Following a line-of-duty death involving a firefighter, a team of NIOSH investigators would visit the site to examine the operation and circumstances.
After an extensive review that involved interviews with fellow firefighters and commanders and an examinnation of the department's policies and procedures as well as observations of the incident scene, the team issed a report that included contributing factors as well as recommendations on how to avoid another fatality.
On Tuesday, the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program team was axed by President Trump.
They were just some of the health care agency workers across the country fired. Some were notified by e-mail while others waited in line outside their offices to see if their security badges worked.
The workers included those involved in HIV, injury precention, workplace safety and health and violence protection,
The exact number of those sidelined by Trump's move is not known, CNN reported
The NIOSH team was working on at least two dozen firefighter fatility investigations, according to the webste.
One of the unfinished reports involves Frederick County, MD Capt. Josh Laird who perished after falling into the basement at a house fire.
"I was told in February that there would be a delay. That's when three of the five people on the team were fired. Now, I don't know what will happen. It's very important that it's done," Sara Laird said about waiting for the report abouf her husband's line-of-duty death.
Created by Congress in 1998, investigators have travelled across the country to examine fire scenes.
Reent studies have involed the impact of wildfires on firefighters' health. Crews in Maui and Los Angeles were found to have high levels of toxins.
