Fire apparatus crashes are a big problem in the fire service. As each year passes, we see a trend of increasing incidents resulting in property damage, injuries and deaths. Each state has laws regulating emergency vehicle operations, and nationally accepted standards lay out requirements for driver training and apparatus safety.
And still, we have crashes. We really need to stop crashing fire trucks!
In this series, we’ll review apparatus crashes, look at related injuries and deaths, and explore prevention measures. We’ll examine policy development and enforcement, training program components, and how fire service culture relates to apparatus crashes. Finally, we’ll provide recommendations to improve safety within your agency while providing an effective and efficient service to your community.
Fire apparatus crash data
Statistics compiled by the U.S. Fire Administration show about 27% of firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) are vehicle-related. Sadly, many of these were preventable. In the fire service, we tend to have an inward focus when it comes to injuries and deaths. We are inherently aware of the dangers we face — and we take them seriously — but our lives aren’t the only ones at risk on the road.
When we turn the focus outward, we see that fire apparatus crashes kill civilians more often than they kill firefighters. Data collected by the National Safety Council (NSC) show 67% of fire apparatus crash-related fatalities were occupants of other vehicles and 14.5% were pedestrians, bicyclists or others outside of vehicles. In contrast, occupants of fire apparatus accounted for 20% of fatalities, so firefighters are four times more likely to kill citizens with their trucks than they are to kill themselves or other firefighters.
In a business where our mission is to save lives and property, this irony is troubling. There are few things firefighters do that put the public at risk, but responding to calls is one of them.
Every call represents risk
On average, according to 2022 NFIRS data, fire departments in the U.S. respond on over 80,000 runs per day. That’s 80,000 times a day where at least one fire department vehicle departs a fire station and travels down the road. Every time you leave the station, you are exposed to (and exposing others to) the risk of collision.
The fire service prides itself on risk management, and rightfully so. Everything we do in this business relates to risk assessment and risk management. In the past several decades, the culture has evolved to become more risk aware, and this has led to positive change. Data from the NFPA indicates that on-duty firefighter deaths have been on a downward trend for the past 45 years. Our culture puts great emphasis on firefighter health and safety, and we continue to make improvements in areas such as incident management, risk assessment, and physical and mental health and wellness.
But when it comes to managing risk related to vehicle operations, we fall short. This is likely due to several factors including response times, adrenaline, culture and insufficient training.
Lives in the balance
Consider this risk assessment. You are dispatched to an EMS call for troubled breathing. The patient is reported to be alert and oriented but is short of breath after doing some yard work. As you respond to the call, you may pass hundreds of cars, each with at least one person inside. You travel through several intersections where motorists must stop and yield to your vehicle.
Each one of those vehicle encounters represents a risk of crash and related injury. How many people are we willing to put at risk to help one person? How can we reduce this risk while still arriving quickly to help the patient?
This scenario is one that plays out thousands of times a day, all over the country. These risks must be managed effectively to reduce loss of life both to the patients and the public.
Normalizing emergencies
The more you drive or ride in an emergency vehicle, the less “emergent” things seem. This is the case with many things in public safety, as we tend to normalize situations and experiences that the general population sees as dangerous.
Consider your own physiological changes when the bell rings. If you are new to this job, the alert probably startles you a bit and anxiety heightens your risk awareness to protect you. Your heart rate increases along with your blood pressure. You are acutely aware of the severity of the situation you are responding to.
As time goes on, though, your response to these alerts softens. Emergencies become normalized for first responders and in many ways, that is a good thing. If we were startled into high-alert mode every time a call came in, we’d be worn out long before we were ready to hang up our helmets. On the other hand, this normalization of emergencies can soften us to the point of complacency where we are less concerned about risk. Every time you climb into that rig and roll down Main Street with lights and sirens, you become more confident in your abilities. And every time you take unnecessary risks and get away with it, your actions are rewarded and your complacency is reinforced.
Other drivers’ response
You are around fire apparatus all the time, so their presence is routine for you. Lights and sirens are normal for you. You’re used to them. However, average citizens rarely encounter a fire truck and when they do, their responses can be hazardous.
