Berecki-Gisolf Janneke, Wah Win, Collie Alex, Glass Deborah C, Hoy Ryan F, Sim Malcolm R, Driscoll Tim, Walker-Bone Karen
Monash Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):20769. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-08886-3.
Extreme bushfires are devastating and costly and are predicted to increase in frequency. This project investigated emergency responders' (ER) compensable injury/disease costs associated with extreme bushfire periods compared with the general workforce. Workers' compensation claims data for Victoria, Australia, were sourced for ER and controls (10% of the general workforce) from January 2005 to April 2021 (encompassing two extreme bushfires). Using generalised linear models, claims from ambulance officers, career firefighters, police, and controls were compared across extreme bushfires, other summers, and all other periods. In total, ER made 749/24,008 (3.1%) claims in extreme bushfire periods, compared to 1254/49,484 (2.5%) in the controls. The study group overall (including both ER and the general workforce control group) experienced significantly higher income compensation costs/claims during extreme bushfire periods, with a 31% increase. ER' costs/claims were highest for mental illness, burns and cancer. After accounting for bushfire impacts on the general workforce, total claims costs were increased by 67% among firefighters in extreme bushfire periods, largely attributable to fatality payments (other non-medical expenses). These results highlight the need for targeted injury prevention for fatal and non-fatal injuries among ERs and measures that address the broader socio-economic impacts on ERs and the general workforce.
极端森林大火具有毁灭性且代价高昂，预计其发生频率还会增加。本项目调查了与极端森林大火时期相关的应急响应人员（ER）可补偿的伤害/疾病成本，并与普通劳动力进行了比较。从澳大利亚维多利亚州的工伤赔偿申请数据中，获取了2005年1月至2021年4月期间（涵盖两场极端森林大火）应急响应人员和对照组（普通劳动力的10%）的数据。使用广义线性模型，对急救人员、职业消防员、警察和对照组在极端森林大火时期、其他夏季以及所有其他时期的索赔情况进行了比较。在极端森林大火时期，应急响应人员总共提出了749/24008（3.1%）的索赔，而对照组为1254/49484（2.5%）。整个研究组（包括应急响应人员和普通劳动力对照组）在极端森林大火时期的收入补偿成本/索赔显著更高，增加了31%。应急响应人员因精神疾病、烧伤和癌症产生的成本/索赔最高。在考虑森林大火对普通劳动力的影响后，极端森林大火时期消防员的总索赔成本增加了67%，主要归因于死亡抚恤金（其他非医疗费用）。这些结果凸显了对应急响应人员致命和非致命伤害进行有针对性预防的必要性，以及应对森林大火对应急响应人员和普通劳动力更广泛社会经济影响的措施。
