Group - Firefighter death rate on the rise

ST. LOUIS -- Despite advances in protective equipment, firefighters are dying more often in burning buildings than they did 25 years ago, according to a national safety group.

The report from the National Fire Protection Association surveyed data from 1977 to 2000. The study found that the rate of firefighters killed per 100,000 structure fires went from about 1.5 to about 3. The number of such fires dropped from about 1 million a year to about 600,000.

The study had been expected to confirm that better equipment and building construction made firefighters' jobs safer, said Gary Tokle, an assistant vice president with the group.

"We are disappointed that the number of deaths of firefighters in structure fires has not gone down with the number of structure fires and with technological advances," Tokle told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a story in Sunday's editions.

The study did not include deaths from heart attacks, which are the leading cause of on-the-job firefighter deaths, or from traffic accidents, which are the No. 2 cause. Instead, the study focused on the three major hazards of the fire scene: smoke inhalation, burns and being crushed by falling debris.

Questioned training

The association's report questioned the adequacy of training, on-scene procedures, building designs and fireproofing of furnishings.

The report, announced Friday, was to be released fully in about a month, in the July-August issue of the NFPA Journal. The nonprofit group, founded in 1896 and based in Quincy, Mass., works to set standards for saving lives and property from fires and electrical hazards.

The announcement came a week after two St. Louis firefighters died from injuries suffered in a burning building. The deaths of Derek Martin and Rob Morrison, both 38, are being investigated. The last time a St. Louis firefighter had died on the job was in 1977, when Howard Crider died of a heart attack at a house fire.

Fire Chief Sherman George said that even the best equipment and training won't necessarily prevent tragedy in all circumstances.

"Nothing can prepare you for the unexpected," he said. "Why these things happened, I have no idea right now."

The association's recommendations included:

Better accounting of personnel at fires.

Improved awareness of escape routes for crews working in burning buildings.

Closer attention to signs that a fire will abruptly spread or that a building will collapse.

Careful observance of the alarm that warns when an air tank is about to run out.

Consistent use of devices that send loud signals if a firefighter becomes motionless.

Stronger emphasis on physical fitness of firefighters.