If we decide to investigate, a NIOSH representative contacts the fire department to enlist their cooperation and schedule a site visit. For traumatic injury deaths, we work to conduct a site visit within three weeks of the incident. A fire department’s decision to participate is voluntary. However, past participants recognize the value of an objective, independent investigation that focuses on developing recommendations to prevent injuries and deaths.
We visit the incident site to gather information, take pictures, and get measurements. We review documents and records which can include:
- Department standard operating procedures
- Dispatch records
- Training records for the fallen firefighter, incident commander, and officers
- The fire fighter’s medical records
- Coroner/medical examiner’s reports
- Death certificates
- Blueprints of the structure
- Police reports
- Photos
- Video
We interview fire department personnel and firefighters who were on the scene at the time of the incident. Interviews are voluntary and witness statements are not made under oath or reviewed by the witness. Because the interviews are not recorded, we rely on our interview notes and the applicable documents to describe the conditions and circumstances leading to the fatalities. We describe the event circumstances in our reports to provide context for our prevention recommendations. We may work closely with other investigating agencies. When we do not have the necessary subject matter expertise, we enlist the help of others, such as experts in motor vehicle incident reconstruction, building construction, or fire growth modeling.
For cases that could be due to respirator or personal protective clothing performance, we request the equipment or clothing be sent to the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory for evaluation.