While many experts can apply their own spin to this report the news is not good. Still, it appears that the risk involved with firefighting and other emergency response disciplines, such as hazmat response, remains quite high, and possibly even increased. In actuality, and in comparison with other occupations, the risk can be managed and is even probably lower than perceived.
In an article that appeared in Compensation and Working Conditions in the Summer 1999 edition, authors Cindy Clarke and Mark J. Zak report that police and firefighters endure a risk of suffering a fatal incident three times greater than for all workers. Their data comes from a span of 6 years between 1992 and 1997.
For firefighters, the reasons for fatalities have been well chronicled; heart attacks, heat stress, vehicle accidents and crashes, explosions, flashovers, wildland fires, etc. Even though the general trend is toward less fatalities year to year the totals may seem alarmingly high, but, when the number of firefighter fatalities is compared to other occupations the relative risk is much lower.
Workplace Death Rates
The NFPA also reports that there were 1,708,000 fires in the United Sates in 2000. That same year 102 firefighters lost their lives in response to those incidents. That total included 28 career or full-time firefighters, 57 part-time or volunteer firefighters, and 17 non-municipal firefighters. Compare those numbers to fatalities involving police-142, mining-156, construction-1,182, and manufacturing-670.
Sheer numbers reveal that firefighting as an occupation does not have as many fatalities as other occupations but that is not the whole story. In order to properly compare death rates the U.S. Bureau of Labor compares death rates by dividing the total number of fatally injured workers within an occupation by the total number of employed workers. That quotient is then multiplied by 100,000 to arrive at the death rate per 100,000 employed.
The following table depicts the top death rates per selected occupations from the 1999 report mentioned above derived from 1997 data. Also, the report lists the Index of Relative Risk between these occupations and compared to all occupations. This index is calculated by dividing the fatality rate for an occupation by the fatality rate for all workers.
Occupation/IndustryFatality Rate For 100,000 Employment
Index of Relative Risk
All occupations
4.7
1.0
Timber cutting/logging
128.7
27.4
Fishers
123.4
26.3
Water transportation
94.2
20.0
Aircraft pilots
83.3
17.7
Construction laborers
41.1
8.7
Truck drivers
27.9
5.9
Roofers
27.5
5.9
Farming
27.5
5.9
Firefighters
18.3
3.9
Police
14.0
3.0
With this data the 1999 report states that "firefighters were about three times as likely to be fatally injured on the job as the average worker." With some of the selected occupations above it is easy to see that firefighting has a much lower level of risk in comparison. Using the same methodology as above and plugging in data from the year 2000 the numbers come out much lower. The following table depicts rates using 2000 data.
Occupation/IndustryFatality Rate For 100,000 Employment
Index of Relative Risk
All occupations
4.52
1.0
Mining
27.75
6.14
Construction
17.39
3.85
Police
12.75
2.82
Manufacturing
3.97
.87
Firefighters (full-time)
9.79
2.17
Firefighters (part-time)
7.33
1.62
Firefighters (all)
9.58
2.12
The data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and the calculations by Clarke and Zak serve to quantify and compare both fatalities and relative risk, respectively, between occupations. In light of the 2000 statistics firefighting is not even in the top 15 occupations in respect to risk of fatal injury. In comparison to the average worker firefighters only endure a risk that is approximately 2.12 times greater (approximately a 46% improvement since 1997). Obviously, the 2001 data will be skewed as a result of the 9-11 aberration.
From this presentation of data and risk comparisons it should not be concluded that we should be content with the number of annual firefighter deaths. Quite the contrary! There is still much to be accomplished to lower these numbers further.
Unfortunately, there will always be firefighter deaths because of the dynamic world of fire and related emergencies. Our intervention in this chemical reaction, especially inside structures, and its effects on building construction will always be risky. As an industry we can get aggressive and assertive in this quest for safety.
The following strategies are offered to assist in lowering the death rate our industry is burdened with. If all responders and their organizations practice these simple concepts the firefighter annual death rate could be lowered as much as 50% in a matter of a few years. All that needs to be remembered is "CEEBS"!
C stands for Conduct effective Risk/Benefit Analysis at every incident! The simple National Fire Academy model should be our mantra; "Risk a lot to save a lot, Risk a little to save a little, Risk nothing to save nothing". Learn how to use this simple concept and apply it to all incidents.E stands for Eat well! A well balanced diet is essential especially one that controls fat intake. You will be healthier and able to do the extremely demanding job of firefighting better. Get help if you don't know where to start.
E stands for Exercise! This goes hand in hand with eating well. Again, consult a specialist for assistance. Your heart and your family will thank you!
B stands for Buckle up! Wear your seatbelt anytime the vehicle moves. Too many responders are killed because they were not belted up when collisions or accidents occurred. This simple concept will prevent at least 10 firefighter deaths per year! Make it a habit-now!
S stands for Slow down! Speed kills and this especially applies to emergency vehicles. Realize you can't help others unless you get there safely. This concept has to be engrained in all responders and then enforced by officers. Develop a culture where the fastest is not the best and then live by it. This concept also applies to all operations including special teams operations. Nothing safe was ever down fast. This is one reason why hazmat operations have very few deaths and injuries. Hazmat responders have been conditioned not to rush operations. Think about it!
In conclusion, the death rate in the firefighting profession is much lower than many other hazardous occupations despite common perceptions. Even so, there is much more that can be accomplished to lower the number of annual firefighter deaths.
If simple concepts are adopted and strictly followed by all firefighters and their fire departments the amount of risk and the number of fatalities can be further decreased. Having done so perhaps the next 20 years will show a completely different trend when it comes to firefighter fatalities!
Resources:
- U.S. Department of Labor
- National Fire Protection Agency
- Fatalities to Law Enforcement and Firefighters, 1992-97 by Cindy Clarke and Mark J. Zak, Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Summer 1999.
