REDUCTION AND MITIGATION OF THERMAL-INJURIES - WHAT CAN BE DONE

Soon after the introduction of the crashworthy fuel system and Nomex f light apparel, morbidity and mortality rates from thermal injuries in aviation were reduced to zero, Although the incidence of aircraft mish aps involving postcrash fires have remained the same, there has been a recent increase in thermal injury morbidity. These case reports descr ibe three different aircraft accidents in which fire was caused by fac tors other than the crashworthy fuel system. They also describe sustai ned thermal injuries and compare them to personal protection equipment . We found that the condition of the personal protective equipment and unauthorized use of unapproved apparel were responsible for the susta ined injuries, We maintain that personal protection equipment is effec tive if worn in the manner for which it was designed. We believe that the lessons learned apply to all military operations where the risk of fire is high, not solely aviation. A proactive program focused on edu cation would reduce the thermal injury morbidity.