Chapter 1: Introduction (2)

The majority of members (66) were engaged in normal activities when their fatal injuries occurred. Cardiac deaths, strokes, seizures and blood clots accounted for 58 of those 66 deaths. Of the internal trauma deaths, two fell from ladders; one died from a leaking propane tank that ignited and exploded; one fell in the kitchen and struck his head on an appliance; one was crushed between the header of the bay door¹ and the rail of an aerial apparatus while attempting to get a piece of equipment that was stuck overhead; and one lost his balance and fell, striking his head on the ground.

The primary activity being conducted during the LODDs was training (32). Cardiac arrest accounted for 24 of these, and five were the result of stroke. Seven members died while performing maintenance activities. One member was crushed against the wall by a brush unit² when it lunged forward during maintenance. Another member was crushed while performing maintenance underneath an apparatus, and the jack used to elevate the apparatus failed.

Four members passed away while performing or preparing for community events at the facility. One passed away after falling from an antique apparatus while it was being loaded onto a trailer. Another one passed away from cardiac arrest while doing construction work on a new station, and one was struck by an aerial boom³ while assisting an insurance adjuster who was inspecting hurricane damage to the station. No specific information was provided on the fourth fatality.

(來源：P.1, Safety and Health Considerations for the Design of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Stations, FEMA.)

1. bay door: 一般聽到 bay 會以為是海灣，但它有區域的意思，apparatus bay 就是消防廳舍的車庫區。
   ↩︎
2. brush unit: 這不是「洗刷單位」這種奇怪的譯文，brush 意指草叢的意思，unit 是單位沒錯，但指的是「車輛」，所以 brush unit 即比較小型的消防車，通常用於山林火警。參考：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildland_fire_engine ↩︎
3. aerial boom: 高空吊桿 ↩︎