NJ EMS Line of Duty Deaths: A Trend Analysis

As early as 2002, researchers were calling the occupational fatalities in Emergency Medical Service (EMS), a hidden crisis. Little consideration has been given to the needs for a safer working environment.

This is a secondary data analysis of Line of Duty Death (LODD) data of NJ EMS workers from 1912 to 2020.

There were 81 reported LODDs. LODDs were greater for the 2000s period than the 1900s period and the results were the same when outliers were excluded.

Efforts are needed to study the plethora of threats to EMS providers in order to target mitigation measures to implement a safety environment within a hot zone of potential threats. These threats are not novel, but it is time for novel solutions to mirror the efforts afforded to fire and police personnel, ensuring a fully safe and resilient public safety sector.