ACROSS Our PRESS DESK......

Sam Cahan, PE                          

   DID YOU KNOW?

More firefighters are killed in vehicle crashes than fires.

In 2003 more firefighters died in on-duty motor vehicle crashes than in any year since 1977, when the National Fire Protection Association began collecting the data.

All told, the study found that 105 firefighters died on-duty in 2003, up from 97 in 2002 (compared to 47 firefighters who died from stress-induced heart attacks).

This indicates that many of the deaths during response to emergencies are preventable.  It means that proper training, adhering to standards, obeying traffic laws, and controlling speeds would help reduce this unacceptable toll.     (Full report: www.nfpa.org .)