We have discussed training on rehab, but what about rehab for our training evolutions? Training appears to be a controlled environment where everything seems to be safe and the need for rehab is not needed. However, if we look at the number of firefighter fatalities, we find that the number of firefighter deaths during training activities account for 7.3 percent of the total on-duty deaths, according to an NFPA report on training deaths.
The NFPA began to track firefighter deaths in 1977. Over the next 29 years there were 239 firefighter deaths during training activities. These numbers have remained constant in the last four years. Hence, training should be taken seriously and rehab should be an integral part of our training activities. Have you ever heard the saying, “train how you play?” Much like incident command, if we do not incorporate rehab into our training evolutions, we will be less likely to incorporate it into our everyday lives on the incident scene.
The distribution of training-related deaths appear to be similar to that of firefighter deaths overall. Over 50 percent of firefighter deaths during training are caused by heart-related illness. So why are so many of us dying in training? After all, training is supposed to be a safe environment. Training can be as deadly as the actual incident. The numbers don’t lie, we are losing firefighters on the training grounds in much the same way we are losing firefighters on the incident scene.
The NFPA report clearly illustrates the problem of firefighter deaths on the training grounds. NFPA 1584 is designed for not only implementation at the scene of an incident, but also during training evolutions. We need to establish rehab for our training events. In some instances, we put our personnel through more rigors during training then an actual incident. Training events can last upwards of eight hours. The physical strain can cause undue stress. There are a number of NIOSH reports illustrating the deadly effects on personnel during a training event. In addition to recommendations for instituting rehab at training events, NIOSH also cites medical evaluation in many of these reports. My next column will address medical evaluations and its relationship to rehab.
Summary
Hence, when we plan our training evolutions we need to be incorporating rehab into the training. Regardless of the physical endurance or the length of the training, rehab needs to be a part of the training session. I can cite a number of changes we have instituted in the fire service that have become a part of our culture only as a result of it being incorporated into our training programs. Train how you are going to play. The following are some of the final reports from NIOSH on firefighter deaths at training activities.
NIOSH reports
Captain Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death Just After Physical Exercise and One Day After Fire Training – Maryland
Lieutenant Suffers a Fatal Cardiac Event After Completing Live Fire Training - Wisconsin
Fire Fighter Trainee Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Maze Training – Virginia
Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Rural Water Supply Training – Illinois
Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Live Fire Training – North Carolina
Fire Captain Suffers Fatal Heart Attack After Conducting Live Fire Training – Pennsylvania
References
Lindsey, J. (2007) Fire Service Instructor Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ
NFPA 1584 Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members During Emergency Operations and Training Exercises (2008) National Fire Protection Association Quincy, MA
Fahy, R. (June 2006) U.S. Firefighter Deaths Related to Training, 1996 – 2005; Fire Analysis and Research Division, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA