Heart attacks leading cause of on-duty firefighter deaths in 1997
A total of 94 U.S. firefighters died while on-duty during 1997, 38 of them from heart attacks, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Ninety-five died on duty in 1996.
Another primary cause of fatalities was motor vehicle incidents. Eighteen firefighters were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and four were struck by vehicles. Of the 18 killed in motor vehicle crashes, 12 were involved in motor vehicle collisions or rollovers while responding to alarms--five were driving or were passengers in personal vehicles and seven were killed in six crashes involving fire department apparatus. According to the NFPA report, the most commonly reported factors in these road crashes were speeding (including driving too fast for road conditions), failure to use seatbelts, and failure to yield at intersections.
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