Heart attack was typically the leading cause of death and generally accounted for roughly half of all on-duty deaths. On-duty heart attack deaths are usually attributed to overexertion or stress. The stress-related deaths in 2000 also included two due to strokes, one to an aneurysm, and one from a seizure. Last year, 11 of the 40 who suffered fatal heart attacks were known to have had prior heart problems, including heart attacks or bypass surgery. 

Considering other major causes of death, 21 fire fighters were killed in motor vehicle crashes, almost half of which occurred while the victims were responding to emergency calls. Thirteen fire fighters died of smoke inhalation or burns at fires. Twelve died of traumatic injuries resulting from falls or from being struck by vehicles or other objects. In 2000, three fire fighters were murdered while on duty. 

Of those who perished, 57 were volunteer fire fighters, 28 were career fire fighters, six were employees of state forestry agencies, three were employees of federal forestry agencies, three were contractors to federal or state forestry agencies, two were members of a state inmate forestry crew, one was a civilian employee of the military, one was a military fire fighter, and one was a member of an industrial fire department. 

Thirty-eight percent of the fire fighter deaths occurred on the fireground, 24 percent occurred while responding to or returning from alarms, followed by other on-duty responsibilities (18%), 

A quarter of the career fire fighters who died were between the ages of 41-45. More than a third of the volunteer fire fighters who died were over the age of 60. 

Nine fire fighters died in connection with arson fires. Six fire fighters died as a result of false alarms last year. Also, three fire fighters were fatally assaulted and another was accidentally shot during SWAT training. 

"Cardiovascular illnesses continue to account for such a large proportion of fire fighter deaths annually, and this needs to be addressed," said Rita Fahy, NFPA's manager of fire databases and systems and co-author of the report. "Increased attention to incident management and accountability systems is essential if we are to continue to reduce the death toll at fire incidents." 

George D. Miller, NFPA president, said, "With our longstanding commitment to fire fighter and public safety, NFPA continues to work with fire fighters to help identify and correct trends relating to fatalities. So much more, though, has to be learned about why cardiovascular illness is cited so often for these deaths and how we can all work toward eliminating this as a cause." 

Over the last decade fire fighter line of duty deaths have remained roughly constant, ranging from 75 in 1992 to a high of 112 in 1999. Since 1977 the number and percentage of career fire fighter deaths has declined steadily. In 2000, only 28 of the 102 killed were career fire fighters. 

"It all comes down to one main point: firemen need to exercise more," says Womack. "When firemen do fight fires, it is work that is both very strenuous and stressful, and very physically exerting. Put it all together and the chances of a heart attack are high." 

"In almost all of the cases, the heart attacks suffered by firemen are directly linked to the exertional demands of the firefighter's job," Womack reports. "They have long periods on duty 

Participants in Womack's study ranged in age from early 20s to mid 60s, with the average age being 35.8 years old. They had above average body fat composition and slightly higher cholesterol readings based on optimum levels. Especially disturbing, he said, was that VO₂ max, a measure of aerobic fitness, deteriorated significantly during the course of the study, from 41.8 to 35.6, suggesting a negative trend in the fire fighter's overall physical condition. 

The message is clear: fire fighters need to work out more. Improving diet and monitoring cholesterol would also help. 

Womack said his study was the result of contracts with local fire departments, in which the lab provides fire fighters with low-cost physical fitness assessments conducted by its students. After several years, Womack went back to look at the data and discovered the trends. 

Whether there is a connection between the fire fighter furloughs and the increased disability claims is difficult to establish. However, according to the Buffalo News, city records reveal that 12 Niagara Falls fire fighters were placed on disability status between 1978 and 1996, an 18 year period. During the three years following the furloughs, 11 fire fighters became disabled. 

The former mayor disagrees. "That's all baloney," Galie said, blaming the injuries on unavoidable accidents, carelessness, and union politics. "There is no question in my mind that they [the city's two fire fighter unions] were incensed over the job cuts," he added. "All of a sudden minor injuries became serious injuries." "In my opinion, a lot of it was job action." 

But Chief Correa noted that fire fighters are trained as four-member crews. Reducing crews to three or two members greatly affects the efficiency 

Eight of the disabled fire fighters have been accepted into the state disability plan while three are still awaiting a decision. While the claims were pending, the city paid an estimated $1.3 million in sick pay and other compensation. Once the fire 

City officials said measures are being taken to control disability expenses through safety training, closer case management, and insurance. 

