June 9, 2016 – The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released its annual U.S. Firefighter Fatalities report, which showed that a total of 68 firefighters died while on duty in the United States in 2015. This represents the fourth time in the past five years that the total number of deaths has been below 70. The number of deaths of volunteer firefighters was the second lowest total ever reported (32 deaths).
The largest share of firefighter deaths occurred while firefighters were operating at fires (24 deaths), accounting for just over one-third of the on-duty deaths last year. This is the fourth time in the last six years that the total has been fewer than 25 deaths.
“For several years, the number of on-duty firefighter deaths averaged around 100 deaths per year, but recently there’s been a fairly consistent decrease in the annual totals,” said Rita Fahy, NFPA’s manager of fire databases and systems. “The 10-year average has now dropped from approximately 100 firefighter deaths to 81.”
Of the 68 firefighter fatalities last year, 32 were volunteer firefighters, 24 were career firefighters, six were employees of federal land management agencies, three were federal contractors, one was an employee of a state land management agency, one was a civilian employee of the military, and one was a state prison inmate.
Overexertion, stress and medical issues accounted for by far the largest share of firefighter deaths. Of the 40 deaths in this category, 35 were classified as sudden cardiac deaths, usually heart attacks, with onset while the victim was on duty. This reflects only one less death than the 2014 total, reinforcing last year’s finding, which showed that the general downward trend in on-duty sudden cardiac deaths since 2007 has stopped. Cardiac-related events accounted for 51 percent of the deaths in 2015, and 42 percent of the deaths over the past 10 years.
“While it’s encouraging to see an overall decline in the number of firefighter fatalities, areas of concern remain, particularly sudden cardiac deaths,” said Fahy. She also noted the significant number of cancer deaths and suicides among current and former firefighters that are not captured in the report that only tracks on-duty deaths.
The firefighter fatality study is made possible by the cooperation and assistance of the United States Fire Service, the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program of the Department of Justice, the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the United States Fire Administration, the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Land Management of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.
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Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1 617 984-7275