Topical Fire Report Series Volume 17, Issue 6/August 2016

Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the 

National Fire Incident Reporting System (2012-2014)

These topical reports are designed to 

explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as 

depicted through data collected in the U.S. 

Fire Administration’s (USFA’s) National 

Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). 

Each topical report briefly addresses the 

nature of the specific fire or fire-related 

topic, highlights important findings from 

the data, and may suggest other resources 

to consider for further information. Also 

included are recent examples of fire 

incidents that demonstrate some of the 

issues addressed in the report or that put 

the report topic in context.

Findings

• From 2012 to 2014, an estimated 29,425 firefighter injuries occurred annually on the 

fireground, and another 4,125 injuries occurred while responding to or returning from an 

incident.

• The majority of fire-related firefighter injuries (87 percent) occurred in structure fires. In 

addition, on average, structure fires had more injuries per fire than nonstructure fires.

• Injuries resulted in lost work time for 44 percent of firefighters with reported fire-related 

injuries.

• Fires resulting in firefighter injuries occurred more often in July, at 11 percent, and peaked 

between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m.

• Overexertion/Strain was the cause of 27 percent of reported fire-related firefighter injuries.

Every occupation brings degrees of safety risk. At the fire 

scene, on the way to or from a fire, or while training, 

firefighters face the chance of suffering an injury and 

possibly death. Each year, tens of thousands of firefighters 

are injured while fighting fires, rescuing people, responding 

to emergency medical and hazardous material incidents, or 

training for their job. 

Annually, from 2012 to 2014, there were an estimated 66,200 

firefighter injuries resulting from all types of fire department 

duties.1

 Of these injuries, 29,425 occurred on the fireground 

or were considered to be fire-related (includes structure fires, 

vehicle fires, outside fires, etc.). An additional 4,125 injuries 

occurred while responding to or returning from an incident, 

which includes, but is not limited to, fires.2, 3, 4 While the 

majority of injuries are minor, a significant number are 

debilitating and career-ending. Such injuries exact a great toll 

on the fabric of the fire service.

From the need to adjust staffing levels and rotations to 

accommodate injuries, to the focus of the fire service on 

injury prevention, injuries and their prevention are a primary 

concern. In addition, the fire service has done much to 

improve firefighter safety. Firefighter health and safety initiatives, incident command structure, training, and protective 

gear are but a few areas where time, energy and resources 

have been well-spent. Nonetheless, firefighting by its very 

nature is a hazardous profession. Injuries can and do occur.

This topical report addresses the details of firefighter injuries 

sustained at, responding to or returning from a fire incident, 

focusing on data as reported to the National Fire Incident 

Reporting System (NFIRS) from 2012 to 2014, the most 

recent data available at the time of the analysis.5

 This current 

topical report is an update to the “Fire-Related Firefighter 

Injuries Reported to NFIRS” (Volume 15, Issue 6) topical 

report, which was released in November 2014. The statistics 

presented are from the analysis of 2012 to 2014 NFIRS data.6

Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by General 

Property Type

From 2012 to 2014, 87 percent of the fire-related firefighter 

injuries reported to NFIRS were associated with structure 

fires (Figure 1). Three times as many firefighter injuries 

occurred in residential structures as in nonresidential 

structures, tracking with overall residential/nonresidential 

fire incidence. Firefighter injuries in residential structures 

accounted for 67 percent of firefighter injuries, a majority 

of which occurred in residential building fires.7

 Building 

fires also accounted for two-thirds of the firefighter injuries 

that occurred in structure fires on nonresidential properties. 

Outside, vehicle and other fires combined accounted for 

13 percent of firefighter injuries from 2012 to 2014.8

U.S. Department of Homeland Security • U.S. Fire Administration 

National Fire Data Center • Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 

www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 2

Figure 1. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by General Property Type (2012-2014)

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0

Other

Outside

Vehicle

Structures on nonresidential property

Structures on residential property 66.8

20.5

3.6

1.5

Buildings 64.2

Buildings 13.7

7.7

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note: Total does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries per Fire

Firefighters were almost 11 times more likely to be injured in structure fires than in nonstructure fires (e.g., vehicle fires, 

outdoor fires) as shown in Table 1. Building fire injury rates are shown separately in Table 2.

