When will we say enough is enough and take an aggressive, proactive approach to decreasing Firefighter fatalities caused by medical emergencies?

Firefighter fatalities (2011)

•There were 61 firefighter deaths in 2011.
•Stress, exertion, and other medical-related issues, which usually result in heart attacks or other sudden cardiac events, almost always account for the largest share of deaths in any given year. Of the 32 exertion- or medical-related fatalities in 2011, 31 were classified as sudden cardiac deaths and one was due to a stroke.
•Fireground operations accounted for 30 deaths.
•Residential structure fires accounted for the largest share of fireground deaths (12 deaths).
•Four firefighters died in four vehicle crashes. In addition to those deaths, three other firefighters were struck and killed by vehicles.

Cause of injury Deaths Percentage

Exertion/Stress/Other 32 53%
Struck by/contact with object 8 13%
Caught or trapped 15 25%
Fell 5 8%
Hot weather 1 2%
Total 61 100.0%

Nature of injury Deaths Percentage

Sudden cardiac death 31 51%
Internal trauma 14 23%
Asphyxiation 6 9%
Stroke 1 2%
Drowning 1 2%
Heat stroke 1 2%
Burns 6 9%
Undetermined 1 2%
Total 61 100.0%