Editing Firefighter (section)

===Direct risks===
====Fires====
[[File:Firemen's Monument, Boston by John A Wilson- far.jpg|thumb|[[Firemen's Memorial (Boston)]] by [[John A. Wilson (sculptor)|John Wilson]]]]
[[Image:Airport-firefighters-drill.jpg|thumb|right|Firefighters wearing [[Personal protective equipment|PPE]] tackle an aircraft fire during a drill at [[Dyess Air Force Base]] in [[Abilene, Texas]]]]
To allow protection from the inherent risks of fighting fires, firefighters wear and carry protective and self-rescue equipment at all times. A [[self-contained breathing apparatus]] (SCBA) delivers air to the firefighter through a [[full face mask]] and is worn to protect against [[smoke inhalation]], toxic fumes, and super heated gases. A special device called a [[PASS device|Personal Alert Safety System]] (PASS) is commonly worn independently or as a part of the SCBA to alert others when a firefighter stops moving for a specified period of time or manually operates the device. The PASS device sounds an alarm that can assist another firefighter ([[firefighter assist and search team]] (FAST), or [[rapid intervention team]] (RIT), in locating the firefighter in distress.

Firefighters often carry personal self-rescue [[rope]]s. The ropes are generally {{convert|30|ft}} long and can provide a firefighter (that has enough time to deploy the rope) a partially controlled exit out of an elevated window. Lack of a personal rescue rope is cited in the deaths of two New York City firefighters, Lt. John Bellew and Lt. Curtis Meyran, who died after they jumped from the fourth floor of a burning apartment building in the Bronx. Of the four firefighters who jumped and survived, only one of them had a self-rescue rope. Since the incident, the Fire Department of New York City has issued self-rescue ropes to their firefighters.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |author=James Barron |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/24/nyregion/3-firefighters-die-in-blazes-in-brooklyn-and-bronx.html |title=3 Firefighters Die in Blazes in Brooklyn and Bronx |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 24, 2005 }}</ref>

[[Hyperthermia|Heat injury]] is a major issue for firefighters as they wear insulated clothing and cannot shed the heat generated from physical exertion. Early detection of heat issues is critical to stop dehydration and heat stress becoming fatal. Early onset of heat stress affects cognitive function which combined with operating in dangerous environment makes heat stress and dehydration a critical issue to monitor. Firefighter physiological status monitoring is showing promise in alerting EMS and commanders to the status of their people on the fire ground. Devices such as [[PASS device]] alert 10–20 seconds after a firefighter has stopped moving in a structure. Physiological status monitors measure a firefighter's vital sign status, fatigue and exertion levels and transmit this information over their voice radio. This technology allows a degree of early warning to physiological stress. These devices<ref>Zephyr Technologies [http://www.zephyr-technology.com/bioharness-bt.html BioHarness BT] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407031009/http://www.zephyr-technology.com/bioharness-bt.html |date=2010-04-07 }}</ref> are similar to technology developed for [[Future Force Warrior]] and give a measure of exertion and fatigue. They also tell the people outside a building when they have stopped moving or fallen. This allows a supervisor to call in additional engines before the crew get exhausted and also gives an early warning to firefighters before they run out of air, as they may not be able to make voice calls over their radio. Current [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration|OSHA]] tables exist for heat injury and the allowable amount of work in a given environment based on temperature, humidity and solar loading.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_4.html |title=OSHA Technical Manual (OTM) - Section III: Chapter IV: Heat Stress |publisher=Osha.gov |access-date=2012-12-10}}</ref>

Firefighters are also at risk for developing [[rhabdomyolysis]]. Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle tissue and has many causes including heat exposure, high core body temperature, and prolonged, intense exertion. Routine firefighter tasks, such as carrying extra weight of equipment and working in hot environments, can increase firefighters' risk for rhabdomyolysis.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=NIOSH|date=2018-05-01|title=What structural fire fighters need to know about rhabdomyolysis.|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2018-133/pdfs/2018-133.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2018133|doi=10.26616/nioshpub2018133|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-05-01|title=What wildland fire fighters need to know about rhabdomyolysis.|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2018-131/pdfs/2018-131.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2018131|doi=10.26616/nioshpub2018131|doi-access=free}}</ref>

====Structural collapses====
Another leading cause of death during firefighting is [[structural collapse]] of a burning building (e.g. a wall, floor, ceiling, roof, or [[truss|truss system]]). Structural collapse, which often occurs without warning, may crush or trap firefighters inside the structure. To avoid loss of life, all on-duty firefighters should maintain two-way communication with the [[incident commander]] and be equipped with a [[PASS device|personal alert safety system device]] (PASS) on all fire scenes and maintain radio communication on all incidents.<ref>[[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]] Alert: [https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/99-146.html Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters due to Structural Collapse]. August 1999.</ref><ref>[[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]] Alert: [https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/99-146.html Preventing Injuries and Deaths of Fire Fighters Due to Truss System Failures]. May 2005.</ref> [[Francis Brannigan]] was the founder and greatest contributor to this element of firefighter safety.

