Retired Seattle Chief Dean to Head D.C. Fire
Gregory Dean is the new chief of Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS. A 44-year veteran of the Seattle, WA, fire department, Dean served as chief for 10 of those years.
“Chief Dean is a proven, collaborative leader who led a department with an international reputation for its fire-based EMS performance,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. “I am certain that he will work with our emergency first responders and the community to move the department forward in exciting ways.”
According to Bowser’s office, “Dean has a proven track record of results. Under his leadership, Seattle and King County, WA, announced in 2014 that its overall cardiac arrest survival rate had reached an all- time high of 62 percent, up from 26 percent in 2002.”
A member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee, Dean said he was ready to bring much needed reforms to the area and admitted to facing a “unique set of challenges” in D.C.
USFA Report on Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries
Each year, tens of thousands of firefighters are injured while fighting fires, rescuing people, responding to emergency medical and hazardous material incidents or training for their job. While the majority of injuries are minor, a significant number are debilitating and career-ending. Such injuries exact a great toll on the fabric of the fire service.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has released a report, “Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (2010-2012),” which addresses the details of firefighter injuries sustained at, responding to or returning from a fire incident, focusing on data as reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) from 2010 to 2012.
Report findings include:
- An estimated 70,450 firefighter injuries occurred annually. Of these injuries, 31,550 occurred on the fireground and 4,150 occurred while responding to or returning from an incident.
- The majority of fire-related firefighter injuries (87 percent) occurred in structure fires. In addition, on average, structure fires had more injuries per fire than non-structure fires.
- Injuries resulted in lost work time for 42 percent of firefighters with reported fire-related injuries.
- Fires resulting in firefighter injuries were more prevalent in July at 12 percent and peaked between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- Overexertion/Strain was the cause of 27 percent of reported fire-related firefighter injuries.
A PDF of the entire report may be downloaded for free at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v15i6.pdf.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
Ten U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Three career firefighters and seven volunteer firefighters died in 10 separate incidents. Six deaths were health related, two deaths were the result of accidents and two deaths resulted from fireground operations where structural collapses occurred, trapping firefighters.
FIRE CHIEF KENNETH LEHR, 59, of the Medora, IL, Community Fire Protection District died on Feb. 5. Lehr was struck by a fire apparatus that was backing up while the department was attempting to close Illinois Route 111 for the landing of a medical helicopter. Lehr was a 22-year veteran of the fire service.
FIREFIGHTER GARRY ROSE, 67, of the McMechen, WV, Volunteer Fire Department died on Feb. 6. While wheeling a patient into the Emergency Room of Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, Rose suffered an apparent heart attack and died. Rose was a 37-year veteran of the fire service.
LIEUTENANT RANDY PARKER, 46, of the Macon-Bibb County, GA, Fire Department died on Feb. 11. Parker and five other firefighters were injured during interior firefighting operations at a residential fire when a structural collapse occurred. The first floor collapsed into the basement approximately one hour after firefighters arrived on scene. Parker was pinned in the basement and it took fellow rescuers a substantial amount of time to extricate him. He was transported to Navicent Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Lieutenant Parker was a 25-year veteran of the department.
SERGEANT KENNETH M. STANTON, 52, of the Sandy Springs Fire Department in Pendleton, SC, died on Feb. 15. While directing traffic at the scene of a motor vehicle accident, Stanton was struck by an approaching vehicle that drove around emergency apparatus. Stanton was treated at the scene and transported to a hospital, where he died. The driver of the vehicle was apprehended and charged with felony driving under the influence resulting in a death and leaving the scene of an accident.
FIREFIGHTER RANDY HITI, 57, of the Rice Lake Fire Department in Duluth, MN, died on Feb. 18. Hiti was responding to an emergency medical call when he suffered a medical emergency and died. Hiti was a 26-year veteran of the fire service.
CAPTAIN DWIGHT W. BAZILE, 57, of the Houston, TX, Fire Department died on Feb. 21. On Feb. 19, Bazile was operating at the scene of a residential fire with reports of people trapped when he became ill. He walked out of the burning building, but collapsed outside and suffered cardiac arrest. Immediate treatment was initiated by fellow firefighters and he was transported to Memorial Herman Hospital, where he later died. Bazile was a 37-year veteran of the department.
FIREFIGHTER EDWARD RODDY, 48, of the Somerset, PA Volunteer Fire Department died on Feb. 22. On Nov. 5, 2014, Roddy suffered a heart attack while operating at the scene of a fire.
PILOT JEROLD BONNER, 72, of CAL FIRE, died on March 6. While on duty at the Alma Helitack Base in Santa Clara County, Bonner was found deceased in his barracks from a cardiac-related incident. Bonner was a 16-year veteran of the department.
FIREFIGHTER JEFFERY SCOTT BUCK, 18, of the Lawrence Township, PA, Volunteer Fire Department died on March 9. On March 3, while operating at the scene of a residential fire, the front porch roof collapsed onto him. Fellow firefighters rescued the trapped firefighter and he was transported to UPMC Altoona, where he later died from a head injury. Buck was a member of the department for four years.
FIRE CHIEF BILLY R. JARVIS, 54, of the Allen, KY, Fire Department died on March 10. On March 4, Jarvis and his son, a fire captain, were responding to an emergency call for a downed power line. Jarvis became ill and his son drove him to Highlands Regional Medical Center, where he suffered cardiac arrest. He was transferred to Pikeville Medical Center, where he later died. Jarvis was a 35-year veteran of the fire service.
—Jay K. Bradish
