the Terms and Condition box, and select Register.
For assistance or additional information, contact Heather Fredenburg at hfredenburg@mcneilandcompany.com, or by calling (800) 8223747, Ext. 524.
Strengthening firefighter/propane industry relationship
Nearly 175 firefighters attended a conference at the New York State Fire Academy in Montour Falls, New York, on June 27 to acquire vital propane safety information from professionals from the propane industry and to train in response techniques and protocols.
Classroom presentations and field demonstrations such as tank truck product transfers, vehicles that run on propane gas, and controlling live fire situations involving stationary propane tanks were featured as participants developed a better understanding of how to work together during a propane emergency. The conference was sponsored by the New York Propane Gas Association and the Propane Education & Research Council. Topics included the evolution of propane emergencies, propane response, mitigation strategies, what’s on the horizon for the propane industry, and the announcement of fire science scholarships.
Firefightertrainers from the State Fire Academy provided one of the live demonstrations, how to control a burning tank, using special fog stream techniques that enable trained personnel to turn off the propane gas at the source and stop the fire. Additional information is at www.nypropane.com and www.propanesafety.com.
Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in effect
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 establishes a federally funded World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program for adverse health effects associated with the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The program, which is funded under the Act for five years, took effect July 1, 2011.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the program.
Responders who received monitoring and treatment services under previous programs for conditions associated with the WTC attack will be automatically enrolled in the new program unless they decline. Responders at the Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and Pentagon disaster sites are also eligible to apply for services.
Survivors may still go to the WTC Environmental Health Center to receive their initial screening exam and treatment and monitoring services if it is found that they have a condition associated with the WTC attack.
People identified and diagnosed with a health condition specified in the James Zadroga Act will receive health monitoring and treatment services at no cost to them. The law also establishes a process by which additional health conditions can be covered under the program if scientific evidence links the conditions to the 9/11 attacks. A separate part of the Act provides for a September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. Additional information can be found at www.justice.gov/ vcf. More information about the WTC Health Program can be found at www. cdc.gov/niosh/wtc/.
NIOSH releases Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports
The following National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NIOSH) reports were recently released:
- F201025, Aug. 09, 2010, “Career fire fighter dies from fall off fireescape ladder – Illinois”; http://www.cdc.gov/ niosh/fire/reports/face201025.html.
- F201035, Sept. 24, 2010, “Fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death while fighting wildland fire – Virginia”; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201035.html.
- F201103, Jan. 16, 2011, “Fire fighterparamedic suffers sudden cardiac death during ice rescue training – New Hampshire”; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201103.html.
- F201018, July 24, 2010, “A career lieutenant and a career fire fighter found unresponsive at a residential structure fire – Connecticut” http:// www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face201018.html.
