Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
Products
The following tools include safety recommendations and information from our investigative reports.
These products cover firefighter occupational safety and health information written and moderated by NIOSH researchers and staff.
Use fact sheets for quick and easy-to-read information.
Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program Factsheet
This fact sheet includes the goal of the FFFIPP, the types of investigations FFFIPP conducts, as well as how investigations are conducted.
Row House Firefighting Tactics
This fact sheet highlights tactics, areas for potential fire extension, and typical features of row houses.
Use hazard IDs to be aware of occupational hazards and safety recommendations to avoid exposure.
Fire Fighter Deaths from Tanker Truck Rollovers
This hazard ID includes two case studies and recommendations on how to prevent tanker truck accidents. The case studies were results of two separate incidents involving firefighters who were killed in tanker truck rollovers, both incidents involved volunteer fire departments providing mutual aid with water tanker trucks. Tanker drivers may not be fully aware that tanker trucks are more difficult to control than passenger vehicles.
Traffic Hazards to Fire Fighters While Working Along Roadways
This hazard ID includes a case study and prevention recommendations for firefighters and fire departments. Any firefighter working along any type of roadway runs the risk of being struck by a motorist. These hazards are not limited to the fire service alone. Other emergency service providers such as law enforcement officers, paramedics, and vehicle recovery personnel are also exposed to these hazards.
Fire Fighters Hazards During Propane Tank Fires
This hazard ID identifies and provides recommendations for propane tank fires. During propane tank fires, the potential always exists for an explosion known as boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE). To reduce this risk, fire departments, firefighters, and propane tank owners and users should follow the recommendations. They are based on emergency response procedures in the 1996 North American Emergency Response Guide – book (NAERG96).
Use impact sheets to understand how others have put research into practice and how it influences occupational outcomes.
Training Poster Developed from Report
This impact sheet features a training poster by Firefighter Close Calls. The material is from a NIOSH FFFIPP report about hidden spaces that support the spread of fire. The report includes contributing factors as well as recommendations to prevent similar deaths from occurring.
Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Prompts Fire Hose Performance Testing and Revised Standards
This impact sheet describes how the NIOSH FFFIPP observed the damaged houseline during their investigation and were aware of it occurring in other incidents. To address this issue, the FFFIPP investigators contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in May 2014 for assistance.
NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Helps Incident Commander Choose Strategy and Tactics to Control Flow path and Protect Fire Fighters
This impact sheet is about how a NIOSH FFFIPP investigation led to an Incident Commander making an informed decision using material from the investigative report.
NIOSH Research Improves Equipment Design to Protect Firefighters
This impact sheet is about how a group of firefighter associations and fire apparatus manufacturers proposed a survey of U.S. firefighters to address fire-apparatus design issues and to update the NFPA standards for apparatus and PPE. In response, NIOSH collaborated with the firefighter community, firefighter apparatus manufacturers, and the NFPA standards committee to plan and conduct a national survey on firefighter anthropometry during 2008-2012 and transferred data and knowledge into product design processes.
NIOSH Research Leads to a Reduction in Safety Hazards Among Ambulance Service Workers and EMS Responders
This impact sheet is about NIOSH crash tests revealing the possibility of head injury if a worker’s head strikes the cabinets immediately above or behind them.
Use infographics for a simple display of information.
Cancer Research – Risk [PDF – 367 KB]
This graphic provides cancer types that firefighters have a higher risk of.
Cancer Research – Routes of Exposure [PDF – 1 MB]
This graphic provides information on various routes of exposure to cancer causing substances for firefighters.
Highway & Work Zone Safety – Fire Departments: Incident Plan [PDF – 218 KB]
This graphic provides a reminder to establish pre-incident plans with other fire departments, EMS, and law enforcement.
Highway & Work Zone Safety – Fire Fighters: Blocked off Incident Areas [PDF – 87 KB]
This graphic provides safety tips for firefighters when responding to a roadway incident.
Highway & Work Zone Safety – Fire Fighters: Warning Signs and Traffic Control Devices [PDF – 245 KB]
This graphic provides safety tips for firefighters to avoid distracting other drivers when responding to a roadway incident.
Ladder Safety – 3 Points of Contact [PDF – 1,013 KB]
This graphic provides a reminder to use 3 points of contact when on a ladder.
