Abstract
In response to a request from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), an evaluation was made of the health and safety practices of the Sedgwick County Fire Department (SIC-9224) in place during a brush fire on September 6, 1990 in Sedgwick County, Kansas. A 25 year old fire fighter suffered heat stroke and died at the scene. A site visit was conducted which included a tour of the fire scene, personal interviews with 25 fire fighters and support personnel, with a review of incident reports, incident command procedures and other documents. The fire fighter and the captain advanced separate booster lines and fought the brush fire for approximately 1 hour. The fire fighter rested at the engine alone while the captain of the two man engine company reported to command that the fire fighter was in need of rehabilitation. The captain then entered rehabilitation and over the next few hours several individuals mistakenly identified other fire fighters as the downed fire fighter and assured his captain that he had rested and was then reassigned. His body was found during cleanup operations. The authors conclude that a preventable series of events preceded the fire fighter's death. The authors recommend incident command and safety procedures as well as medical monitoring, rehabilitation of fire fighters at the fire scene, and rehydration schedules.