A profile of injuries within an Australian State Emergency Service Agency: a retrospective study

Injuries within the emergency services populations are unfortunately common. Effective injury reduction programs need to be designed based on the profile of common injuries. Therefore, this study aimed to profile the injuries suffered within a state Emergency Services Agency which comprised Ambulance, Fire and Rescue, Rural Fire, volunteer emergency State Emergency Services (SES), and the Communication Centre (CC).

A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on the entirety of an Australian State Emergency Service Agency injury database over a ten-year period (2012-2022). Records were extracted with details including (a) the total number; (b) the bodily site; (c) the nature; (d) and mechanism of injury. Total injuries were converted into injuries per 1000 full-time equivalent (FTE) years of service and incidence rate (IR) and ratios (IRR) were calculated per service.

In total, there were 2,703 physical injuries reported by the agency, with Ambulance Services sustaining over half the injuries (57.5%). The most common body site, nature of injury, and mechanism was the lower back (27.9%), soft tissue (59.7%), and body stressing (45.5%), respectively. Based on 1000 FTE years, SES had the highest IR of 2054.2 followed by Rural Fire (IR = 1295.1), Communications (IR = 753.7), Ambulance Services (IR = 566.3), and Fire and Rescue (IR = 183.7). State Emergency Services sustained the highest IRR of 3.64 [3.13-4.22] when compared to Ambulance Services. The age group most likely to be injured were 45-49 years of age (17%), with males suffering the majority (65%) of injuries.

State Emergency Services present with injury rates above those of other emergency services personnel. These findings lay the groundwork for customised injury prevention strategies to promote better occupational safety across emergency service populations. Tailored injury prevention strategies may decrease subsequent time off due to injury.