|  HID14 – December 2001
Fire Fighter Deaths from
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Description of HAZARD
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Mobile water supply vehicles, known as tankers or tenders, are widely used to transport water to areas beyond a water supply system or where the water supply is inadequate. Incidents involving motor vehicles account for approximately 20% of U.S. fire fighter deaths each year; cases involving tankers are the most prevalent of these motor vehicle incidents. During 1977–1999, 73 deaths occurred in 63 crashes involving tankers. Of those deaths, 54 occurred in 49 crashes in which tankers rolled over (no collision), and 8 occurred in 6 crashes in which the tankers left the road (no collision). The other cases involved collision with another vehicle (10 deaths in 7 crashes) and collision with stationary object(s) (1 death) [NFPA 2000]. Tanker drivers may not be fully aware that tanker trucks are more difficult to control than passenger vehicles. A tanker truck requires a much greater distance to stop. Tankers weigh substantially more, and their air brake systems take more time to activate than the hydraulic/mechanical brake systems on smaller passenger cars. The effect is influenced by the amount of water the tanker is hauling and whether the tanker is baffled. |
Under the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, NIOSH investigated two separate incidents involving fire fighters who were killed in tanker truck rollovers during 1999 and 2000 [NIOSH 2000a,b]. Both incidents involved volunteer fire departments providing mutual aid with water tanker trucks.
Case 1
On October 28, 1999, a Captain and a fire fighter (the driver) responded to a mutual-aid call in a full, elliptical-shaped, 1,800-gallon water tanker truck equipped with baffles [NIOSH 2000a]. The tanker was traveling west, and as it approached a curve, the driver lost control. The vehicle drifted toward the shoulder of the road as the driver tried to correct the direction of travel. Just past the curve, the tanker veered off the road into a corn field. The tanker rolled onto the passenger side and continued to roll over several times (Figure 1). The driver was ejected from the tanker. The Captain was trapped in the crushed, upside-down cab and had to be extricated. He was taken to a local hospital and died 7 days later. The driver was taken to a local hospital then flown by helicopter to a trauma center. He died 86 days after the incident.
Case 2
On January 17, 2000, a fire Chief died after responding to a mutual-aid call in a full, T-shaped, 641-gallon, handmade water tanker truck that was not equipped with baffles and was attached to a converted pickup truck [NIOSH 2000b]. The tanker was traveling west when the Chief lost control of the tanker as he approached a slight curve in the road. As the tanker began to skid, the right tires left the pavement and entered the shoulder. The tanker continued on the shoulder until it entered a ditch and became airborne. Next the tanker crossed a lane on a side street, struck a center median, and crossed a second lane on the side street. The tanker then struck a guard rail and flipped end-over-end until it landed in a concrete culvert. The Chief was killed instantly.
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Recommendations
for Prevention
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To reduce the risk of tanker truck rollovers, NIOSH recommends that fire departments take the following precautions:
All drivers should do the following:
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 Figure 1.Tanker truck involved in incident. |
The principal contributor to this publication was Nancy T. Romano, NIOSH, Division of Safety Research. External reviews were provided by Rita Fahy and Carl Peterson, National Fire Protection Association; Heather Schafer, National Volunteer Fire Council; Ralph Craven, Craven & Associates; Michael Wilbur, Emergency Vehicle Response Consulting.
NFPA [2000]. Special analysis based on NFPA's Fire Incident Data Organization (FIDO). Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, Fire Analysis and Research Division.
NFPA [2001]. National fire codes: a compilation of NFPA codes, standards, recommended practices, manuals and guides. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association.
NIOSH [2000a]. A captain and a fire fighter die from injuries in a tanker rollover — Indiana. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. F2000—10.
NIOSH [2000b]. Tanker rollover claims life of volunteer fire chief — Missouri. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. F2000—18.
For More Information
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To receive more information about occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at NIOSH Telephone: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) or visit the NIOSH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh NIOSH is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related illness and injuries. NIOSH conducts the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program to determine factors that cause or contribute to fire fighter fatalities suffered in the line of duty and to develop strategies for preventing similar incidents in the future. More information is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/firehome.html  |
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
Delivering on the Nation's Promise:
Safety and health at work for all
people through research and
prevention