As reported in the October 2000 issue of Fire Service Labor Monthly, Parma Heights Fire Chief Bryan Sloan ordered the six fire fighters to attend a service at a local Baptist church during Civic 

The fire fighters said they did not wish to attend the service but were threatened with insubordination charges if they refused. The ACLU argued that the chief's order violated the First Amendment protection on the free exercise of religion. 

The key to the settlement was an apology by the fire chief and the assurance that the fire fighters will not suffer sanction for bringing the suit. 

Now Commissioner Van Essen's old union has adopted a different strategy _ union discipline. At its meeting last month, the UFA, which bargains for rank-and-file fire fighters, altered its constitution to require members of the executive board to repay their union salaries if they take management jobs with the city. A union spokesman said the move 

The UFA president is paid a salary equal to his city pay, which he is also allowed to keep. Other board members draw 50 percent of their city wage. 

The charter change provides that elected officers would have to refund their union wages if they take a management job with the city within three years of leaving the union. The new rule goes into force with next year's election of officers and will have no effect on the current fire commissioner. 

Commissioner Van Essen is believed to be the only UFA member ever to directly move to a management position in the city's fire department. "This [the salary repayment rule] was the real vote of no-confidence," a UFA official stated. 

As designed, the proposal would require the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to determine if existing state laws meet statutory standards. If a state did not have a qualifying collective bargaining law, fire fighter and police officer labor issues would fall under the jurisdiction of the FLRA. The key points of the bill include mandatory bargaining with fire fighters and police officers and use of mediation, not arbitration, in case of impasse. Strikes are prohibited under the 

A Congressional committee conducted a hearing on the bill last year. Supporters and critics were permitted to state their views on the legislation. No committee action was taken. 

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), AFL-CIO, which helped draft the bill, has tagged the proposal its most important legislative initiative. Lobbying groups for local governmental entities have expressed strong opposition to the bill, arguing that it might be unconstitutional. 

The proposal currently has 120 sponsors, including 21 Republicans. Last year, a majority of the members of the House of Representatives signed on as cosponsors but the matter never was brought to the floor for a vote. Companion legislation received only tepid support in the Senate, a circumstance not likely to change this session. 

Cases of interest 

HELD: Federal civil rights laws prohibit an employer from discriminating against any of its employees because the employee has opposed an 

HELD: DiLegge claims he was not promoted because of union association and his race. To establish a fair employment practice claim based on race, a plaintiff must demonstrate that he is a member of the protected class, he was qualified for the position, he suffered an adverse employment action, and the adverse employment action occurred under circumstances giving a rise to an inference of discrimination. To establish First Amendment retaliation the plaintiff must demonstrate that his action was constitutionally protected, he suffered an adverse employment act decision, and a causal connection exists between the action and the decision. In this case the mayor was an African-American while the fire commissioner was white. Where two applicants are considered to be of substantially similar qualifications, no adverse 

HELD: Florida statute governs grievance procedures between public employers and employees or unions. The statute provides that the employer and the bargaining agent shall negotiate a grievance procedure that has as its final step binding arbitration. The statute further reads "a career service employee" shall be afforded the option of a civil service appeal, binding arbitration, or an unfair labor practice charge but such employee may not use more than one of these procedures. The union argues that the prohibition of pursuing more than one review of a grievance is limited to "career service" employees. The statute in question, however, contains no definition of "career service employee." In the absence of any legal authority to support the union's argument, no basis exists to create a distinction among public employees for the 

HELD: Under New Jersey law "plain notice" is the standard to be applied when 

HELD: Under Virginia worker's compensation law two possible conditions exist: injury by accident and occupational disease. A "disease" is a condition that may arise from any number of causes, including trauma, that impairs the function of the body or any part thereof. The distinction between injury and disease lies in the obvious sudden mechanical or structural aspect of injury. Under Virginia law PTSD may be compensable as an injury by accident or as an occupational disease depending on how it develops. The threshold question in this case is whether Mottram's condition is an "injury" or "disease." If an "injury," then his right to compensation is barred by the commission decision rejecting his claim. If his condition is a "disease," it must be determined whether it is an occupational disease or an ordinary disease of life. A review of case precedent reveals that when PTSD results from ongoing stress it qualifies as a disease. Mottram's condition is a result of multiple stressful events. The worker's