First responders' occupational injury and disease associated with periods of extreme bushfires.
Bushfire
Emergency responders
Firefighters
Health impacts
Workers’ compensation
Journal
Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
Titre abrégé: Sci Rep
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101563288
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
07 10 2024
07 10 2024
Historique:
received:
23
04
2024
accepted:
23
09
2024
medline:
8
10
2024
pubmed:
8
10
2024
entrez:
7
10
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
There has been limited research on the health impacts of extreme bushfire exposure among emergency responders (ER) involved in suppressing extreme bushfires. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between extreme bushfires and ER's compensated injury and illness in Victoria, Australia. State-wide ER compensation claims from January 2005 to April 2023 were analysed. Logistic regression modelling was used to identify factors associated with compensation claims during the extreme bushfire periods in 2009 and 2019/20, compared to all other claims, adjusting for seasonality (summer). Of the 44,164 included claims, 1105 (2.5%) had recorded injury/disease onset dates within extreme bushfire periods, and 11,642 (26.4%) occurred in summer months. Over half of claims were made by police (52.4%), followed by ambulance officers/paramedics (27.2%) and firefighters (20.5%). Extreme bushfire period claims were associated with older workers (odds ratio/OR = 1.58,95%CI = 1.30-1.92, ages ≥ 55 vs. 35-44 years). Mental disorders (OR = 1.61,95%CI = 1.25-2.07), intracranial injuries (OR = 3.04,95%CI = 1.69-5.48) and infections/parasites (OR = 3.11,95%CI = 1.61-5.98) vs. wounds were associated with extreme bushfire period claims. Given the expected increase in extreme bushfire events and the ageing workforce, study findings underscore the importance of primary and secondary prevention in ER. This can include periodic health surveillance for older workers, access to early treatment, and ongoing support for mental health conditions.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39375491
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73886-8
pii: 10.1038/s41598-024-73886-8
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
23305Subventions
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Organisme : This study was partly supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant (application 1201353)
ID : 1201353
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
Références
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Bushfires - Black Saturday: Australian Government - National Emergency Management Agency. [15 February 2024]. (2014). https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/bushfire-black-saturday-victoria-2009/
Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Bushfires - Black Summer: Australian Government - National Emergency Management Agency. [15 February 2024]. (2020). https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/black-summer-bushfires-vic-2019-20/
Parliament of Australia. -20 Australian bushfires - frequently asked questions: a quick guide: Parliamentary library; [4 April 2024]. (2019). https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/7234762/upload_binary/7234762.pdf
Abram, N. J. et al. Connections of climate change and variability to large and extreme forest fires in southeast Australia. Commun. Earth Environ.2 (1), 8 (2021).
doi: 10.1038/s43247-020-00065-8
Cunningham, C. X., Williamson, G. J. & Bowman, D. M. Increasing frequency and intensity of the most extreme wildfires on Earth. Nat. Ecol. Evol. :1–6. (2024).
Climate Council of Australia. BE PREPARED: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE THREAT. [ (2013). https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/uploads/c597d19c0ab18366cfbf7b9f6235ef7c.pdf
Koopmans, E., Cornish, K., Fyfe, T. M., Bailey, K. & Pelletier, C. A. Health risks and mitigation strategies from occupational exposure to wildland fire: a scoping review. J. Occup. Med. Toxicol.17 (1), 2 (2022).
doi: 10.1186/s12995-021-00328-w
pmcid: 8725416
Groot, E., Caturay, A., Khan, Y. & Copes, R. A systematic review of the Health impacts of Occupational exposure to Wildland fires. Int. J. Occup. Med. Env. 32 (2), 121–140 (2019).
Navarro, K. Working in smoke: wildfire impacts on the Health of firefighters and Outdoor workers and Mitigation Strategies. Clin. Chest Med.41 (4), 763– (2020).
doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2020.08.017
pmcid: 9008597
McNamara, M. L. et al. Base Camp Personnel exposure to Particulate Matter during Wildland Fire suppression activities. J. Occup. Environ. Hyg.9 (3), 149–156 (2012).
doi: 10.1080/15459624.2011.652934
Main, L. C. et al. Firefighter’s Acute Inflammatory response to Wildfire suppression. J. Occup. Environ. Med.62 (2), 145–148 (2020).
