Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report: Probationary Fire Fighter Suffers Sudden Cardiac Death During Maze Drill in Connecticut

摘要

On March 13, 2004, a 38-year-old male volunteer probationary Fire Fighter (FF) suddenly collapsed while performing a maze drill. Teammates extricated the FF from the maze, removed his self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and found him in cardiac arrest. They began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while an ambulance was summoned. Despite CPR and advanced life support (ALS) provided by teammates, police, and ambulance personnel, the FF died. The death certificate and the autopsy, completed by the Chief Medical Examiner, listed 'sudden death associated with rheumatic heart disease' as the cause of death. NIOSH investigators concluded the physical stress of fire suppression training and his underlying valvular heart disease contributed to this fire fighter's sudden cardiac death.