For many people, the requirement to yield safely to emergency vehicles is mostly hypothetical — a question on the driver’s license test and little more. When they encounter your fire apparatus, they have mere seconds to recall that test question and come up with the correct behavior. In short, members of the public are sometimes startled when they see us on the road with them and we need to plan for that.
Licensing and training equirement
The hard truth is that human behavior is a factor in almost all apparatus crashes. Fire truck operators often drive faster than they should, brake harder than they should, and take corners more quickly than they should. In addition to those things, driver inexperience and insufficient training are factors that can affect vehicle control.
Since 2022, all prospective commercial drivers have been required to attend entry-level driver training (ELDT) that complies with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations prior to applying for a license. This training must follow an approved curriculum and ensures prospective drivers receive adequate baseline training before becoming licensed. Part of this training includes instruction on vehicle dynamics, weight distribution, vehicle systems and other factors that relate to larger vehicles. The program was put into place to increase driver proficiency and reduce crashes.
The thing is, a fire apparatus is not classified as a “commercial vehicle” in most places in the United States, and firefighters are not required by federal law to hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Some states require specific training for fire apparatus operators while others recommend it through best practice.
Regardless of state requirements, NFPA 1010 is the gold standard for firefighter training, including apparatus operator training. This standard lays out job performance requirements (JPRs) for apparatus operators and overlaps with federal CDL requirements where appropriate. Agencies should not only have emergency response policies in place but should also have a training program based on both NFPA 1010 and federal CDL training requirements. A comprehensive training program can improve apparatus operator competency, even for experienced members.
Apparatus driver error
For accidents that occur during emergency responses, speed and improper actions at controlled intersections are frequently factors, as is driver error. Not all states require emergency vehicles to come to a complete stop at controlled intersections, but NFPA 1451 does. After all, intersections are the most likely place for crashes to occur.
This is the case for all crashes, but the risk is amplified when responding to emergencies because apparatus operators can proceed against a red traffic signal. Stopping at an intersection before proceeding against a signal or stop sign only costs seconds in response time but can save lives.
Distracted apparatus drivers
Things can happen fast on the way to a call and there’s a lot going on inside the cab. There is noise from the siren and horns, important information is coming across the radio, and the crew is thinking about their initial on-scene actions. The officer may be giving orders or laying out the tactical plan to the crew. For the engineer, it can be difficult to isolate yourself from these distractions and focus on driving because your responsibility doesn’t end when you set that parking brake. You’re thinking about things like apparatus placement, water supply and everything else you need to do to support the operation. But with all of this going on inside the cab, the engineer must stay focused on what’s going on outside of it. A momentary lapse in awareness or judgement can lead to a crash, potentially causing injury or death and rendering your rig and crew useless.
The company officer can help reduce distractions for the driver by providing important information such as the next turn, nearest hydrant, and incident-specific details like “It’s the third house on the right,” or “Engine 3 is going to beat us in, so you’ll be water supply.” This can clear up the engineer’s mind so they can focus on safe operation of the vehicle.
Making Code 3 response safer
Apparatus crashes are frequent and can be tragic. Responding to emergencies is a core mandate of fire department operations and there are several factors that contribute to apparatus crashes. In upcoming articles, we will discuss these factors and outline a plan to help reduce apparatus-related incidents in your department. These incidents are often preventable through awareness, training and policy compliance. Remember, we can’t help anybody if we don’t get to them.
NOTES
1. Excluding 2020-2021 due to COVID data, which is irrelevant here. This includes both “vehicle collision” and “struck by.”
2. 2010-2022 stats on Emergency Vehicles – Injury Facts (nsc.org):
- 25 (10.3%) Emergency vehicle operator
- 20 (8.3%) Emergency vehicle passenger
- 162 (66.9%) Other vehicle occupant
- 35 (14.5%) Pedestrian, bicyclist, other outside of vehicle
3. NFIRS data refers to “runs or responses” which can include multiple responses to the same incident, particularly if more than one department responds. Also, only 77% of departments report data to NFIRS, as it is not mandatory.
4. Technically, 1977-2022. See Fatal Firefighter Injuries in the United States, NFPA: https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/nfpa-research/fire-statistical-reports/fatal-firefighter-injuries