Ladder Safety – Placement [PDF – 44 KB]
This graphic provides a reminder to use ladders on level surfaces.
Odor Fade – Natural Gas and Propane [PDF – 195 KB]
This graphic provides recommendations for firefighters when responding to a natural gas or propane incident.
Working in Cold – Using SCBA [PDF – 835 KB]
This graphic provides information about wearing an SCBA and working in the cold.
Use alerts to identify and be aware of hazards to prevent occupational illness and injury.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighter Using Risk Management Principles at Structure Fires
This NIOSH alert addresses how firefighters are often killed or injured when fighting fires in abandoned, vacant, and unoccupied structures.
Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and Other Sudden Cardiovascular Events
This NIOSH alert requests assistance in preventing on-duty cardiovascular deaths among U.S. firefighters.
Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters due to Truss System Failures
This NIOSH alert requests assistance in preventing injuries and deaths of firefighters due to roof and floor truss collapse during fire-fighting operations.
Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters due to Structural Collapse
This NIOSH alert address how firefighters can prevent injury and death due to structural collapse.
Rhabdomyolysis in Structural Fire Fighters – A Patient Population at Risk
This product describes what healthcare providers can do to decrease risk firefighters face when experiencing rhabdomyolysis symptoms.
What Structural Fire Fighters Need to Know About Rhabdomyolysis
This product describes what firefighters need to be aware of to decrease their risk of rhabdomyolysis.
Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program – Selected Investigation Reports
This product has five investigative reports that document traumatic injury and cardiovascular disease deaths.
Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program – Findings from a National Evaluation – 2010
This product provides a summary of findings about improvements the NIOSH FFFIPP can make.
Fire Fighter Fatality and Prevention Program Handbook
This product provides a collection of 1,286 recommendations from 335 FFFIPP investigations conducted from 1998 to 2005.
Emergency Preparedness Moving Science to Solutions
This product reviews the NIOSH Research to Practice (r2p) program partnerships for improving workplace safety and health.
Your Safety First – Railroad Crossing Safety for Emergency Responders
This product reviews two firefighter fatalities that involved fatal collisions between fire vehicles and oncoming trains at railroad crossings. It is recommended that fire departments plan routes to avoid railroad crossings.
Use posters to hang up for daily information and reminders of safety practices.
Row House Firefighting Tactics
This poster highlights tactics, areas for potential fire extension, and typical features of row houses. Consider displaying this poster in common areas of your department.
First Responders: Protect Yourself from Bloodborne Pathogens
This poster reinforces how frontline first responders (emergency medical services, fire fighters, and law enforcement) can protect themselves from work-related exposures to bloodborne pathogens, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus.
First Responders: Protect Your Employees with an Exposure Control Plan
This two-page poster is about the potential exposure that first responders may experience and improving the exposure control plan of your department. Consider displaying this poster in common areas of your department.
Use case notes to understand and correct specific issues as it relates to personal protective equipment.
Hot Filling Hazards with SCBA Air Cylinders
These case notes address the hazard that NIOSH FFFIPP has identified as a potential hazard associated with rapid filling of compressed breathing air cylinders and the associated latent pressure/breathing time loss.
Firefighter SCBA Facepiece Sizing Issues
These case notes focus on self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) facepiece sizing issues within fire departments.
Use report slides as a slideshow that summarizes the incident from the report and recommendations on how to prevent similar incidents.
Paid-On-Call Fire Fighter Becomes Disorientated and Dies Following Stairway Collapse in Two-Story Vacant Structure Fire — Illinois
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about a stairway collapse in a two-story vacant structure.
Career Lieutenant Suffers a Sudden Cardiac Event During Fireground Survival Training and Dies 2 days Later Later — Pennsylvania
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about a sudden cardiac event during a fireground survival training.
Career Lieutenant Dies and Four Firefighters Injured at a 3-Story Multi-Family Residential Occupancy — Massachusetts
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about a 3-story multi-family residential structure fire.
Career Captain Drowns After Running Out of Air During Technical Rescue SCUBA Dive — North Carolina
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about a technical rescue SCUBA dive.
Captain Killed and Six Firefighters Injured at a Propane Explosion in an Office Building — Maine
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about a propane explosion in an office building.
