Line of duty death

A mourning band, generally worn by firefighters for a period of time following a Line of Duty Death.

A line of duty death (LODD) is a death in the fire service while on duty at an emergency or drill. On average, there are more than 100 LODDs in the United States per year.^[1] When a fire department loses a member in a LODD, it will commonly fly its flag at half-staff, and members will cover their badges with a mourning band. The Fire Department New York has a tradition of announcing deaths with four series of five bells (the four fives, 5-5-5-5).^[2]

Statistics

All statistics^[1]

The leading cause of fatalities of firefighters is heart attack (44%), followed by trauma (27%), motor vehicle collisions (20-25%) asphyxia and burns (20%). Asphixia and burns generally affect firefighters under 35 years of age more than stress or heart attacks, whereas the opposite is true for firefighters over 35 years of age.
Full-time and career firefighters accounted for 33% of fatalities, but only 26% of the fire service.
Where fire departments have EMS, calls related to this service may account for as much as 80% of call volume and as low as 50%. However, fatalities associated with these calls are very insignificant (3%).
Volunteer firefighters account for 85% of en route fatalities.
In the past decade, fatalities during training have risen to 6%.
About 8% of fatalities occur at incidents with more than one LODD.

Prevention

While the complexity of firefighting is increasing, due to everything from cars to chemicals, the number of LODDs is stagnant, or, if anything, decreasing.

Another factor is that a large number of LODDs - motor vehicle collisions - are preventable.^[3]

L.O.D. Deaths Present-1980


Year	Number of Deaths
2015	70
2014	87
2013	101
2012	83
2011	81
2010	87
2009	93
2008	118
2007	118
2006	107
2005	115
2004	119
2003	113
2002	101
2001	105/448**
2000	105
1999	114
1998	93
1997	100
1996	99
1995	103
1994	106
1993	81
1992	77
1991	108
1990	108
1989	119
1988	136
1987	131
1986	121
1985	126
1984	119
1983	113
1982	126
1981	135
1980	140

** The 2001 figure includes the 343 FDNY firefighters who were killed in the line of duty at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

References

1 2 U.S. Fire Administration. Firefighter Fatalities Historical Overview
↑ "Tributes to Firefighters". Iowa Firefighters Association. Retrieved 3 February 2016. When a firefighter died ... headquarters would transmit five bell strikes, repeated in four series, with a slight pause between each series, followed by the announcement
↑ "LODD Prevention. A Lesson in Vehicle Maintenance and Safety". Loddprevention.com. Retrieved 2012-05-17.

External links

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