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U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 2, Issue 1

July 2001 (Rev. March 2002)

Firefighter Injuries

FINDINGS

S 45,500 firefighters were injured on the fireground in 1999, twice that of

civilians injured in fires.

S 10-year trends show that firefighter injuries are decreasing.

S 85% of firefighter injuries occurred at structure fires, mostly residential

structures.

S Risk of injury to firefighters is twice as great at non-residential structure

fires than at residential fires.

S 44% of firefighter injuries were either sprains/strains or bleeding/

bruises/cuts/wounds.

Sources: NFPA and NFIRS

Firefighting is an extremely dangerous profession. The firefighter’s mission is to

protect life and property. Each year, thousands of firefighters are injured in the performance of their duties.

This paper examines the trends and factor related to firefighter injuries. The 1999

data are from the annual survey by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); the

1998 data are from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). (1998 is the

most recent year in which NFIRS data are available.)

In 1999, firefighters suffered 88,500 injuries while on duty. Sixty-six percent of

these injuries occurred while firefighters performed duties on emergency scenes (fireground and non -fire emergency). An additional 7% of injuries occurred while responding to or returning from emergency scenes.

In 1999, 45,500 firefighters were injured on the firegrounds and 13,565 at non-firerelated emergency scenes (Figure 1). Injuries to firefighters on the fireground in 1998

were double those of civilian injuries.
Figure 1. Type of Duty When Injured (1999)

DUTY TOTAL INJURIES % OF TOTAL

Responding To/Returning

From Incident

Fireground

Non-Fire Emergency

Training

Other On Duty

Total

Source: NFPA only

5,890 7

45,500 51

13,565 15

7,705 9

15,790 18

88,500 100

WHERE FIREFIGHTER INJURIES OCCUR

Eighty-five percent of firefighter injuries on the fireground in 1998 occurred at

structure fires. The remaining 15% of injuries occurred at outside, vehicle, and other

fires.

As shown in Figure 2, residential structure fires dominate firefighter injury statistics

(60%). This is nearly two and a half times the number of injuries as in non-residential

structure fires. Half of the firefighter injuries at structure fires in 1998 occurred at one- or

two-family dwelling fires. Apartment fires accounted for 18% of injuries.

0 10 0 0 0 0 0

1 & 2 Family Dwellings

Apartments

Residential Garages

Other

Hotels/Motels

Stores/Offices

Storage

Manufacturing

Vacant/Under Construction

Outside/Unknown

Eating/Drinking

Basic Industry

Public Assembly

Educational

Institutional

Percent

Figure 2. Firefighter Injuries by Property Type (1998)

(Structure Fires Only)

NON-RESIDENTIAL

RESIDENTIAL

Source: NFIRS only

2 3 4 5 6
It is at non-residential structure fires, however, where firefighters are at greatest risk

(Figure 3). In 1998, 50 firefighters were injuried per thousand fires at non-residential

structure fires versus 23 per thousand at residential structures. Non-residential fires are

usually much larger than residential fires.

0 10 0 30 0 50 0

1 & 2 Family Dwellings

Apartments

Residential Garages

Other

Hotels/Motels

Stores/Offices

Storage

Manufacturing

Vacant/Under Construction

Outside/Unknown

Eating/Drinking

Basic Industry

Public Assembly

Educational

Institutional

Injuries per 1,000 Fires

Figure 3. Per Fire Injury to Firefighters in Structures

(1998)

NON-RESIDENTIAL

RESIDENTIAL

Source: NFIRS only

2 4 6

In 1998, 91% of fireground-related injuries to firefighters occurred above ground.

Nearly 37% of injuries to firefighters occurred outside, above grade and 35% occurred

inside, above grade (Figure 4).

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

En Route/Returning

At Scene Outside/Above Grade

At Scene Outside/Below Grade

At Scene Inside/Above Grade

At Scene Inside/Below Grade

At Scene Inside Vehicle

At Fire Department Managed Locations

At Inspection Site

Unknown, Other

Figure 4. Firefighter Injuries (All Fires) by Where Injury Occurs (1998)

Source: NFIRS only Percent
FIREFIGHTER ACTIVITY AT TIME OF INJURY

Three major activities that the firefighter performs on the scene accounted for 73%

percent of injuries in 1998:

Fire extinguishment (43%)

Suppression support (22%)

Miscellaneous at scene (8%)

TYPE OF FIREFIGHTER INJURY

Trauma was the leading nature of injury to firefighters in 1998. Sprains/strains and

bleeding/bruise/cut/wound combined accounted for 44% of injuries; burns and pain

accounted for an additional 23% (Figure 5). Heart attacks, internal trauma, and asphyxiation combined represented 16% of injuries, although these accounted for 89% percent of

firefighter fatalities. Forty-three percent of injured firefighters were treated at hospitals.

Thirty-eight percent were treated at the scene but not transported to a hospital.

0 5 10 15 20 25

Asphyxiation

Bleeding/Bruise/Cut/Wound

Burns

Dehydration

Dislocation/Fracture

Dizziness/Fainting

Heart Attack/Stroke/CVA

Other Respiratory

Pain Only

Sprain/Strain

Other

Undetermined

Figure 5. Firefighter Injuries by Nature of Injury (1998)

Percent

Source: NFIRS only

TRENDS

From 1990 to 1999, total firefighter injuries have trended down –17% (Figure 6) and

fireground injuries –26%. These improvements were driven by significant injury reductions since 1994. However, both total and fireground injuries increased in 1999 to levels

not seen since 1995 and 1996, respectively.
Figure 6. Trends in Firefighter Injuries

125000

All Injuries

100000 (trend: –17.1)

75000

50000

25000 (trend: –26.2)

0

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Source: NFIRS only

Fireground Injuries

EXAMPLES

S On June 17, 2001, three firefighters were killed and 80 other emergency services

personnel were injured in an explosion at a hardware store in New York City. The

explosion occurred shortly after crews appeared to have the blaze under control.

Sixty-two of the injured were taken to area hospitals. The majority suffered sprains/

strains, lacerations, and other wounds. The New York City Fire Marshal Office

believes that fumes from heated cans of paint thinner and other flammable materials

caused the deadly explosion.1

S On May 1, 2001, eight firefighters were hospitalized after a fire ripped through a

row of waterfront townhouses in Maryland causing nearly $2 million in damages.

Two of the injured firefighters sustained first- and second-degree burns to 50% of

their bodies. Another firefighter suffered from smoke inhalation. Five others were

transported to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries.

2

S An early morning fire on May 10, 2001, in an apartment in Homestead, Pennsylvania, caused injuries to two firefighters who had to be hospitalized. One firefighter

complained of chest pains, and the other was injured by falling debris. The blaze

broke out in a second-story apartment above a bar. Flames spread to a vacant apartment building behind the bar and to a vacant three-story building.3

NOTES:

1. “A Routine Fire, Then a Blast and a Mayday From Inside,” New York Times, June 19, 2001.

2. http://www.Firehouse.com

3. WTAE–TV, the http://www.pittsburghchannel.com

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