Law Enforcement And Firefighter Deaths

Recent reports from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) detail the leading causes of death among these professionals.

Heart Attacks Remain Leading Cause Of Firefighter Deaths
Despite a decline, stress or overexertion remains the most frequent cause of death for firefighters, according to the latest fatality report from the USFA. Of the 118 firefighter deaths in 2008, 52 were caused by stress and overexertion, with the vast majority (45) due to heart attacks. This represents a decline from 2007, when 55 firefighters died from stress or overexertion.

Vehicle crashes, the second most frequent cause of death, killed 28 firefighters in 2008, one more than the year prior.

Three firefighters were killed in shootings in 2008. Only two other years had as many gunshot deaths of firefighters (2000 with three deaths and 1996 with four).

For 32 years, the USFA has tracked the number of firefighter fatalities and conducted an annual analysis. Through the collection of information on the causes of firefighter deaths, the USFA is able to focus on specific problems and direct efforts toward finding solutions to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities in the future. This information can also be used by many organizations to measure the effectiveness of their current efforts directed toward firefighter health and safety.

The complete report is available at usfa.dfm.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/ff_fat08.pdf

Source: U.S. Fire Administration

Traffic-Related Incidents Are A Leading Cause Of Law Enforcement Deaths
Comparing the first six months of 2008 with the same period of 2009, all major categories of officer fatalities increased, according to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Traffic-related incidents rose by nearly 17%, from 30 to 35. This year’s midyear total included 26 officers killed in automobile crashes, 2 in motorcycle accidents, and 7 struck and killed while outside their vehicles. If current trends continue, 2009 will be the 12th year in a row in which more officers are killed in traffic-related incidents than dying from any other cause. For the second straight year, traffic incidents make up a clear majority of officer deaths. 2008 marked the first time in U.S. history that more than 50% of officer fatalities in a single year involved traffic-related incidents—just over 53%. Midyear 2009, the percentage has remained at just above 53%, with automobile accidents accounting for nearly 40% of fatalities.

Officers killed in firearm-related incidents increased, from 20 to 22. Deaths from other causes nearly doubled, from 5 to 9, with all but one death involving a job-related physical incident.

Nationwide, 26 officers died in the line of duty during the months of July, August and September 2009. By comparison, 43 officers were killed during the third quarter of 2008. As of Oct. 2, officer fatalities are down 7% from the same time last year: 92 in 2009, compared with 99 in 2008. In all of 2008, 133 officers died in the line of duty, the lowest annual total since 1960, when there were 127 officer deaths. If current trends continue, this year’s total would break that five-decade low.

For more information on law enforcement officer fatality trends, visit nleomf.org.

Source: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund