- Author
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- Title
- NIOSH Alert: Request for Assistance in Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters Due to Structural Collapse.
- Coporate
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH
- Report
- DHHS Publication 99-146; NIOSH Publication 99-146, August 1999, 16 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Publications Dissemination, EID, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226. Telephone: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674), Fax: 513-533-8573, Email: pubstaft@cdc.gov. Website: www.cdc.gov/niosh
- Keywords
- fire fighters | injuries | building collapse | standards | death | fire departments | case histories | fire fighting
- Abstract
- The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that 968 firefighters died between 1989 and 1998. Nearly half of these deaths (443) occurred on the fireground. Furthermore, structural collapse caused 56 (18%) of the 316 fire fighter deaths at structure fires. A structural collapse often results in multiple fire fighter fatalities. For example, during this time period, 43 fire fighters were fatally injured by collapsing materials at 11 fires. As these statistics show, structural collapse of any part of a building (floors, walls, ceilings, roofs, or structural members) during fire fighting is a leading cause of death among fire fighters. The potential for structural collapse is one of the most difficult factors to predict during initial size-up and ongoing fire fighting. Structural collapse usually occurs without warning. For example, the floor of a burning structure may suddenly collapse, spilling fire fighters into a burning inferno. Or a sudden roof collapse may trap fire fighters inside the structure. After arrival at a fire scene, the incident commander must consider numerous variables to determine the structural integrity of a burning building: Fire size and location. Length of time the fire has been burning, Conditions on arrival, Size of the building (single or multistory, floor area, and height), Age of the building (deterioration of structural members, evidence of weathering, use of lightweight materials in new construction), Presence of combustible materials, Occupancy, Renovations or modifications to the building, Previous fires, Supported loads (such as roof-top heating and cooling systems) that might affect the integrity of the structure, Exposures that might pose fire and smoke hazards to nearby people or buildings, Resources at the scene for extinguishing the fire (number of apparatus, fire-fighting personnel, water supply, and auxiliary appliances), Other factors such as the time of day (day or night) and weather conditions (extreme heat or cold).