====Traffic collisions====
In the United States, 25% of fatalities of firefighters are caused by [[traffic collision]]s while responding to or returning from an incident. Other firefighters have been injured or killed by vehicles at the scene of a fire or emergency (Paulison 2005). A common measure fire departments have taken to prevent this is to require firefighters to wear a bright yellow reflective vest over their turnout coats if they have to work on a public road, to make them more visible to passing drivers.<ref>Federal Highway Administration DOT 23CFR634 Worker Visibility.</ref>

====Violence====
Firefighters have occasionally been assaulted by members of the public while responding to calls. These kinds of attacks can cause firefighters to fear for their safety when responding to specific areas and may cause them to not have full focus on the situation which could result in injury to their selves or the patient.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rapid Response: Firefighters describe alarming moments during riots|url=https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-safety/articles/rapid-response-firefighters-describe-alarming-moments-during-riots-iftvQ2TdlzaaGo1W/|access-date=2020-12-05|website=FireRescue1|language=en}}</ref> Workplace violence<ref name="Murray-2019">{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Regan M. |last2=Davis |first2=Andrea L. |last3=Shepler |first3=Lauren J. |last4=Moore-Merrell |first4=Lori |last5=Troup |first5=William J. |last6=Allen |first6=Joseph A. |last7=Taylor |first7=Jennifer A. |date=2019-12-16 |title=A Systematic Review of Workplace Violence Against Emergency Medical Services Responders |journal=NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy |language=en |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=487–503 |doi=10.1177/1048291119893388 |issn=1048-2911 |pmc=8594050 |pmid=31841060|bibcode=2020NewSo..29..487M }}</ref> consists of the mental and physical abuse sustained during on-duty activities. First Responders are the most likely to experience this type of violence and EMS even has a percentage range of 53-90% of calls that had an instance of Workplace violence. This type of violence is a major reason for burnout and depression in First Responders, while EMS deal more with people on a daily basis, ~18% Firefighters experience PTSD due to WPV<ref name="Murray-2019" /> and 60% had at least one call where they had feared for their life or questioned their safety.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Setlack |first=Jennifer |date=2019-04-02 |title=Workplace violence and mental health of paramedics and firefighters |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1993/34347 |journal=University of Manitoba |hdl=1993/34347 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=Regan M. |last2=Davis |first2=Andrea L. |last3=Shepler |first3=Lauren J. |last4=Moore-Merrell |first4=Lori |last5=Troup |first5=William J. |last6=Allen |first6=Joseph A. |last7=Taylor |first7=Jennifer A. |date=February 2020 |title=A Systematic Review of Workplace Violence Against Emergency Medical Services Responders |journal=NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy |language=en |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=487–503 |doi=10.1177/1048291119893388 |issn=1048-2911 |pmc=8594050 |pmid=31841060|bibcode=2020NewSo..29..487M }}</ref>

====Chemical exposure====
While firefighters are generally responsible for managing hazardous materials in the environment, there is a great deal of risks that they face by doing so.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Anna S. |last2=Hauser |first2=Russ |last3=James-Todd |first3=Tamarra M. |last4=Coull |first4=Brent A. |last5=Zhu |first5=Hongkai |last6=Kannan |first6=Kurunthachalam |last7=Specht |first7=Aaron J. |last8=Bliss |first8=Maya S. |last9=Allen |first9=Joseph G. |date=May 2021 |title=Impact of "healthier" materials interventions on dust concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and organophosphate esters |url=|journal=Environment International |volume=150 |pages=106151 |doi=10.1016/j.envint.2020.106151 |pmid=33092866 |pmc=7940547 |bibcode=2021EnInt.15006151Y |issn=0160-4120}}</ref> [[Flame retardant]]s are chemical products that are utilized to slow down or stop the spread of a fire by reducing its intensity. While there are numerous benefits to flame retardant products in terms of the reduction of major fires, the components that make up these substances are extremely harmful.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal |last1=Sim |first1=Wonjin |last2=Choi |first2=Sol |last3=Choo |first3=Gyojin |last4=Yang |first4=Mihee |last5=Park |first5=Ju-Hyun |last6=Oh |first6=Jeong-Eun |date=2021-03-05 |title=Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Drinking Water Treatment Plants from Korea: Occurrence and Human Exposure |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |language=en |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=2645 |doi=10.3390/ijerph18052645 |pmid=33807996 |pmc=7967649 |issn=1660-4601 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The most concerning materials that make up these products are [[Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances|PFAS]] chemicals. Studies linked PFAS exposure with health effects including major neurological defects and cancer.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Long term exposure to these chemicals is a notable concern.

While many hazardous chemicals used in fire-fighting materials, such as penta-bromdiphenyl ether have already been banned by the government, they are almost immediately replaced by a new substance with similar harmful effects. After banning penta-bromodiphenyl ether, chlorinated tris, chloroalkyl phospahtes, halogenated aryl esters, and tetrabromophthalate dio diester were used instead.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite journal |last1=Clarity |first1=Cassidy |last2=Trowbridge |first2=Jessica |last3=Gerona |first3=Roy |last4=Ona |first4=Katherine |last5=McMaster |first5=Michael |last6=Bessonneau |first6=Vincent |last7=Rudel |first7=Ruthann |last8=Buren |first8=Heather |last9=Morello-Frosch |first9=Rachel |date=December 2021 |title=Associations between polyfluoroalkyl substance and organophosphate flame retardant exposures and telomere length in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco |journal=Environmental Health |language=en |volume=20 |issue=1 |page=97 |doi=10.1186/s12940-021-00778-z |pmid=34454526 |pmc=8403436 |bibcode=2021EnvHe..20...97C |issn=1476-069X |doi-access=free }}</ref> While these chemicals are constantly changing with attempts to make it safer for the public, firefighters have constant, up-close exposure that can put them at increased risk.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>