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Causes Of Death In Firefighting

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Sudden cardiac death has been the number one cause of death amongst on-duty firefighters nearly every year since the NFPA began it’s study of on-duty fatalities in 1977 (NFPA, 2014). Most fire departments conduct fitness and medical screenings prior to hiring fire fighters in order to avoid employing persons who are not fit enough for the types of duty or are at high risk of injury caused by participation in the types of work firefighters do (NIOSH, 2007), however, despite current efforts to prevent firefighter fatalities due to cardiovascular events sudden cardiac death continues to account for approximately 45% of firefighter deaths per year (Johns Hopkins, 2014). Statistics such as these warrant increased effort and change …show more content…
It is clearly a national issue, but firefighters may have a disproportionate rate of risk compared to the rest of the country, making them more likely to experience a cardiovascular related injury or death. While 45% of firefighter deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease, 15% of the deaths that occurred in those with more conventional jobs were caused by cardiovascular disease (Johns Hopkins, 2014). One might expect there to be a higher rate of cardiovascular related death in firefighting due to the strenuous and hazardous nature of the job, but not a rate three times as high. With the advances in medical technology and treatment there is the capability to better identify those at higher risk as well as mitigate those risks through treatment in order to prevent a cardiovascular event occurring. I would argue that more of these resources could be accessed by fire departments in order to ensure firefighter …show more content…
Firefighter candidates are generally subjected to a physical agility test in order to gauge their physical capability including cardiovascular strength as well as muscular endurance. A common example of a pre-placement physical agility test is the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT), which candidates are encouraged to train for and some departments offer practice sessions to allow candidates to become familiar with the test (MFTC). The problem lies with the fact that after successfully completing the CPAT or equivalent physical test and they become members of the fire department, physical expectations become less and the physical conditioning of the firefighter may not be closely monitored. NFPA 1583 states that fire departments must establish a fitness program that aids firefighters in maintaining a baseline level of fitness appropriate for their job (NIOSH, 2007). In their 2007 report NIOSH found that only 39% of the 131 departments studied had fitness programs with voluntary participation, and only 8% had mandatory participation (NIOSH, 2007). Fitness and lifestyle changes are some of the best ways to prevent cardiovascular disease, and a baseline level of fitness in line with what is required during fire suppression activities is necessary in order to prevent cardiovascular injury. Although fires add up to a small fraction of the activities that firefighters are involved

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