USFA Releases Annual Report on LODDs
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released its annual report into firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) that includes a breakdown of the 87 lives lost in 2017.
The total number of LODDs last year was slightly lower than the revised total of 91 deaths in 2016. Of the 87 who died last year, 33 were career firefighters, 48 were volunteers and six were part-time or full-time members of wildland or wildland contract fire agencies.
The deaths occurred across 86 incidents, marking the first time in a decade that there wasn't more than one incident with two or more fatalities. Last year was also only the third in 10 years in which no wildland incidents resulted in two or more deaths.
The exact breakdown of 2017 on-duty deaths is as follows:
After an incident — 18
On-scene fire — 17
Other on-duty — 16
On-scene non-fire — 12
Training — 12
Responding or returning— 11
Motor vehicle accident — 1
The nature of fatal injury for seven of the 17 fireground deaths was cardiac (41 percent). When you add in the after-incident deaths—15 of which were reported as cardiac—and the bulk of the training deaths, you get a clear picture of what poses the biggest danger to modern firefighters. The USFA notes that with stress or overexertion responsible for 52 deaths in 2017, it remains pivotal that proper health, diet and fitness continue to be promoted among firefighters.
The entire 45-page report is available at tinyurl.com/yauq8n8z.
FAMA Names Scholarship Award Winner
The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) awarded its 2018 Phillip L. Turner Fire Protection Scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) student Nicholas Brondum. Brondum was selected to receive the $5,000 scholarship in recognition of his outstanding achievements and his steadfast focus toward the improvement of firefighter safety.
Brondum interned at the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute this past summer and is currently the president of the EKU Society of Fire Protections Engineers. He is a member of the EKU Honors program, the EKU Justice and Safety Student Leaders, and a volunteer with the White Hall, KY, Volunteer Fire Department. In the future, Brondum hopes to continue his education and obtain a master’s degree in fire protection engineering.
At a young age, Brondum was inspired by his father, a 37-year fire service veteran. After years of visiting fire departments and an apparatus manufacturer, he decided to pursue a career in research toward the safety and efficiency of fire service equipment and tactics. For financial reasons, he is aiming to complete his undergraduate degree in fire protection engineering technology in three years and is currently working on his thesis. In alignment with his focus to improve firefighter safety, the end-goal of his thesis is to determine the best practices for fighting fires in high-rise and standpipe-equipped buildings.
The Phillip L. Turner Scholarship is awarded annually by FAMA and has been sponsored since 2009 by FAMA member Akron Brass Co., a worldwide marketer and manufacturer of high-performance life safety, firefighting and emergency rescue equipment.
"At Akron Brass, we believe that education and training are key factors to the success of individuals both professionally and personally," stated Kim Morrow, corporate communications and event manager. “Obtaining an education can be a challenge for young individuals, but with scholarships like these it makes goals become reality. Toward this end, Akron Brass is honored to sponsor the Philip L Turner scholarship program.”
For more information, visit fama.org.
CPSE Excellence Conference Celebrates 10 Years
The Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) is celebrating 10 years of its CPSE Excellence Conference with the theme “A Decade of Transformation” for its 2019 conference, which will be held March 12–15 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, CA.
The theme was chosen to represent how the event, which started with a single education track with all attendees in one room, has expanded to four days of programming in multiple tracks.
The program includes Accreditation and Credentialing Bootcamps as well as an Accreditation Academy. New for 2019, CPSE has added 26 unique education sessions that align with the accreditation and credentialing learning priorities identified in the CPSE Education Strategic Plan.
Registration, which is limited to 425 attendees, is now open. Visit cpse.org for details.
UL FSRI Releases Report on Ventilation-Controlled Fires
As part of a Department of Homeland Security Federal EmergencyManagement Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (DHS/AFG) Program titled “Study of the Fire Service Training Environment: Safety, Fidelity, and Exposure,” UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) conducted 37 experiments to evaluate ventilation-controlled fires in L-shaped training props with the following wall constructions: lightweight gypsum board over insulation; a single layer of corrugated steel; and rolled steel sheeting over mineral wool insulation with corrugated steel as its backing.
Fire conditions produced by three fuel packages were utilized during the experiments—one containing furnishings composed primarily of synthetic materials and two containing wood-based fuels compliant with NFPA 1403.
The main objectives of this study were to:
- Assess the repeatability of thermal environments created by ventilation-controlled fires in each type of L-shaped prop
- Compare the conditions produced by ventilation-controlled fires from various fuel packages between the different prop constructions
- Study the effects of ventilation changes on the fire environment in L-shaped training props
- Evaluate the response of thermal conditions during interior suppression in each type of prop
To view the full report, visit ulfirefightersafety.org/docs/DHS2014_Training_Props.pdf.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
4 U.S. firefighters recently died in the line of duty. Three deaths were health related, and one firefighter was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while on scene at another motor vehicle accident. This edition of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
LT. BRAD CLARK, 43, of Hanover County, VA, Fire and EMS – Station 6, died on Oct. 11. Hanover County Fire and EMS was providing assistance at the scene of a two-vehicle crash when a tractor-trailer traveling southbound struck the engine in the rear. Three fire and EMS personnel were injured in the crash with one of them, Clark, succumbing to his injuries at the scene. The other two were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer had to be extricated from the cab of the truck and was transported for treatment with serious injuries.
PROBATIONARY FIREFIGHTER JOSHUA EUGIN, 36, of the Saint David, AZ, Fire District, died on Oct. 17. Eugin was participating in a multi-department training exercise when he collapsed. Fellow firefighters performed CPR and he was taken to the hospital. He died a short time later. The nature and cause of fatal injury are still to be reported.
CHIEF TOM HENRICH, 58, of the Earling, IA, Fire and Rescue Department, died on Oct. 20. Henrich responded with his unit to a combine and field fire. While on scene, he fell ill. CPR was administered and Henrich was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death.
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF KEN HOOD, 50, of the California Office of Emergency Services, Fire Rescue Division in Mather, CA, died on Oct. 24. Hood suffered an acute medical emergency during a multi-agency coordination meeting in Quincy, CA. He received immediate assistance from the Quincy Fire Department and other public safety professionals who were attending the meeting. Hood passed away hours later at the Plumas District Hospital in Quincy.
