제  목 : Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
  일  자 : 1998년 07월
  제공처 : Internet

 Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
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                 REVISED VERSION: February, 1998

    In fiscal year 1998, Congress recognized the need for further efforts
    to address the continuing national problem of occupational fire
    fighter fatalities, and funded NIOSH to undertake this effort. The
    Congressional language states in part:

    "In FY 1998, $2.5 million will be needed to conduct fatality
    assessment and control evaluation investigations to gather information
    on factors that may have contributed to traumatic occupational
    fatalities, identify causal factors common to fire fighters
    fatalities, provide recommendations for prevention of similar
    incidents, formulate strategies for effective intervention, and
    evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions."

    In brief, the overall goal of this program is to better define the
    magnitude and characteristics of work-related deaths and severe
    injuries among fire fighters, to develop recommendations for the
    prevention of these injuries and deaths, and to implement and
    disseminate prevention efforts. A five-part integrated plan, centered
    around the field investigation of fire fighter fatalities, is outlined
    below. This plan will remain flexible, as new staff are hired and
    become familiar with the critical hazards and many related issues in
    fire fighting, and as results from field investigations become
    available.

    I. National Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Project

    This is the cornerstone of the overall NIOSH program to prevent fire
    fighter line-of-duty fatalities. The objectives for this effort
    include the investigation of all occupational fire fighter fatalities
    to assess and characterize the circumstances of these events in order
    to develop succinct descriptive and evaluative reports for
    distribution to the fire community across the country. This work will
    be carried out by the NIOSH Fire Fighter Investigation Team. It is
    expected that the reports alone will have a major impact by better
    defining the causal factors of fire fighter deaths, calling national
    attention to the problem, and providing insights into the prevention
    efforts that are needed. As noted below, several interrelated projects
    will enhance both the use and impact of this core effort.
    This project has two major parts, the first involving NIOSH staff in
    the Division of Safety Research (DSR) and the Division of Respiratory
    Disease Studies (DRDS), and the second involving the Division of
    Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies (DSHEFS).

    A. Injury Fatality Investigations

    DSR will use its Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE)
    model for investigating occupational injuries to conduct
    investigations of all fireground and non- fireground fatal injuries.
    These investigations will include both career and volunteer fire
    fighters. In addition, staff at the DRDS respirator Certification and
    Quality Assurance Branch will assist with selected investigations in
    which the function of respiratory protective equipment may have been a
    factor in the incident. The DRDS laboratory and field staff will
    evaluate the performance of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus as
    needed in this effort.

    B. Cardiovascular Disease Fatality Investigations

    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been a significant cause of
    work-related death among fire fighters for many years. This DSHEFS
    activity will conduct multi-factorial assessment of personal,
    physiological, psychological, and organizational factors associated
    with CVD deaths among fire fighters while on duty. Directly related
    efforts will be considered such as measuring carbon monoxide and other
    exposures and body burdens at various types of fires. The goal is to
    investigate most if not all such deaths, and to produce reports
    similar to those in Part A above.

    II. Fire Fighter Fatality Database Project

    It is expected that the individual fire fighter fatality
    investigations and reports described above will be very useful to
    other fire departments in their health and safety programs. However,
    the information will have additional use when it is organized and made
    easily accessable. Such a database will allow a multitude of analyses
    on topics including time trends, consistent but perhaps poorly
    recognized risk factors, various correlations, annual reports, etc.
    This project will use statistical and epidemiologic expertise,
    primarily based in DSR, to establish and maintain an electronic
    database using information obtained from the fatality field
    investigations noted above. It will involve a number of issues,
    particularly in the initial setup, including the quality and
    completeness of the data, the development of appropriate and
    consistent investigation data collection instruments, data field
    decisions, data coding, data entry and checking, analysis protocols,
    and access procedures.

    III. Intervention Research Project

    This project will start slowly, as NIOSH gains experience and
    expertise in the causal factors and critical issues involved in fire
    fighter fatalities. However, the purpose of the overall NIOSH program
    is to prevent such fatalities, and it is recognized that this effort
    has the benefit of many years of past data and research by a number of
    excellent private and public organizations and individuals. There may
    thus be selected issues which have moved beyond the surveillance and
    causal factor analysis stage to one in which an evaluation of an
    intervention is needed. NIOSH will pursue such issues with the goal
    that they may lead to the widespread implementation of life-saving
    practices now, rather than later after more lives are lost. This
    effort will be based largely but not exclusively in DSR, and will use
    scientific methods to determine whether specific equipment, practices,
    and programs are effective in reducing fire fighter fatalities.

    IV. Applied Laboratory and Field Research Project

    NIOSH will consider funding applied laboratory and field research
    projects on a case-by-case basis, developed in response to questions
    and issues raised by the field investigations, and by the fire
    community based on its experience. These projects will be specific,
    time-limited efforts rather than an ongoing funded program, and will
    be subject to available monies after higher priority projects are
    supported. All such work will be a collaborative effort in which NIOSH
    staff are heavily and continuously involved. Various organizations and
    individuals may be selected to participate in these projects in order
    to derive the greatest benefit.

    In Fiscal Year 1998, NIOSH plans to address the substantial concern
    over fire fighter protective clothing by entering into an Interagency
    Agreement with the National Institute for Standards and Technology
    (NIST) to conduct full ensemble personal protective clothing testing
    under actual fire conditions. NIOSH staff will be involved with all
    phases of the study, and fire community input will be solicited.

    Future research efforts could involve NIST, academic researchers and
    other appropriate organizations to address issues identified by the
    field investigations and by the fire community based on its experience
    and needs. This research is intended to complement NIOSH field
    investigation activities.

    V. Information Dissemination Project

    Appropriate information dissemination is essential if the NIOSH Fire
    Fighter Injury Prevention Program is to reach its goal. The major
    potential benefit of an investigation will not be to the involved fire
    department, which after a fatality often will understand the problems
    and needed changes, but to the other 36,000 fire departments and their
    over one million fire fighters who need to address similar problems to
    prevent a similar tragedy. This national program to prevent fire
    fighter fatalities and serious injuries will result in substantial
    amounts of new information which will be important to fire fighters,
    researchers, program planners, and others. It is imperative that new
    and existing information be readily accessible to those who can use it
    for the development of practices, recommendations, and guidelines to
    prevent fire fighter injuries and deaths.

    Unfortunately, simply sending information does not always lead to the
    desired changes in behavior and practices; often complex social,
    economic, educational and psychological issues are involved. Thus
    there are important questions regarding what types of products to
    create, what to send, how much, to whom, and by what avenues. This is
    another area that will need to be developed, and to be modified as the
    program progresses.

    NIOSH plans to make the investigation reports, including a summary
    page and the full report, available via a World Wide Web home page
    which can be accessed either directly or through the NIOSH home page.
    It is considering the most effective way to distribute paper copies of
    the full reports and/or their summary pages. Additional issues relate
    to the best format for access to the electronic database noted above,
    and distribution of periodic reports, such as an annual summary,
    describing time trends and other information. It is planned that these
    data will reach professional and lay journals as well as other media.
    Finally, the best approach to using regional and national conferences,
    training forums, and other organizations to disseminate both
    investigation results and recommendations will be explored. Because
    these types of activities are already being done by many individuals
    and groups, extensive networking will be used to effectively leverage
    the NIOSH efforts.