Evaluating Firefighter On-Scene Decontamination Practices Using a National Fire Records Management System

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Firefighter Safety
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Firefighter exposure to carcinogens and toxins during fires is a significant occupational hazard.
• On-scene decontamination is a critical step in reducing post-fire exposure and long-term health risks.
• Best practices for decontamination aim to minimize direct contact with combustion products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utilization and adherence to on-scene decontamination procedures among firefighters post-working fire incidents.
• To identify factors influencing the documentation and performance of decontamination practices.
• To assess the frequency of adherence to established best practices for firefighter decontamination.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of national fire incident data from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.
• Examination of documented decontamination procedures for firefighters with reported smoke or combustion product exposure.
• Statistical analysis including descriptive statistics and univariable odds ratios to evaluate firefighter and incident characteristics.

Main Results:

• Out of 31,281 firefighters, only 8.0% documented fire-related exposure.
• While 82% performed at least one decontamination procedure, only 5% documented adherence to all best practices.
• Firefighters in rural areas had lower odds of documenting any decontamination procedure compared to urban areas (OR, 0.70).

Conclusions:

• Fire personnel demonstrate suboptimal adherence to recommended on-scene decontamination protocols following working fires.
• The low rate of documented best practice adherence suggests potential gaps in safety procedures and training.
• Further investigation and targeted interventions are needed to improve decontamination compliance and firefighter health outcomes.