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Last Updated: Jul 11, 2008 - 11:26:39 AM

Fighting Wildfires

The present efforts to fight and control the devastating California wildfires again highlight the heroic role of fire fighters in protecting lives and property. NIOSH offers resources for fire departments, fire fighters, and partner organizations to prevent injury, illness, and death in the line of duty from hazards associated with fighting wildfires. These hazards can include burns, heat stress, smoke inhalation, risk of injury from operations involving rough terrain and unstable structures, and other dangers. NIOSH also provides resources for responders in rescue and clean-up activities. Key Resources Worker Safety During Fire Cleanup CDC Fact Sheet details types of hazards that workers may face during fire clean up efforts, including electrical hazards, carbon monoxide poisoning, musculoskeletal hazards, heat stress, hazardous materials, & confined spaces. Fact Sheet: What You Should Know In Deciding Whether to Buy Escape Hoods, Gas Masks, or Other Respirators for Preparedness at Home and Work Provides information on what respirators are, how they work, and what is needed for a respirator to provide adequate protection. Working in Hot Environments DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 86-112 (April 1986) Reprinted 1992, with Minor Changes En Español This publication discusses the safety and health consequences of heat stress. Hazard ID: Fire Fighters Exposed to Electrical Hazards During Wildland Fire Operations En Español NIOSH investigated two separate incidents in 1999 in which fire fighters died or were seriously injured from exposures to electricity while fighting wildland fires. Related NIOSH Topic Pages Heat Stress Respirators: NIOSH Guide to the Selection and Use of Particulate Respirators 42 CFR Part 84 Respirator Regulations - Includes the test requirements that a filter and respirator must meet for NIOSH to grant an approval to a manufacturer. NIOSH Certified Equipment List Firefighters Emergency Response Resources: Natural Disasters Disaster Site Management Electrical Safety Health Hazard Evaluations NIOSH conducts Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs) to find out whether there are health hazards to employees caused by exposures or conditions in the workplace. Some recent HHE reports related to firefighting have been listed below. For a comprehensive listing of HHE reports please search the HHE Database. HHE Report NO. HETA 98-0173-2782, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado  PDF only   387 KB (24 pages) HHE Report No. HETA-92-045-2260, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, New River Gorge National River, West Virginia  PDF only   196 KB (17 pages) HHE Report No. HETA-91-312-2185, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Gallatin National Forest, Montana  PDF only   240 KB (19 pages) HHE Report No. HETA-90-395-2121, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Sedgwick County, Kansas  PDF only   196 KB (21 pages) HHE Report No. HETA-90-0365-2415, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, California  PDF only   10.6 MB (67 pages) HHE Report No. HETA-88-320-2176, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming  PDF only   353 KB (43 pages) Health Hazard Evaluation Report HETA 96-0171-2692, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Washington, DC  PDF only   432 KB (29 pages) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Reports The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Program conducts investigations of fire fighter line-of-duty deaths to formulate recommendations for preventing future deaths and injuries. Selected FACE Reports on Fighting Wildfires: Two Volunteer Fire Fighters Die While Fighting a Wildland Fire - Kentucky Volunteer Fire Fighter is Killed and Another Volunteer Fire Fighter is Injured at a Wildland/Urban Interface Fire - Oklahoma Career Helitack Fire Fighter Dies in Burnover During an Initial Attack at a Wildland Fire Operation - California A Career Fire Fighter was Killed and a Career Captain was Severely Injured During a Wildland/Urban Interface Operation - California Two Volunteer Fire Fighters Die While Fighting a Wildland Fire - Kentucky Forest Ranger II Dies After Receiving Second- and Third-Degree Burns Operating a Crawler Tractor (Bulldozer) While Clearing Vegetation During a Wildland Fire - Arkansas Volunteer Fire Fighter Dies During Wildland Fire Suppression - South Dakota Fire Fighter Suffers Heart Arrhythmia and Dies at Wildland Fire - Washington Junior Volunteer Fire Fighter Dies in Tanker Rollover - Tennessee Volunteer Fire Fighter Dies After Being Run Over by Brush Truck During Grass Fire Attack - Texas Volunteer Fire Fighter Dies and Two are Injured in Engine Rollover - Alabama Volunteer Fire Fighter Died and a Second Was Seriously Injured After Fuel Tank Explosion - Iowa Search All FACE Reports related to Fighting Wildfires with NIOSHTIC-2 NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH. Other NIOSH Publications Hazard ID: Traffic Hazards to Fire Fighters While Working Along Roadways En Español The number of fire fighters struck and killed by motor vehicles has dramatically increased within recent years. This document details case studies and provides recommendations for prevention. Other Resources Fire Safety - CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response Web Site National Interagency Fire Center External Link: http://www.nifc.gov/ Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management Web site External Link: http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/ Firewise.org External Link: http://www.firewise.org/ Firewise Library External Link: http://www.firewise.org/library/ Firefighter Safety in the Wildland/Urban Interface External Link: http://www.firewise.org/pubs/firefighter_safety/main.html California Department of Health Services Web SIte: State Health Director Offers Advice to Public on How to Protect Health During Wildfires http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/pressreleases/store/pressreleases/03-85%20oes%20logo.html State Health Director Warns Of Smoke from Southern California Fires External Link: http://www.applications.dhs.ca.gov/pressreleases/store/pressreleases/03-84.html