Report: NFPA's "U.S. Firefighter Injuries - 2017"
Author: Ben Evarts and Joseph L. Molis
Issued: November 2018
Report highlights
- 58,835 firefighter injuries were reported in the U.S in 2017. Of these, 24,495 were injuries at the fireground.
- Strain, sprain, muscular pain resulted in almost half the major types of injuries received during fireground operations (48%) and more than half during non-fireground activities (56%).
- The leading cause of fireground injuries was overexertion or strain (29%).
- In addition to injuries, there were 7,345 documented exposures to infectious diseases (e.g., hepatitis, meningitis, HIV, other) in 2017.
- There were an estimated 44,530 documented exposures to hazardous conditions (e.g. asbestos, chemicals, fumes, radioactive materials, other) in 2017.
- In 2017, there was an estimated 15,430 collisions involving fire department emergency vehicles responding to or returning from incidents.
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