News & Research

Needs assessment

Needs Assessment reports
2011

A Third Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service (PDF, 1 MB)
Matching Assistance to Firefighters Grants to the Reported Needs of the U.S. Fire Service (PDF, 799 KB)

2006

Four Years Later – A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S.Fire Service (PDF, 4 MB)
Matching Assistance to Firefighters Grants to the Reported Needs of the U.S.Fire Service (PDF, 2 MB)

2002

A Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service (PDF, 1 MB)

Selected findings of the 2011 Needs Assessment

Nearly half (46%) of all fire departments that are responsible for structural firefighting have not formally trained all their personnel involved in structural firefighting.
Seven out of ten (70%) fire departments have no program to maintain basic firefighter fitness and health.
Nearly half (46%) of all fire department engines and pumpers were at least 15 years old. Half (51%) of all fire departments cannot equip all firefighters on a shift with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
Two out of five (39%) fire departments do not have enough personal alert safety system devices (PASS) to equip all emergency responders on a shift.

NFPA reports find improvement but continued needs for the country's fire departments

NFPA has conducted a series of national surveys to identify the needs of the fire service for resources required to safely and effectively carry out their responsibilities. The surveys indicated the resources fire departments had, while NFPA codes and standards and other national guidance documents defined the requirements. The gaps between resources in hand and resources required defined the needs.

These reports look at personnel and their capabilities, including staffing, training, certification, and wellness/fitness; facilities and apparatus; personal protective equipment; fire prevention and code enforcement; the ability to handle unusually challenging incidents; and communications and new technologies. See the reports in the sidebar on the right.

All three studies began with requests from Congress, and the first two studies were conducted with and sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration and its parent agencies.

State-by-state reports

The following are state-level reports based on the findings in each of NFPA's needs assessment reports.

Alabama 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Alaska 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Arizona 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Arkansas 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	California 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Colorado 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Connecticut 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Delaware 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Florida 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Georgia 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Hawaii 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Idaho 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Illinois 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Indiana 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Iowa 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Kansas 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Kentucky 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Louisiana 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Maine 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Maryland 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Massachusetts 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Michigan 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Minnesota 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Mississippi 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Missouri 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Montana 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Nebraska 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Nevada 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	New Hampshire 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	New Jersey 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
New Mexico 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	New York 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	North Carolina 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	North Dakota 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Ohio 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Oklahoma 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Oregon 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Pennsylvania 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Rhode Island 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	South Carolina 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
South Dakota 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Tennessee 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Texas 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Utah 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Vermont 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet
Virginia 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Washington 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	West Virginia 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Wisconsin 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet	Wyoming 2004 2007 2011 2011 fact sheet