ABSTRACT
Firefighting is a high-risk activity in which firefighters are exposed to a wide range of risks, diseases and even death. Unfortunately, fatal accidents still occur. In the United States, for instance, in 2009, a total of 82 on-duty firefighter deaths occurred. This represents a significant drop when compared to the 105 on-duty deaths that occurred in 2008, but is higher than the 79 deaths registered in 1993. A common scenario is that the largest share of deaths occurred while firefighters were operating on the fire ground. In Portugal, more than 180 deaths have occurred between 1980 and 2010 and 60 of them correspond to the last decade. Therefore, the firefighting activities are prone to the continuous attention of the scientific community and of several decision makers.
