Are U.S. fire departments prepared for terrorism?
A December 2004 report by the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health finds state public health bioterrorism preparedness still lacking three years after September 11.In July 2004, NFPA issued a report that included an analysis of state-by-state fire department readiness for incidents including building collapse and chemical and biological events. Among NFPA’s findings on U.S. fire departments:
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Only 13% report they can handle the hazmat and emergency medical response tasks associated with a chemical or biological agent incident involving 10 injuries using only local personnel. |
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Only 11% report they can handle the hazmat and |
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Only 21% have a written plan for coordinating local and non-local resources to deal with such incidents. |
Download the individual state reports on this page.
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Home 
Research Fire reports Fire service statistics
Fire service statistics
NFPA members can download free PDF copies of selected One-Stop Data Shop reports. All reports and packages are also available for sale in bound, photocopy format. NFPA members receive a 10% discount off the cover price. To order any report(s), e-mail Nancy Schwartz or call +1 617 984-7450.Firefighter Fatalities in the United States 2008
Rita F. Fahy, Paul R. LeBlanc and Joseph L. Molis, July 2009. 33 pages.
Overall statistics on line-of-duty firefighter fatalities in 2008, including non-incident-related deaths. Includes patterns, trends, career vs. volunteer comparisons, and brief narratives on selected incidents.
Abstract: In 2008, a total of 103 on-duty firefighter deaths occurred in the U.S. This is the same number of deaths as occurred in the U.S. in 2007, and the fourth time in the last 10 years that the annual total has been 103. The largest share of deaths (39 deaths) occurred while firefighters were responding to or returning from emergency calls. This includes a single incident which resulted in nine deaths. Stress, exertion, and other medical-related issues, which usually result in heart attacks or other sudden cardiac events, continued to account for the largest number of fatalities. Of the 41 exertion- or stress-related fatalities in 2008, 36 were classified as sudden cardiac deaths.
All visitors: Download this report.(PDF, 151 KB)
Patterns of Firefighter Fireground Injuries
Michael J. Karter, May 2009
Cost: $10.00 (free to the fire service). 33 pages. Order # USS02.
Includes 2003-2006 annual average estimates of injuries by such factors as type of injury, type of activity at time of injury, cause of injury by level of severity, occupancy where injury occurred, time of day and ages of injured firefighters.
Abstract: For the 2003-2006 period, there was an estimated annual average of 40,270 firefighter fireground injuries in the U.S. Of these, an average of 29,710 were minor, and 10,560 were moderate or severe. The leading types of minor injuries were: strain or sprain accounting for an annual average of 7,035 injuries or (24%); pain only, accounting for 3,345 injuries (12%); thermal burns only, accounting for 3,415 injuries (11%); cut or laceration, accounting for 2,695 injuries (9%). The leading types of moderate and severe injuries were: strains or sprain accounting for an annual average of 3,635 injuries a year, or 34%; thermal burn, accounting for 940 injuries (9%); pain only, accounting for 920 injuries (9%). Activities related to extinguishing a fire accounted for most of the minor injuries (15,400 or 52%), and for most of the moderate and severe injuries (5,470 or 51%). The leading causes of minor injuries were exposure to something (6,670, or 23%), while for moderate and severe injuries the leading cause of injuries were fell, slipped, or tripped (3,095 or 29%).
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 82 KB)
U.S. Fire Department Profile
Michael J. Karter and Gary P. Stein, November 2008
Cost: $25.00 (free to the fire service). 29 pages. Order # USS07.
This report includes statistics through 2007 on the numbers and characteristics of U.S. of fire departments and firefighters. It also includes information on the number of fire stations, pumpers and ladders nationwide, rates of usage of such equipment by community size, and total national direct expenditures on local fire protection.
Abstract: NFPA estimates that there were approximately 1,148,800 firefighters in the U.S. in 2007. Of the total number of firefighters 323,350 or 28% were career firefighters and 825,450 (72%) were volunteer firefighters. Most of the career firefighters (74%) are in communities that protect 25,000 or more people. Most of the volunteer firefighters (95%) are in departments that protect fewer than 2,500 people. There are an estimated 30,185 fire departments in the U.S. Of these, 2,263 departments are all career, 1,765 mostly career, 4,989 are mostly volunteer and 21,168 are all volunteer. In the U.S., 13,221 or 44% of departments provide EMS service, 4,472 departments or 15% provide EMS service and advance life support, while 12,492 departments or 41% provide no EMS support
NFPA members: Download this report for free. (PDF, 209 KB)
All visitors: Download a printable fact sheet on the U.S. fire department. (PDF, 65 KB)
All visitors: Download an errata for this report. (PDF, 52 KB)
False Alarm Activity in the U.S., 2007
Michael J. Karter, Jr., November 2008
7 pages. Order #USS18
An in-depth report on false alarm activity and includes a table on fire department calls by type of call.
Abstract: In 2007, U.S. fire departments responded to 2,208,500 false alarms. This was an increase of 4.2%. This means that one of ten calls responded to by fire departments were false alarms.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 42 KB)
Firefighter Injuries in the United States
Michael J. Karter, Jr. & Joseph L. Molis, October 2008
Cost: $10.00 (free to the fire service). 28 pages. Order # FFI07.
