As Firehouse Sees It: 2021—Wins and Losses

While reflecting on the past two years with my colleagues here at Firehouse, I asked what year was more challenging: 2020 or 2021?

Although 2020 brought with it so much that we never encountered, this year we were a bit better prepared for the unknowns that we could face. Many started the year in some fashion of the COVID shutdown, but that ended within weeks, and life seemed to return to a sense of normalcy under the guise of “the new normal” for quite a lot of us. Fire stations reopened to the public, multi-company in-person training returned, and less PPE was needed on many calls.

It was great to see a number of in-person events take place this year, to bring firefighters back together for training, bonding and idea-swapping. At Firehouse Expo, we rolled out a series of roundtables that started wonderful conversations between the audience and panelists who included Expo speakers and firefighters from the Columbus area. The feedback was encouraging as the topics varied, from keeping younger firefighters engaged and mentoring, to overcoming the various hurdles that training officers and chiefs face.

Of course, with the good comes the bad.

Although this year’s number of LODDs (confirmed by the U.S. Fire Administration) was more than previous years, the increase primarily was attributable to COVID-related deaths. As we went to press, 60 of the 127 deaths that were reported this year were related to COVID-19. The sub-70 non-COVID-death number is a testament to fire departments taking steps to improve firefighter wellness, including cardiac-related emergencies, cancer and mental health.

Four firefighters lost their life searching for missing people in three fires this year. Two Waynoka, OK, firefighters were killed as were the two occupants for whom they searched. A Spring Valley, NY, firefighter called a mayday as conditions deteriorated while he searched for residents who were trapped in a blazing nursing home, which quickly collapsed. A New Haven, CT, firefighter was killed and his colleague was injured seriously as they worked a dwelling fire where two occupants were reported missing but, eventually, were rescued.

Six firefighters were killed and close to two dozen were injured when they were struck by vehicles while working emergency incidents on main roads and side streets. With more drivers being distracted, or worse, when behind the wheel, the road continues to be one of the most dangerous places where emergency workers operate. Several deaths involved motorists colliding with parked and responding apparatus.

The fire service continued to do its work under the most pressing conditions, including the collapse of an occupied high-rise building, historic wildfires and wind-driven blazes. Several multiple-casualty events that involved violence took place as buildings reopened and people returned to work, school and shopping.

The early morning collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, FL, challenged even the most veteran rescuers. Firefighters from Florida Task Force 1—one of the most experienced USAR teams in the United States—were among the first crews that were on scene of the deadly 12-story condominium collapse that left almost 100 dead. Local firefighters and, eventually, USAR teams from around the country encountered a situation unlike anything else in their career.

California’s wildfires didn’t let up. Three of the top 20 largest wildfires in acres burned took place in 2021. The Dixie fire consumed more than 960,000 acres; the Monument and River Complex fires burned through another 420,000-plus acres.

A number that’s worth celebrating is the more than 450 people who were rescued by firefighters in 2021, according to data that were collected by the Firefighter Rescue Survey. That’s a testament to training, learning and understanding of today’s fireground behaviors.

Being that history tends to repeat itself, there is plenty to reflect on from 2021 that can turn into teaching moments in your own community. Check Firehouse.com for any of the above stories, and related content in magazines and on the World Wide Web can turn into candid and possibly lifesaving conversations amongst your crews. That information can save your life, too.

From the staff of Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com, we wish you and your families safe and happy holidays.