Firefighters, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and other
emergency responders face many dangers daily from exposure to
smoke, deadly temperatures, and stress to issues surrounding
personal protective equipment (PPE), vehicle safety, and personal
health. Although publicized firefighter fatalities are associated
more often with burns and smoke inhalation, cardiovascular events,
such as sudden cardiac death, account for the largest number of
nonincident firefighter fatalities. Both the United States Fire
Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) have been tracking firefighter fatalities since 1977.
According to NFPA statistics, the number of sudden cardiac deaths
has averaged between 40 and 50 deaths per year since the early
1990s. USFA statistics show that firefighters, as a group, are more
likely than other American workers to die of a heart attack while
on duty (USFA, 2002). Additional pertinent findings in the NFPA's
2005 U.S. Firefighter Fatalities Due to Sudden Cardiac Death,
1995-2004 include: Four hundred and forty firefighters out of 1,006
(or 43.7 percent) who died on the job experienced sudden cardiac
death, typically triggered by stress or exertion; Fifty percent of
all volunteer firefighter deaths and 39-percent of career
firefighter deaths resulted from a heart attack; Ninety-seven
percent of the victims had at least a 50-percent arterial blockage;
Seventy-five percent of the firefighters who died of a heart attack
were working with known or detectable heart conditions or risk
factors, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and
diabetes. While sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death
among firefighters, other factors affecting firefighters' health,
wellness, and safety result in multiple deaths and injuries each
and every year. Through the collection of information on
firefighter deaths, the USFA has established goals to reduce loss
of life among firefighters (USFA, 2006). In order to achieve this
goal, emphasis must be placed on reducing the risk factors
associated with cardiovascular disease as well as on the mitigation
of other issues affecting the health and safety of the Nation's
firefighters. As part of another effort to determine the specific
issues affecting firefighter health and wellness, the National
Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Foundation developed a questionnaire
to determine personal health, well-being, and safety practices
among firefighters. A summary of findings from this study was
shared with the NVFC and USFA for use in this project. The
questionnaire was distributed to a study population of 364
firefighters, of which 149 were career firefighters, 165 were
volunteers, and 50 indicated they were both volunteer and career.
Results from the questionnaire revealed several trends in this
sample firefighter population; however, the study population was
not large enough to generalize these trends for all firefighters.
Results from the NVFC Foundation's questionnaire are presented
here. Based on these findings, it is clear that a structured
personal health and fitness program, as well as safe operations to,
from, and while at emergency scenes, become critical to
firefighters' safety, well-being, and survival. As a result, we
present this document on emergent health and safety issues for the
volunteer fire and emergency services.
General
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