By FireRescue1 Staff
RALEIGH, N.C. — A firefighter who died at a grass fire was unfit for duty due to medical conditions, an investigator found.
Volunteer Firefighter Gregory Cooke, of the Salem, N.C., Volunteer Fire Department, collapsed after activating a pump and advancing a hoseline on March 11 last year, a NIOSH report released Wednesday said.
Firefighter Cooke died 10 days later in a regional hospital.
A number of medical conditions — including coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and anticoagulation therapy — should have prevented him from work as a firefighter, according to the report.
“NFPA 1582 states that CAD compromises a member’s ability to safely perform many of the essential job tasks of structural fire fighting, specifically wearing SCBA and advancing water-filled hoselines,” the report said.
The investigator also stressed risks beyond the firefighter himself, saying “sudden incapacitation of a member can result in mission failure or in risk of injury or death to civilians or other team members.”
As a result of the findings, NIOSH recommends fire departments have a comprehensive wellness and fitness program for firefighters, medically clear firefighters for SCBA use, and conduct annual respirator fit testing.
In addition, the report recommends departments:
• Provide preplacement and annual medical evaluations to all firefighters consistent with NFPA 1582
• Incorporate exercise stress tests following standard medical guidelines into a fire department medical evaluation program
• Ensure firefighters are cleared for return to duty by a physician knowledgeable about the physical demands of firefighting, the personal protective equipment used by firefighters, and the various components of NFPA 1582
• Perform an annual physical performance (physical ability) evaluation