There were 81 line-of-duty firefighter deaths (LODDs) in the United States in 2011, according to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), representing a decrease from 2010, when there were 87 fatalities. The fatalities occurred in 33 states, one U.S. territory, and one overseas U.S. military facility.
Texas had the greatest number of fatalities (seven), North Carolina had six firefighter deaths, and all other states with fatalities had fewer than five each.
Nearly 60 percent (48) of the fatalities were attributed to heart attacks, about the same percentage as in 2010. Ten on-duty firefighters died in association with wildland fires, and 54 percent of the firefighter fatalities occurred while performing emergency duties. Three firefighters were killed in vehicle collisions.
The fatality statistics may change as the USFA contacts state fire marshals to verify the names of firefighters reported to have died on duty during 2011. The final number of firefighter fatalities will be reported in the USFA’s annual firefighter fatality report, expected to be available by July 2012.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
November 20. Chief Gregory S. Baker, 52, Lewisville (OH) Volunteer Fire Department: heart attack.
November 24. Firefighter Johnnie Lynn Norton, 56, Hot Springs (NC) Volunteer Fire Department: apparent heart attack suffered on November 21.
December 3. Firefighter Scott Osenenko, 45, Livingston Parish Fire Protection District #4, Walker, LA: heart attack.
December 4. Firefighter Joey King, 61, Davis Creek-Ruthdale Volunteer Fire Department, South Charleston, WV: injuries sustained from a fall off a bridge while fighting a railroad tie fire.
December 8. Firefighter Jon D. Davies, 43, Worcester (MA) Fire Department: building collapse at fire in multioccupancy structure.
December 8. Firefighter Kevin E. Townes, 54, Mount Vernon (NY) Fire Department: cause of death to be determined.
December 23. Firefighter James “Jim” Rice, 42, Peabody (MA) Fire Department: injuries sustained from entrapment in multifamily structure fire. Local, state, federal authorities are investigating.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
E-ONE recalls vehicles with ESC
The U.S. Fire Administration has advised that E-ONE is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 CYCLONE II, TYPHOON, and QUEST vehicles manufactured from May 1, 2008, through November 28, 2011, and equipped with Meritor WABCO electronic stability control (ESC) modules.
E-ONE will notify owners and is working with Meritor WABCO to replace the control module free of charge. The safety recall began around the middle of December. For additional information, contact E-ONE customer service at (800) 627-5050 or Meritor on Track Customer Service at (866) 668-7221. Or, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236 (TTY) (800) 424-9153, or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
Under certain road and driving conditions, vehicle body roll and road inclination characteristics may adversely affect the slip angle calculation of the ESC system. If this occurs, the ESC may perceive an oversteering situation and apply the outer wheel brake on the front axle until the vehicle is perceived to be stable. If the driver reacts slowly during the ESC intervention, the vehicle may deviate from the intended line of travel and increase the risk of a crash.
Congress passes FY 2012 appropriations, cuts grants
The U.S. House and Senate have passed FY 2012 appropriations legislation funding several federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). The legislation provides $337.5 million each for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Responder (SAFER) grant program, which were each funded at $405 million in FY 2011.
NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg notes his “disappointment with the scope of the cuts.” He says that a 17-percent reduction in funding, especially for a program like AFG, will have it operating on about a 10-to-1 ratio in terms of funds requested to funds available.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA), funded at $44.038 million in FY 2012, was cut by $1.5 million from FY 2011. The NVFC notes that USFA’s funding level has gradually been reduced from a high of nearly $70 million in FY 2002. Stittleburg comments that the latest USFA budget cut could not come at a worse time. “Three years ago,” he explains, “Congress expanded USFA’s core mission substantially to include EMS, wildland, fire, and hazardous materials response. USFA is in the midst of implementing an enlarged portfolio of responsibilities.”
In the DHS budget, funding has been cut for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s state and local grant portfolio, which includes the State Homeland Security Grant program, the Urban Areas Security Initiative, and the Citizen Corps. FY 2012 funding for these programs collectively is down to $1.375 billion from $2.229 billion in FY 2011; in FY 2010, funding was more than $3 billion.
“Firefighter second highest stressful profession”
Soldiers, firefighters, and airline pilots are the three most stressful professions (in that order), according to the 2012 CareerCast.com Job Stress Report. Completing the list of the Top 5 are military generals and police officers, respectively.
The study explains that “firefighters take on dangerous and complex fires and often come in contact with poisonous gases or other hazardous materials.” The annual survey covers 200 professions evaluated on the criteria of work environment, job competitiveness, and risk.
The five least stressful professions cited in the study are medical records technicians, jewelers, hair stylists, dressmakers/tailors, and medical laboratory technicians. The complete study is at http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/10-most-stressful-jobs-2012.
IFSI appoints regional representatives
The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) has named three new regional representatives to oversee Cornerstone-funded training.
- Tim Bragg, a retired assistant chief of the Mattoon (IL) Fire Department, will be responsible for 24 counties in southern Illinois.
- Jim Vaughn will be in charge of 14 counties in the Central region. He has been a member of the IFSI’s part-time firefighting support and instructional staff since 1998. He is a captain and shift commander for the Normal (IL) Fire Department and a team leader for the MABAS 41 Technical Rescue Team.
- Richard Stack, a member of the Chicago (IL) Fire Department, is the Chicago-Metro regional representative and will oversee training activities in seven counties. He has been a member of the IFSI’s field staff since 2006.
The new representatives will coordinate Cornerstone-funded training and act as liaisons for departments in their respective areas. The new representatives join Ray Palczynksi, Northwest regional representative; John Nichols, Southeast region; Greg Fisher, East Central Illinois; and Randy Schlichter, who serves five counties in the Northeast corner of the state. Contact information is available at www.fsi.illinois.edu under the Cornerstone Program tab.
Cornerstone-funded training provides fundamental hands-on training at no cost to local fire departments. More than $550,000, from a designated portion of the Illinois Fire Prevention Fund, is available in Fiscal Year 2012 for the seven regions.
More Fire Engineering Issue Articles
Fire Engineering Archives
