Clearing the Runway for Safer Airport Firefighters

Summary

Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) personnel, such as airport firefighters, face a variety of hazards in their workplace. NIOSH resources on respiratory protection; health and wellness; and preventing heat-related illness, hazardous materials and carcinogen exposure, and cancer can help keep them safe.

Background

Each month, approximately 60-75 million passengers travel by air transportation in the U.S. These passengers fly on commercial aircraft from over 500 U.S. airports protected each day by ARFF personnel (i.e. airport firefighters). These workers provide an important contribution to the nation by mitigating unique emergencies at airports and keeping air transportation safe.

October 28 is National First Responders Day. The day honors the firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical service clinicians who answer the call to keep communities safe, often putting their own lives on the line. ARFF personnel face a variety of hazards in their workplace. NIOSH research has generated several resources to support these workers. These resources are summarized in the following sections.

Respiratory protection

ARFF personnel work in a dynamic environment. They may encounter smoke, hazardous chemicals, toxic gases, and other airborne hazards during emergency operations. These workers may also encounter respiratory hazards while performing routine maintenance, such as resupplying dry chemical agent systems on ARFF vehicles. Through its Respirator Approval Program, NIOSH ensures that the respirators used within occupational respiratory protection programs provide the necessary levels of protection for the hazards workers face. The fire department's occupational protection program should perform an assessment of the expected hazards and choose the correct NIOSH Approved^® respirator to protect the ARFF personnel. NIOSH develops tools and educational materials that help ARFF personnel make informed decisions when selecting and using these respirators.

Heat-related illnesses

In addition to respirators, ARFF personnel utilize a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect them against the hazards they encounter. This includes structural firefighting turnout gear, chemical protective clothing, and proximity suits. While these PPE provide different protections from different hazards, they all share a common characteristic of absorbing and trapping heat. When body heat cannot be transferred from the body to the environment, this significantly increases physiological responses (heat strain). The body has several mechanisms to decrease core body temperature to facilitate heat exchange with the environment through increased breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure changes and increased dilation of blood vessels under the skin. These conditions contribute to heat stress which can result in heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, rhabdomyolysis, heat cramps, and heat rashes. NIOSH has developed resources that ARFF personnel can employ to reduce their risk of heat-related illness and stay safe. These include workplace recommendations and technical guidance for exposure to heat and hot environments as well as fact sheets and wallet cards.

Dangerous cargo

ARFF personnel can encounter hazardous materials transported as cargo when responding to aircraft emergencies. Dangerous cargo can include flammable liquids and solids, compressed gases, corrosive, reactive, or toxic substances, lithium-ion batteries, or other hazardous materials. During an aircraft fire, crash, spill, or other emergency, damaged containers and changing conditions may increase the potential for exposure through inhalation, skin or eye contact, and may create atmospheres that are immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH). Knowing what materials are on the aircraft and understanding their hazards can help ARFF personnel know the appropriate precautions and select the best protective measures. Once a chemical is identified, the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) can provide valuable information. This includes health effects, occupational exposure limits, IDLH values, physical and chemical properties, incompatibility and reactivities, exposure routes, first aid, and PPE recommendations. Incorporating resources such as the NPG into pre-incident planning and training can help ARFF personnel prepare for potential hazardous materials incidents.

Cancer prevention

ARFF personnel may be exposed to many substances that are known or suspected to cause cancer. These include aqueous film-forming foam which may contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used during firefighting, training, equipment testing, and cleanup activities. Aircraft fires can expose ARFF personnel to carcinogens such as benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, soot, and other harmful combustion byproducts. Routine airfield operations may also involve exposure to jet and diesel exhaust containing ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. Additional hazards include aircraft fuels, hydraulic fluids, lubricants, solvents, deicing chemicals, and toxic decomposition products that may be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Repeated exposures during emergency responses, training, and routine airfield duties can contribute to cumulative occupational health risks, including cancer.

NIOSH maintains the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, the largest group of firefighters ever assembled in the U. S. to study firefighters' cancer risk. ARFF personnel can join the NFR to help NIOSH better understand and reduce firefighter exposure hazards and cancer risk.

Health and wellness

ARFF personnel face specialized occupational stressors that can impact health and wellbeing. Fire departments can provide wellness and fitness programs to ARFF personnel because the job requires strength, endurance, alertness, and quick decision-making. Regular cardiovascular exercise, strength training, proper nutrition, and adequate hydration help firefighters perform safely during emergencies. These can also help firefighters recover after responses and strenuous physical work. Maintaining a healthy sleep routine (as much as possible) is also important because fatigue can affect reaction time and judgment.

The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program conducts investigations into firefighter deaths and serious injuries to provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents. Five airport firefighter fatality investigation reports provide best practices on periodic medical evaluations as well as wellness and fitness programs to help keep them prepared, resilient, and effective while protecting passengers, coworkers, and the community. Access and read the reports below:

• F2003-40 AR: Airport Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death at Fire Station – Arkansas
• F2005-18 SC: Airport Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death While On Duty – South Carolina
• F2006-20 GA: Career Airport Fire Apparatus Operator Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death At His Station After Exercising – Georgia
• F2013-03 AL: Airport Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death While Performing Airport Runway Check – Alabama
• F2019-14 PA: 46-Year-Old Airport Firefighter Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Responding to Call – Pennsylvania

Final thoughts

NIOSH remains committed to supporting our nation's ARFF personnel and other first responders through research and prevention. Visit the NIOSH Public Safety Program website for more information about our efforts to reduce, prevent, or eliminate occupational exposures, injuries, illnesses, and fatalities for the nation's first responders.

NIOSH Approved is a registered certification trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the United States and several other countries.

Author information

Wesley R. Attwood, DrCJ, is the Senior Investigator with the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program in the Division of Safety Research, NIOSH and is the Coordinator for the NIOSH Public Safety Program.

M. Christina Kander, PhD, is a Research Industrial Hygienist in the Division of Science Integration, NIOSH and is the Assistant Coordinator for the NIOSH Public Safety Program.

Matt Silliman, MA, is a Program Specialist in the Division of Field Studies and Engineering, NIOSH.

Heidi Foust, MPH, is a General Engineer in the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH.

W. Jon Williams, PhD, is a Research Physiologist in the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH.

Andrea Wilkinson, MS, is a Research Health Scientist in the Division of Field Studies and Engineering, NIOSH.