The range of services provided by America's fire service continues
to expand. In many areas, the local fire department is responsible
for mitigating hazardous materials incidents, performing technical
rescues, and providing emergency medical services. The threat of
terrorist incidents further increases the fire department's
responsibility, as firefighters must be taught to recognize the
signs of a chemical or biological attack and the proper response.
This expansion of the fire service's responsibilities means that
less time and energy are available to focus on basic fire
suppression skills and scenarios. Also, some of the newer missions
present their own, inherent training dangers. In addition, the
personal protective gear being worn by firefighters today is
excellent; some say that it is even too protective. Firefighters
now can advance deeper into structures and get closer to the seat
of a fire than in years past because the turnout gear protects well
against heat, but this can create problems. A longer exposure to
fire will rapidly deplete a firefighter's energy and air supply;
and the firefighter will have a greater distance to travel to an
exit in an emergency situation. Furthermore, as firefighters
progress farther into a structure, more time elapses, which means
the fire is more devel-oped, hotter, and often closer to flashover.
Due to the increased use of synthetic and polycarbonate
construction materials, fires are burning hotter and faster than in
the past, resulting in a higher potential for building collapse and
flashover. Collapse becomes more likely because of the increased
damage from the fire. Safe, effective, and realistic firefighter
training is essential in preparing the fire service to achieve its
mission of preserving life and property. The dilemma posed by
conducting realistic fire training is that fires, even in a
training setting, are inherently dangerous. Yet, the fire service
needs realistic scenarios to fully experience the environment of a
fire and how to combat it. Even without the presence of live fire,
training on the physically challenging and labor-intensive tasks of
hose handling, tool work, and ladder operations pose a high
potential for injuries. From 1987-2001 there has been a 31 percent
decrease in the incidence of structure fires throughout the United
States. As a result of the decline in fires, firefighters on the
whole have less fireground experience than their predecessors had a
generation ago. As many of the more experienced firefighters and
officers retire, they are replaced by young officers with
comparably less fire experience. As today's firefighters'
collective, direct experience in fighting fires continues to
diminish, there is great concern in the fire service that the
inability to recognize flashover and building collapse-and to react
quickly enough to avoid being caught by these two potentially fatal
conditions-will continue to result in injuries and fatalities to
firefighters. Complicating this situation is that live fire
training with Class A combustible materials (especially in acquired
structures) is being replaced by temperature-controlled, fuel-fed
fires in non-combustible structures. Departments are relying less
on live fire training for myriad reasons, including among others,
environmental, safety, and cost. This report examines recent
injurious and fatal incidents involving training to determine
lessons that can be used to prevent future injuries and deaths. The
emphasis in this report is on fire-related training, particularly
live-fire evolutions. It is, however, important to note that
training-related injuries can and do occur during a variety of
types of training. Also included is a discussion of training
standards and common hazards as well as a brief analysis of the
available data on the number and cause of training-related injuries
and deaths.
General
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