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001775
Smith, E., Holmes, L., Larkin, B., Mills, B. & Dobson, M. Supporting Volunteer Firefighter Well-Being: lessons from the Australian Black Summer bushfires. Prehospital Disaster. 37 (2), 273–276 (2022).
doi: 10.1017/S1049023X22000322
Lawrence, D. et al. After the Fires: The Impacts of the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires on the Wellbeing of Emergency Services Personnel (Graduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, 2021).
WorkSafe Victoria. 2.5.6 Claims by certain types of workers: Victoria State Government; [ https://www1.worksafe.vic.gov.au/vwa/claimsmanual/Claims_Manual/2-claims-management/2-5-receive-claim/2-5-6-claims-by-certain-types-of-workers.htm
Roberts, M. H., Sim, M. R., Black, O. & Smith, P. Occupational injury risk among ambulance officers and paramedics compared with other healthcare workers in Victoria, Australia: analysis of workers’ compensation claims from 2003 to 2012. Occup. Environ. Med.72 (7), 489–495 (2015).
doi: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102574
Xia, T. & Collie, A. Work-related injury and illness in the victorian healthcare sector: a retrospective analysis of workers’ compensation claim records. Aust Health Rev.44 (1), 24–30 (2020).
doi: 10.1071/AH18017
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Volume 5 - Remoteness Structure 2016 [30 November 2023]. https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1270.0.55.005July%202016?OpenDocument
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia 2016 [30 November 2023]. https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/2033.0.55.0012016?OpenDocument#Data
Safe Work Australia. Type of Occurrence Classification System (TOOCS) 3rd Edition 2022 [30 November 2023]. https://data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/about-our-datasets/type-occurrence-classification-system-toocs-3rd-edition
Firth, D. Bias reduction of maximum likelihood estimates. Biometrika. 80 (1), 27–38 (1993).
doi: 10.1093/biomet/80.1.27
Beyond Blue. A Summary of the Three Phases of Beyond Blue’s Research Examining Mental Health and Wellbeing in Australia’s Police and Emergency Services Sector (Beyond Blue, 2020).
Kyron, M. J. et al. Mental health and wellbeing of Australian police and emergency services employees. Arch. Environ. Occup. H. 77 (4), 282–292 (2022).
Kyron, M. J., Rikkers, W., LaMontagne, A., Bartlett, J. & Lawrence, D. Work-related an Nonwork stressors, PTSD, and psychological distress: prevalence and attributable Burden among Australian police and emergency services employees. Psychol. Trauma-Us. 14 (7), 1124–1133 (2022).
doi: 10.1037/tra0000536
Comtesse, H., Ertl, V., Hengst, S. M. C., Rosner, R. & Smid, G. E. Ecological grief as a response to environmental change: a Mental Health risk or functional response? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health ; 18(2). (2021).
Counson, I. et al. Mental health and mindfulness amongst Australian fire fighters. Bmc Psychol. ; 7(1). (2019).
Jahnke, S. A. et al. Evaluation of the implementation of the NFFF Stress First Aid Intervention in Career Fire departments: a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health ; 20(22). (2023).
Rikkers, W. & Lawrence, D. Mental health help-seeking experiences and service use among Australian first responders. Aust J. Psychol.73 (2), 125–133 (2021).
doi: 10.1080/00049530.2021.1882271
Kim, J. E. et al. Firefighters, posttraumatic stress disorder, and barriers to treatment: results from a nationwide total population survey. PLoS One. 13 (1), e0190630 (2018).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190630
pmcid: 5755833
Wright, H. M. et al. Preventative Care in First Responder Mental Health: Focusing on Access and Utilization Stepped Telehealth Care. Front. Health Serv.2, (2022).
Berecki-Gisolf, J., Clay, F. J., Collie, A. & McClure, R. J. The impact of aging on work disability and return to work: insights from workers’ compensation claim records. J. Occup. Environ. Med.54 (3), 318–327 (2012).
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e31823fdf9d
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Labour Force, Australia, Detailed Canberra: ABS. [2 February 2024]. (2023). https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release
Kyron, M. J., Rikkers, W., O’Brien, P., Bartlett, J. & Lawrence, D. Experiences of police and emergency services employees with workers’ compensation claims for Mental Health issues. J. Occup. Rehabil.31 (1), 197–206 (2021).
doi: 10.1007/s10926-020-09909-8
Cull, M. Value beyond money: Australia’s special dependence on volunteer firefighters (The Conversation, 2020).
Podubinski, T., Townsin, L., Thompson, S. C., Tynan, A. & Argus, G. Experience of Healthcare Access in Australia during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int. J. Env Res. Pub He18(20), (2021).