Injuries Reported to the TCFP Injury Reporting Program in 2011

2011 was a very successful first FULL year of injury reporting.  A big part of the injury reporting mandate comes from the need to analyze historical injury data and identify trends surrounding these injuries.  By gathering accurate and timely information on firefighter injuries, the Commission will be able to assist departments by disseminating facts concerning these trends, hopefully helping them make changes that will lead to fewer injuries.  Remember – injury reporting is non-punitive.  There are no hidden agendas in the program.  Departments are asked not to report the firefighters name or personal information.  This layer of anonymity allows local control of internal issues and keeps the reporting process altruistic in nature.  The overall safety of the Texas fire service is the only goal!

The 2011 Injury Reporting Program year-end report was presented to the Fire Fighter Advisory Committee on March 8, 2012.  After they review the trends we saw, they will present their recommendations to the Commission for input and approval.  The final report will be out later this year. 

Thank You!

We had a lot of participation in the injury reporting program this year.  We want to thank all those departments who reported injuries and near-miss reports to us.  We also want to thank those who participated in the user focus groups we held, as well as everyone else who provided feedback to us throughout the year.  We implemented some of the requested changes and received some great ideas about to how to improve the program in the future.  We look forward to seeing the program grow and look forward to providing quality information back out to the community. 

Highlights from This Year’s Preliminary Report

A total of 4,180 injuries were reported to us during 2011.  As you can see, these injuries occurred most often during Fire Suppression and Rescue-Non Fire activities.  Sprains & Strains and Environmental Injuries were the most common types of injuries reported.  The Back/Neck and Legs/Knees/Ankles were the most commonly injured body parts. 

Severity of Injuries by Activity 2011 - click to enlarge

Types of Injuries 2011 - click to enlarge

Injuries by Body Location 2011 - click to enlarge

Injuries with Lost Time

Types of Injuries Leading to Lost Time 2011 - click to enlarge

Throughout 2011 we got requests from the fire service for information on lost time in relation to injuries.  Of the 4,180 injuries reported in 2011, 18% of the injuries resulted in missed days.  The commission defines missed work as “lost time” when an individual misses more than one full duty period as a direct result of an injury and does not return to the duties to which they were assigned prior to the injury.  

 The areas included in the “other” category are: broken spine-neck, debris/penetrating, electrocution, exposure airborne pathogen, exposure chemical, smoke and smoke-gas inhalation, and stroke.

Sprain & Strain Injuries

As you can see above, Sprains & Strains lead to the most missed time.  And as you can see below,  Rescue Non-Fire activities were the most common activities leading to Sprains & Strains.   

Activities Leading to Sprains & Strains 2011 - click to enlarge

Stay Tuned

The lost time mentioned above, and many other factors surrounding injuries, can cost your department a great deal of money.  Over the next few months this blog will focus on these issues and we’d love to get your feedback surrounding the data we’ve provided, the costs of injuries, and the effects of injuries on the fire service as a whole.