The report includes statistics on line-of-duty firefighter injuries in 2007 from NFPA’s survey of fire departments – including non-incident-related injuries, trends, and brief narratives on selected incidents.
Abstract: NFPA estimates that 80,100 firefighter injuries occurred in the line of duty in 2007, a decrease of 4% from the year before. Nearly half (47.9%) of the all firefighter injuries occurred during fireground operations. An estimated 13,665 occurring during other on duty activities, while 15,435 occurred at nonfire emergency incidents. The leading type of injury received during fireground operations was strain, sprain or muscular pain (45.1%), followed by wound, cut, bleeding, bruise (18.2%). Regionally, the Northeast had the highest fireground injury rate, more than twice the rate for the rest of the country.
NFPA members: Download this report for free. (PDF, 128 KB)
Rita Fahy. July 2008. 7 pages.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 29 KB) What’s Changed Over the Past 30 Years?
Rita F. Fahy, Paul R. LeBlanc and Joseph L. Molis. June 2007. 17 pages.
A review of the almost 3,400 on-duty firefighter fatalities that have occurred in the U.S. between 1977 and 2006 shows some areas where significant improvements have occurred and highlights areas where much work remains to be done.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 78 KB) U.S. Firefighter Deaths Related to Training, 1996-2005
Rita F. Fahy, June 2006. 16 pages.
Training is a vital part of fire department operations, but it too often results in deaths and injuries. Between 1996 and 2005, 100 firefighters in the U.S. died while engaged in training-related activities (10 percent of all on-duty firefighter deaths). The deaths occurred during a broad range of activities, including apparatus and equipment drills; physical fitness; live fire training; underwater/dive training; and while attending classes or seminars.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 54 KB)U.S. Firefighter Fatalities Due to Sudden Cardiac Death, 1995-2004
Rita F. Fahy, June 2005. 11 pages.
Sudden cardiac death claims more firefighter lives during on-duty activities than any other cause of death. This study reviews trends in these deaths between 1995 and 2004.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 65 KB)
U.S. Fire Service Fatalities in Structures
Rita F. Fahy, July 2002. 11 pages.
Firefighters today are dying inside structures at a rate that parallels their on-duty death rate during the 1970s. These findings are based on an analysis of on-duty firefighter deaths from 1977-2000.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 40.6 KB)
Selected Special Analyses of U.S. Firefighter Fatalities
Cost: $10.00 (free to the fire service) 34 pages. Order # PKG28.
A collection of special analyses of patterns of
NFPA members: Download this report for free. (PDF, 113 KB)
Fire Departments in Canada, 2004-2006
Michael J. Karter, Jr. and Gary P. Stein, January 2008
Cost: $25.00 (free to the fire service). 15 pages. Order #USS35.
The NFPA has been collecting data on fire departments in
NFPA members: Download this report for free. (PDF, 51 KB)
Four Years Later – A Second Needs Assessment of the
Department of Homeland Security, USFA, and NFPA, October 2006. 159 pages.
Updated assessment of needs of
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 4 MB)
Matching Assistance to Firefighters Grants to the Reported Needs of the
Department of Homeland Security, USFA, and NFPA, October 2006. 41 pages.
Analysis of whether grants requested and received have addressed reported needs, by type of need, and whether popular types of grants have resulted in significant change in the overall national level of need.
All visitors: Download this report for free. (PDF, 2 MB)
State-by-State Findings of Four Years Later – Fire Department Needs and Response Capabilities
Department of Homeland Security, USFA, and NFPA, January 2007
50 reports – one for each state, 66 pages each.
Updated assessment of needs of fire service in each of the 50 states, covering most areas addressed in the national report.
Note: Reports are in PDF format and each is approximately 1.5 MB.
Errata Notification: Changes were made to Table 1, Department Type by Community Size, because the published table showed only departments responding to the survey, not the projection to all departments in the state. The following states were affected:
| Wyoming |
A Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service
FEMA, USFA, and NFPA, December 2002. 160 pages.
A comprehensive study done by FEMA, USFA and NFPA examining the needs and response capabilities of the U.S. fire service. Among the factors examined are personnel and their capabilities; fire prevention and code enforcement; stations, apparatus and equipment; and the ability to handle unusually challenging incidents. Results are reported by nationwide and community size.
- All visitors can download this report for free. (PDF, 1 MB)
- "Underfunded, Understaffed, and Undertrained": Read NFPA President Jim Shannon's and others' reactions to the study in an NFPA Journal® Special Report (March/April 2003)
State-by-State Findings of Fire Department Needs and Response Capabilities
NFPA, July 2004
This study is a state-level breakdown of a national study conducted by NFPA in 2002, which was commissioned by FEMA/United States Fire Administration for Congress. Among the topics covered is fire department readiness for four specified tasks:
- rescue for collapse of buildings where there are at least 50 occupants
- hazmat and EMS response for a defined chemical/biological incidents.
- response to a defined major wildland fire
- response to a developing flood
Note: Reports are in PDF format and each is approximately 2.2 MB.
