DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18626448
title: Industrial Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths - United States (2026 Dataset)

description: This dataset documents known line‑of‑duty deaths involving industrial, private‑sector, and facility‑based firefighters in the United States, creating a consolidated national reference for a population that is frequently excluded from firefighter fatality research and statutory analyses.

Unlike traditional firefighter fatality datasets that focus primarily on municipal or public‑sector fire departments, this dataset centers on industrial fire brigades, private fire departments, employer‑based emergency response teams, and facility firefighters operating in refineries, manufacturing plants, mines, utilities, chemical facilities, and other industrial environments.

The dataset provides detailed, case‑level documentation of fatal incidents spanning multiple decades and is intended to support research examining occupational risk, exposure patterns, statutory exclusion, and inequities in line‑of‑duty recognition and benefits affecting industrial firefighters.

The dataset includes detailed variables describing:



Individual firefighter demographics (name, rank, age) where publicly available

Date of death and incident timing

Cause and nature of fatal injury or illness (e.g., exposure, burns, asphyxiation, cardiovascular events)

Activity or duty being performed at the time of death (fire suppression, rescue, training, investigation, support operations)

Emergency versus non‑emergency status

Employer or facility type (industrial plant, refinery, mine, private fire department, corporate fire brigade)

Geographic location

Cross‑references to national fatality databases, including the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), when available

Links to NIOSH investigations, OSHA investigations or interpretations, and archival or historical sources

Narrative incident summaries and supplemental reference notes to preserve contextual detail


This dataset was compiled through systematic review and cross‑referencing of firefighter fatality databases, federal investigation records, archival news sources, and historical documentation, with particular attention to employer classification and duty context to confirm industrial or private‑sector firefighter status.

Each entry reflects the best available documentation at the time of compilation, and inclusion does not imply uniformity in how incidents were classified, investigated, or recognized across jurisdictions or eras. Where discrepancies exist between sources, they are preserved and documented rather than normalized, supporting transparency and reproducibility.

Intended Users



This dataset is designed for use by:



Researchers studying firefighter occupational fatalities, industrial emergency response risk, or non‑municipal fire service populations

Public health and occupational safety professionals analyzing exposure‑related or cardiovascular firefighter deaths

Legal scholars and policymakers evaluating disparities in line‑of‑duty recognition, workers’ compensation eligibility, and statutory protections

Fire service leaders and industrial fire brigade managers assessing historical risk patterns

Scholars examining the relationship between firefighter fatalities and cancer presumption, benefit eligibility, or statutory exclusion frameworks


FAIR Use and Reusability



This dataset is designed to be:



Findable through structured metadata and keyword indexing

Accessible via open formats (CSV and XLSX)

Interoperable with occupational health, policy, and epidemiological datasets

Reusable for longitudinal analysis, policy evaluation, and occupational risk research


Future versions may incorporate additional cases, refined employer classifications, or expanded variables as new documentation becomes available.