36 APRIL 2016 | EMSWORLD.com
D
epending on the type of system in which
you work or volunteer, you either have
turnout gear of your own, walk by it on
a regular basis, or periodically work next
to firefighters in turnout gear on calls.
How much do you really know about turnout gear? If
you were presented with a firefighter who had been
injured, and was still in a full protective ensemble, or
maybe a hazmat or proximity suit, would you know
how to remove this gear rapidly, yet safely?
In 2011, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) reported that between 2006 and
2008, an estimated 81,070 firefighter injuries
occurred annually. Of this number, nearly 40,000
occurred on the fireground and 4,880 occurred while
responding/returning from an incident. The major-
ity of fire-related firefighter injuries (87%) occur in
structure fires. In addition, on average, structure fires
have more injuries per fire than non-structure fires.
2
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
estimates that 65,880 firefighter injuries occurred in
the line of duty in 2013. An estimated 29,760 (45.2%)
of all firefighter injuries occurred during fireground
operations. An estimated 11,800 occurred during
Can you remove a crew member's gear quickly
without causing further injury?
By John G. Alexander, MS, NRP