There might not be an occupation more dangerous than being a firefighter. California firefighters frequently throw themselves into burning buildings and put themselves at risk to save countless lives. As such, they’re more likely to suffer injuries.
What injuries are most common?
The injuries that are most common for firefighters can change over a period of time. As of a 2019 study, some of the most common fire work injuries were:
- Strains and sprains
- Smoke and gas inhalation
- Cuts, bruises, other wounds
- Thermal stress (frost bite/heat exhaustion)
Since being a firefighter is extremely active work, muscle strains and other physical injuries are common. Sometimes these can happen while actively fighting a fire, or while performing a non-fire related duty. In addition, jumps, falls, slips while on the clock also accounted for a lot of fireman work injuries.
What are some other injuries firefighters might face?
Firefighters often respond to multiple calls, not just active fires. Because of that, there might be other things that they are exposed to, such as natural gas and other hazardous materials that might cause an occupational illness at a later point.
Efforts have been made to keep the exposure firefighters face to hazardous material down in recent years. Older buildings are more likely to have things like asbestos and gas leaks that can put firefighters at risk, and there’s no way to immediately tell.
People who are paid employees of a fire department are generally covered by workers’ compensation insurance, but that might not be the case with volunteers. If you have been injured at this type of a job, you might want to meet with an experienced attorney to discuss your situation.
