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Post by papacheese on Dec 29, 2008 11:21:45 GMT -5
NIOSH is requesting input for a proposed Alert entitled "Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters When Fighting Fires in Unoccupied Structures" Here's the link: www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/141/Some good stuff to chew over..... |
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Post by papacheese on Dec 30, 2008 12:08:11 GMT -5
If you've had a chance to glance through the report, the following two paragraphs on page 2 might have caught your eye:
"The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program investigated 71 trauma-related incidents at structure fires between January 1998 and February, 2007. In these incidents, 96 fire fighters died and 106 were injured.
Fifty-four of the 71 incidents occurred at unoccupied structures. These 54 incidents accounted for 75% of the deaths (72 of 96) and 89% of the injuries (94 of 106). sustained during the 71 incidents. Nine (12.5%) of the 72 fire fighters killed at unoccupied structures were operating within the collapse zone and were struck by falling debris."
No matter where you stand on risk assessment and management issues, those are very sobering statistics to say the least.
If you haven't had a chance yet, I'd strongly urge a quick read - it's only eleven pages. Much of what NIOSH recommends is already known and for the most part, practiced by every department I'm familiar with.
The key is in recognizing the situation for what it is, not what we want it to be....
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