Excerpts from NFPA.org:
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently published its annual report on U.S. firefighter fatalities, revealing that 60 firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty in 2017. This marked the lowest number of on-duty deaths since 1977, when the organization first began tracking such data. It was also the sixth time in the past seven years that the total remained under 70 fatalities.
Out of the 60 fatalities, 32 were volunteer firefighters, 21 were career firefighters, three worked for federal land management agencies, two were contractors with state or federal agencies, and two were prison inmates. Both volunteer and career firefighters saw their second-lowest death tolls in 2017.
Of these, 17 deaths occurred at the fire scene, which was the second-lowest figure recorded since the report started. This was also the second year in a row that the number of on-scene fire-related deaths fell below 20.
Traditionally, the second-highest number of on-duty deaths occurs while firefighters are responding to or returning from emergency calls. However, in 2017, the second-largest group of fatalities—11 in total—happened at non-fire emergencies. These included five motor vehicle accidents, three incidents involving downed wires, one tree-related event, one odor investigation, and one flood check during a storm. Ten of those 11 were struck by passing vehicles, while one died from sudden cardiac arrest.
Another concerning trend was the number of firefighters killed by vehicles—10 in total. This is significantly higher than the average of four per year over the past 30 years.
Overexertion, stress, and medical conditions accounted for more than half of all deaths in 2017. Of the 32 cases in this category, 29 were sudden cardiac arrests, two were strokes, and one resulted from complications of a recent medical procedure. The 29 heart-related deaths were the fourth time in six years that the number stayed below 30, but still made up nearly half of all on-duty fatalities.
It’s important to note that compiling a complete list of all duty-related deaths in a single year remains a challenge due to the complexity and variety of incidents involved.
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