Heart attacks leading cause of on-duty firefighter deaths in 1997
A total of 94 U.S. firefighters died while on-duty during 1997, 38 of them from heart attacks, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Ninety-five died on duty in 1996.
Another primary cause of fatalities was motor vehicle incidents. Eighteen firefighters were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and four were struck by vehicles. Of the 18 killed in motor vehicle crashes, 12 were involved in motor vehicle collisions or rollovers while responding to alarms–five were driving or were passengers in personal vehicles and seven were killed in six crashes involving fire department apparatus. According to the NFPA report, the most commonly reported factors in these road crashes were speeding (including driving too fast for road conditions), failure to use seatbelts, and failure to yield at intersections.
Four firefighters died as a result of set or suspicious fires, one in conjunction with a malicious false alarm. Crushing, asphyxiation, drowning, electrocution, burns, and asthma were among the other causes of firefighter deaths during 1997.
Eighty-six of the deceased were members of local career and volunteer fire departments, six were contractors to state and federal forestry agencies, one was a seasonal employee of a state forestry agency, and one was a full-time employee of a federal forestry agency. Thirty of the local firefighters were career firefighters; 56 were volunteers.
“To prevent further tragedies, improvements in individual health and fitness must be a priority, along with the proper screening of applicants to the fire service,” observes Gary Tokle, a former fire chief and NFPA assistant vice president of public fire protection.
