Before we get into this investigation, let’s go back to the LODD date.

On December 31, 2008, Paid On-Call firefighter Jarrett Lee Little was responding to an emergency incident in a engine/tanker as the driver. This particular engine had a 1,500-gallon tank equipped.

   As Little made a left hand turn in the vehicle, he lost control, struck a telephone pole and then overturned. He was removed from the vehicle and flown out by a medical helicopter to a hospital which later pronounced him dead.

There were two other firefighters in the apparatus at the time of the accident and they were also injured. This was Firefighter Little’s first shift.

According to the NIOSH investigative report released Monday night, Firefighter Little was wearing a seatbelt. The officer on the apparatus at the time of the accident stated that Firefighter Little had driven through the same intersection two times earlier that day and he had driven the apparatus prior to his first day on the job.

Investigators stated that Firefighter Little had driven similar apparatus’ before in the past. The officer on board at the time of this incident had removed his seatbelt to untangle his SCBA a few seconds before the accident.

An off-duty firefighter witnessed the crash and stated that the apparatus was traveling around 20-30 mph.

NIOSH investigators listed the following factors in the wreck:

• Driving too fast for conditions

• Removing seat belts while the vehicle is in motion

• Insufficient training on intersections and difficult road conditions

• Insufficient rollover protection for the occupants of the fire apparatus

• Driver inexperience with this specific fire apparatus

Why do fire apparatus manufactures not put in the proper ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) that Firefighters need? How many more firefighters have to die before this is a standard? We have standards that state all departments must use couplings made in the U.S.A. (Which is nothing more than palm greasing going on) but we can’t have a standard that our apparatus should have ROPS.

**REMEMBER** Always wear your seatbelts! If you have to don or untangle your SCBA at the scene, do so. But it’s best to make sure everything is correct on your trucks PRIOR to the call! Not that this was the cause of death, but it’s a great habit that could prevent major injuries.

Feel free to discuss this information in the comments area.