Table 1. Fire-Related Firefighter Injury Rates per 1,000 Fires by General Property Type 

(2012-2014)

General Property Type Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries per 1,000 Fires

Structure 12.7

Residential 12.3

Nonresidential 13.8

Nonstructure 1.2

Vehicle 1.4

Outside and other 1.1

Total/Overall 5.6

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Table 2. Fire-Related Firefighter Injury Rates per 1,000 Building Fires by Type (2012-2014)

Type Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries per 1,000 Building Fires

Buildings 11.6

Residential 12.1

Nonresidential 10.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

When Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries 

Occur

As shown in Figure 2, fires resulting in firefighter injuries 

occurred most frequently in the midday, peaking from 1 

to 4 p.m. After 7 p.m., fires resulting in injuries decreased 

until midnight. A small peak is then seen from midnight 

to 5 a.m. After 5 a.m., the numbers of fires resulting in 

firefighter injuries decreased, reaching the lowest point 

between 6 and 7 a.m. After 7 a.m., the number of fires 

resulting in injuries gradually increased to the start of the 

peak period. The peak period (1 to 4 p.m.) accounted for 17 

percent of fires resulting in firefighter injuries.9

 The time of 

alarm profile for fires resulting in firefighter injuries tracked 

somewhat similarly with that for fires overall; however, 

the peak for all fires was more pronounced during the 

afternoon and early evening.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 3

Figure 2. Fires Resulting in Firefighter Injuries by Time of Alarm (2012-2014)

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

11PM-Mid

10PM-11PM

9PM-10PM

1PM-2PM2PM-3PM3PM-4PM4PM-5PM5PM-6PM6PM-7PM7PM-8PM8PM-9PM

12PM-1PM

10AM-11AM

11AM-12PM

9AM-10AM

Mid-1AM

1AM-2AM2AM-3AM3AM-4AM4AM-5AM5AM-6AM6AM-7AM7AM-8AM8AM-9AM

Time of Alarm

Percent of Fires

3.6 3.8 3.9 3.6

2.9 2.5

3.2 3.3

5.4 5.3

4.2 4.5 4.9

5.8 5.8 5.7 5.5

4.2

4.8

3.9 3.5

2.7

3.5

Fires Resulting in Firefighter Injuries

All Fires

3.6

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note: Total does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Figure 3 illustrates that fires resulting in firefighter injuries were highest in July (11 percent) and lowest in October (6 percent). 

Fires resulting in firefighter injuries by month tracked similarly with the month of occurrence for all fires.

Figure 3. Fires Resulting in Firefighter Injuries by Month (2012-2014)

Month of Year

Percent of Fires

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

November

December

October

September

August

July

April

May

June

March

February

January

9.7

8.3 9.1 9.0 8.9

10.8

8.4

7.2 7.3 7.1 7.9

6.4

Fires Resulting in Firefighter Injuries

All Fires

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note: Total does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Cause and Nature of Fire-Related 

Firefighter Injuries

Figure 4 shows that 27 percent of all fire-related firefighter 

injuries were caused by overexertion/strain. The next three 

leading reported causes combined accounted for 45 percent 

of fire-related firefighter injuries: exposure to hazard 

(18 percent), contact with object (14 percent), and slip/trip 

(12 percent).10

Not surprisingly, the leading nature of injury was strain 

at 24 percent, closely associated with overexertion/strain 

as the cause of the injury (Figure 5). Wound/Bleeding 

and dizziness/exhaustion/dehydration accounted for 

an additional 16 percent and 14 percent of fire-related 

firefighter injuries, respectively.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 4

Figure 4. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Cause of Injury (2012-2014)

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0

Jump

Struck or assaulted

Cause of injury, other

Fall

Slip/Trip

Contact with object

Exposure to hazard

Overexertion/Strain 27.4

17.9

9.9

7.1

0.5

14.2

12.4

10.6

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where cause of injury was specified. The cause of injury was specified in 72 percent of reported injuries.

Figure 5. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Nature of Injury (2012-2014)

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0

None

Sickness

Cardiovascular

Asphyxiation/Respiratory

Fracture/Dislocation

Burns

Other

Dizziness/Exhaustion/Dehydration

Wound/Bleeding

Strain/Sprain

16.3

6.5

2.7

0.5

2.4

12.8

6.9

14.0

13.8

24.1

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where the nature of injury was specified. The nature of injury was specified in 81 percent of reported injuries.

Severity of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

More than half of fire-related firefighter injuries (56 

percent) resulted in no lost work time, as shown in Table 3. 

These injuries were treated on-scene with first aid or after 

the incident by a physician, either at a medical facility or in 

a doctor’s office. Forty-four percent of fire-related firefighter 

injuries resulted in lost work time. The majority of the lost 

work time injuries (94 percent of lost work time injuries 

or 41 percent of all fire-related firefighter injuries) were 

moderate in severity. Severe or life-threatening injuries 

accounted for 3 percent of firefighter injuries.

