Citation

Accid. Reconstr. J. 2011; 21(1): 26-27.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article summarizes the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Report of an accident in May 2003 in which a 28-year-old male volunteer fire fighter died from injuries received six days earlier when he fell off the tailgate of a moving pick-up truck. The NIOSH investigator interviewed fire fighter/EMT trainees, one of whom was the driver of the pickup truck; met with three officials of the Training Academy where the incident occurred; and spoke with the Chief of the Department and city officials. In addition, the police reports, ambulance call sheet, training records of the victim, and death certificate were also reviewed. After a brief review of the case, the article presents three recommendations: appropriate transport for all personnel in a safe, seated and restrained vehicle passenger compartment; mandatory pre-placement and annual medical evaluations for all fire fighters to determine medical fitness for duty and training exercise; and fire departments should conduct periodic physical capabilities testing to ensure that fire department personnel meet the physical requirements for duty and training exercises. Each of the three recommendations are briefly discussed.