Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program

Each year an average of 105 fire fighters die in the line of duty. To address this continuing national occupational fatality problem, NIOSH conducts independent investigations of fire fighter line of duty deaths. This web page provides access to NIOSH investigation reports and other fire fighter safety resources.

Fatality Investigation Reports

To list all investigative reports completed for a particular state, click on the map.

The drop down boxes below allow for interactive queries of completed investigative reports. Select a state, incident year and/or Medical or Trauma Category from the selection boxes and click on Submit. (Note: subcategories for the Medical-Related Reports will be added at a later date.)

Recently Released Reports

Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation # F2007-12 Career Fire Fighter Dies in Wind Driven Residential Structure Fire – Virginia (added 5/15/08)

Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation # F2007-15 Captain Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Physical Fitness Evaluation – Alabama (added 4/24/08)

Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation # F2007-13 Fire Fighter Suffers a Heart Attack and Dies Several Hours After Assisting at a Structure Fire – Illinois (added 4/24/08)

Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation # F2006-27 Floor Collapse at Commercial Structure Fire Claims the Lives of One Career Lieutenant and One Career Fire Fighter – New York (added 4/3/08)

Recent NIOSH Fire Fighter Safety Publications

Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and Other Sudden Cardiovascular Events
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-133
Fire fighters are at risk of dying on the job from preventable cardiovascular conditions.

FDA AND NIOSH Public Health Notification: Oxygen Regulator Fires Resulting from Incorrect Use of CGA 870 Seals
External link: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/042406-o2fires.html
This document provides information on the danger of fires at the interface of oxygen regulators and cylinder valves because of incorrect use of CGA 870 seals, and identifies measures to prevent such fires.

NIOSH Alert: Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters due to Truss System Failures
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-132
Fire fighters may be injured and killed when fire-damaged roof and floor truss systems collapse, sometimes without warning.

NIOSH Workplace Solutions—Preventing Deaths and Injuries to Fire Fighters During Live-Fire Training in Acquired Structures
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-102
Fire fighters are subjected to many hazards when participating in live-fire training. Training facilities with approved burn buildings should be used for live-fire training whenever possible. However, when acquired structures are used for live-fire training, NIOSH strongly recommends that fire departments follow the national consensus guidelines in NFPA 1403, standard on live-fire training evolutions [NFPA 2002a] to reduce the risk of injury and death. These guidelines are summarized in the recommendations in this document.

Radio Communication

Current Status, Knowledge Gaps, and Research Needs Pertaining to Firefighter Radio Communication Systems
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) commissioned this study to identify and address specific deficiencies in firefighter radio communications and to identify technologies that may address these deficiencies. Specifically to be addressed were current and emerging technologies that improve, or hold promise to improve, firefighter radio communications and provide firefighter location in structures.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building and Fire Research Laboratory publication "Testing of Portable Radios in a Fire Fighting Environment"  265 KB (24 pages)
External link: http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire06/PDF/f06015.pdf focuses on the thermal environment that radios would be expected to withstand while being used in structural fire fighting operations. Current NFPA standards for radios are reviewed and recommendations for establishing performance standards are presented. The need for providing additional protection from the thermal environment is documented.