Analysis of crashes involving First Responder Vehicles

First responders face many hazards that put their lives at risk while on duty. Over the period of 1992-97, 887 law enforcement personnel and 259 firefighters were killed in the line of duty (Clarke, 1999). An inherent danger comes with the duties of emergency response. A review of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund statistics shows that 553 police officers died in the line-of-duty between 2008 and 2017 as a direct result of a traffic related incidents. That represents more than 36 percent of all on-duty fatalities and is even higher than the number of police officers lost to gun violence over the same period. Sadly, the nation’s first responders are exposed to factors which make them uniquely vulnerable to traffic related injuries and deaths. The goal of this research is to investigate and analyze crashes involving first responder vehicles. This will be achieved by gathering police, fire, and ambulance vehicle crash reports from Signal Four Database from across the state of Florida from 2016 to 2018. Based on the database, approximately 1% of the crashes were first responder vehicles. The data set will be used to look at frequency and severity levels between first responders and the general public. Additionally, an evaluation will be conducted on individual responder vehicle groups; police, fire, and ambulance. This project is expected to help identify factors and situations that can lead to increased risk for first responders on Florida roadways. Potential recommendations discovered through this research should be used to protect the lives of first responders. REFERENCES Clarke, C., & Zak, M. J. (1999). Fatalities to Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters, 1992-97 [Electronic version]. Compensation and Working Conditions, 3-7