Career Lieutenant Killed in Building Collapse While Fighting Row House Fire — Pennsylvania
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about row house fires.
Career Firefighter/SCUBA Diver Drowns While Searching for Civilian in an Industrialized River —Illinois
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about scuba rescue in an industrialized river.
One Firefighter Dies and Another Injured in Natural Gas Line Explosion—Wisconsin
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about a natural gas line explosion.
Career Firefighter Killed, a Police Officer and a Civilian Wounded When They Were Shot During EMS
Incident — Wisconsin
These report slides present the summary and safety recommendations from the investigative report about shootings during an EMS incident.
Use safety advisories to be aware and proactive of occupational hazards.
The Importance of Understanding and Training on the Portable Radio Emergency Alert Button (EAB) during a Mayday
This Safety Advisory provides recommendations for fire departments to ensure firefighters are trained and understand how to use the portable radio emergency alert button during a Mayday situation.
Understanding Multi-gas Monitor Readings – The Importance of Knowing Your Equipment
This safety advisory provides recommendations for fire departments to ensure firefighters are trained to safely use and interpret data from multi-gas monitors to determine if a hazardous atmosphere is present when responding to natural gas and propane incidents.
Preventing Freewheeling of Public Safety Portable Radio Volume Power Knob
This safety advisory is about how risk management principles must be applied at all structure fires to ensure the appropriate strategy and tactics are used based on the fireground conditions encountered.
Odor Fade in Natural Gas and Propane
This safety advisory is about how the NIOSH FFFIPP provides safety recommendations for fire departments that have firefighters responding to natural gas or propane incidents.
Translucent Corrugated Roof Panels May Contribute to Increased Fall Risk during Roof Operations
This safety advisory is about how NIOSH recommends that all fire departments immediately take action to reduce the risk of firefighters being injured or killed while operating on roofs that contain translucent corrugated roof panels.
Manual Adjustment of Automatic Slack Adjusters May Contribute to Unexpected Brake Failure on Automotive Fire Apparatus
This safety advisory is about how NIOSH recommends that all fire departments operating fire apparatus equipped with automatic slack adjusters (ASAs) immediately take action to reduce the risk of firefighters being injured in an apparatus crash due to brake failure.
Improper Set-up of Aerial Ladders with a Locking Waterway May Put Fire Fighters at Risk_2008
This safety advisory is about how NIOSH recommends that all fire departments utilizing aerial ladder trucks with locking (pin-anchored, lever actuated, clamped) waterways immediately take action to reduce the risk of firefighters being struck by unsecured waterways or parts of the waterway.
These products cover firefighter occupational safety and health information written and moderated by NIOSH researchers and staff.
Evaluation of advanced curve speed warning system to prevent fire truck rollover crashes
Journal of Safety Research: October 2022; [Epub ahead of print]
Summary of recommendations from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, 2006-2014
Journal of Safety Research: February 2019; 68:21-25
Use workplace solutions to address common hazards and improve occupational safety conditions.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Working at Basement and Other Below-Grade Fires
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters are at significant risk of injury or death when fighting fires in basements or floors below-grade level and provides safety recommendations.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters during Training Exercises
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters are at risk of death or injury during training activities and provides safety recommendations.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries to Fire Fighters by Establishing Collapse Zones at Structure Fires
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters are at significant risk for injury or death due to structural collapse during firefighting operations and provides safety recommendations.
Promoting Hearing Health among Fire Fighters
This edition of workplace solutions addresses exposure to high noise levels among firefighters increases the risk for noise-induced hearing loss and provides safety recommendations.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Operating Modified Excess or Surplus Vehicles
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters may be at risk for crash-related injuries while operating excess and other surplus vehicles that have been modified for fire service use and provides safety recommendations.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Working Above Fire-Damaged Floors
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters are at risk of falling through fire-damaged floors and provides safety recommendations.
Preventing Deaths and Injuries to Fire Fighters during Live-Fire Training in Acquired Structures
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters are subjected to many hazards when participating in live-fire training and provides safety recommendations.
Divers Beware. Training Dives Present Serious Hazards to Fire Fighters
This edition of workplace solutions addresses how firefighters who participate in dive training risk lung damage, illness, or drowning and provides safety recommendations.