Fire Service History Essay

Lung Disease in Firefighters, History of the Fire Service The establishment of the first volunteer fire department is often accredited to Benjamin Franklin around 1736. Franklin noted that Boston had "a club or society of active men belonging to each fire engine, whose business is to attend all fires with it whenever they happen" (“Fire Service History,” n.d.). While there have been many technological and procedural developments in the fire service over the centuries, it has remained primarily a “club or society of active men.” The annual average from 2008 to 2012 for the amount of women in the fire service was only 3.8%. In addition to only having 3.8% of firefighters being women, the amount of firefighters being Black or of Hispanic origin

Even though the amount of injuries sustained by firefighters annually have dropped by 46% from 1981 to 2013, there are still over 65,000 firefighters injured or killed due to work related incidences. The leading types of injuries are strains or sprains, followed by thermal burns, then cuts or lacerations. Additionally, 58% of job related deaths are caused by overexertion, stress, and medical issues and another 14% died due to asphyxiation and smoke inhalation (NFPA, 2015). Although only 14% of people die from smoke inhalation, there are many other nonfatal diseases that are caused by the amount of toxic gases firefighters are exposed to on the job. One of the most common of these diseases is lung disease. While there have been many advances to protect firefighters from smoke exposure, they are still at risk of

While both younger and older generations showed a decline in lung function, older generations had a greater decline (2013, p. 271). This is accredited to the advances in technology and training within the fire service over the past few decades. Older generations reported they would only occasionally use breathing apparatuses during fire operations. Because of this they were exposed to more smoke inhalation leading to greater damages in their respiratory