Firefighters receive significant training and are outfitted with state-of-the-art protective equipment. However, given the unpredictable nature of their work environment,
injuries still occur. The National
Burn Repository (NBR) was viewed as a resource for defining the epidemiology of these
injuries on a national level and to identify predictive factors for outcomes in this population. The NBR was queried for the occupation of "firefighter" for the years 1990-2008. Records were screened for completeness, and 597 patients were identified for analysis. Data examined included demographics, %TBSA
burn,
length of stay (LOS), injury circumstance, and disposition. Multiple linear regression models were created to determine factors related to outcome measures. The majority of patients were white (84%) and male (96%). The mean age was 35 years. Most
injuries were caused by fire/flame (73%). Only six deaths (1%) were reported. Most
injuries were work-related (86%), and most patients were discharged home (92%). Inhalation injury was documented in 9% of patients. The mean LOS was 6.5 ± 11.3 days (median 2 days), and few patients had
critical care requirements. The average %TBSA was 6 ± 11.7%. Patients with larger
injuries had increased LOS. The presence of inhalation injury, elevated
carboxyhemoglobin levels, and advancing age were significantly associated with larger
burns. From the NBR data, most firefighter
burn injuries were small, and few firefighter
burn patients required
critical care resources or had significant disability. Firefighters comprise a small number of burn center admissions each year, yet they are an important population to consider for
burn prevention efforts.