Evaluating Firefighter On-Scene Decontamination Practices Using a National Fire Records Management System

Abstract

Objective This study describes firefighters’ on-scene decontamination procedure use post–working fire and frequency of adherence to best practice. Methods This retrospective analysis of working fires was conducted using records from the ESO Data Collaborative (Austin, TX) national research database from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. Documentation of decontamination procedures was examined among records with smoke or combustion products exposure. Firefighter and incident characteristics were evaluated. Descriptive statistics and univariable odds ratios were calculated. Results Among the 31,281 firefighters included in the study, 8.0% documented a fire-related exposure. Of those, 82% performed at least one on-scene decontamination procedure; 5% documented all decontamination procedures defined as best practices. The odds of documenting any decontamination procedure were significantly decreased among firefighters responding to incidents in rural areas compared with urban areas (odds ratio, 0.70). Conclusions Fire personnel may not be taking all necessary decontamination steps post–working fires.