Table 3. Severity of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries (2012-2014)

Severity Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

First aid only, no lost time 22.9

Treated by physician, no lost time 33.3

Moderate severity, lost-time injury 41.0

Severe, lost-time injury 2.3

Life-threatening, lost-time injury 0.5

Total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 The severity of the injury was specified in 100 percent of reported injuries.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 5

Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Age 

and Gender

Table 4 shows the percent of firefighter injuries based on 

gender. The majority of all fire-related firefighter injuries, 

95 percent, were sustained by males. This statistic is 

comparable with the composition of the fire service during 

this period — on average, males constituted 96 percent of 

employed firefighters from 2012 to 2014.11

Table 4. Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Gender (2012-2014)

Gender Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

Male 95.0

Female 5.0

Total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Gender was specified in 100 percent of reported injuries.

Figure 6 shows two different profiles of fire-related 

firefighter injuries by age and gender. The left graphic shows 

male and female injuries as a percent of the total injuries (all 

bars add to 100 percent). The right graphic shows the age 

distribution of injuries by gender (each distribution adds to 

100 percent). Both graphs show that male firefighter injuries 

peaked between ages 40 and 44 and female firefighter 

injuries peaked between ages 25 and 34. Overall, nearly 

one-third of all fire-related injuries (30 percent) occurred to 

firefighters aged 35 to 44.

Figure 6. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Age and Gender (2012-2014)

0.0 10.0 20.0

65+

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

Percent of Total Fire-Related 

Firefighter Injuries

Age

Male

Female

0.0 10.0 20.0

65+

60-64

55-59

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

15-19

Percent of Fire-Related 

Firefighter Injuries by Gender

Age

Male

Female

2.2 2.3

5.5

8.7

12.4

13.0

15.2

14.0

15.6

14.1

13.9

16.5

13.8

13.9

9.7

10.0

8.9

4.8

2.8

1.8

1.4

0.9

0.8

0.3

8.3

0.6

12.4

13.3

13.4

15.6

13.2

9.5

4.6

1.7

0.9

0.0

0.1

0.1

0.4

0.5

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.8

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where the age of the firefighter was between 15 and 100, and gender was specified. Age was specified in 98 percent of the reported male injuries and 97 percent of the reported female

injuries. The total fire-related firefighter injuries distribution does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

The leading reported causes of injury among younger 

firefighters (ages 15 to 24) were related to overexertion/

strains and exposure to hazards, while among older 

firefighters (age 65 and older) overexertion/strains and 

slips/trips were the most common injuries. These results, 

among other factors, relate to physical fitness variations 

with age and the effect of age on type of assignments.

Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Affiliation 

and Age

Injuries to career firefighters were the largest share (70 

percent) of the reported fire-related injuries (Table 5). 

Nationally, only 31 percent of the fire service is made up of 

career firefighters.12
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 6

Table 5. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Affiliation (2012-2014)

Affiliation Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Percent of All Firefighters

Career 69.8 30.7

Volunteer 30.2 69.3

Total 100.0 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0 and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Note:	 Percent of fire-related firefighter injuries includes only injuries where affiliation was specified. Affiliation was specified in 72 percent of reported fire-related firefighter injuries.

As shown in Figure 7, injuries to career firefighters occurred 

most often in midcareer (ages 35 to 49) with the peak 

between ages 40 and 44 at 19 percent. Injuries to volunteers, on the other hand, were sustained predominately 

by the younger members of the organization. Firefighters 

under the age of 25 accounted for 27 percent of injuries in 

the volunteer service.

Figure 7. Career and Volunteer Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Age (2012-2014)

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

Age

Career

Volunteer

0.3

7.6

11.7 11.5

9.9 10.4

15.4 15.6 16.3

11.8

6.6

2.5

1.5

2.8

0.1

8.7

5.1 4.7

14.5

18.9 19.7

4.3

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where the age of the firefighter was between 15 and 100, and affiliation was specified. Age was specified in 97 percent of the reported injuries to career firefighters and 98 percent of the

reported injuries to volunteer firefighters. Overall, both age and affiliation were specified in 70 percent of all reported firefighter injuries. Totals do not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Career firefighters also experienced proportionally more 

fire-related injuries that resulted in lost time than their 

volunteer counterparts, as shown in Table 6. Volunteer 

firefighters, on the other hand, received far more injuries 

that resulted in no lost time.

Table 6. Overall Comparison of Fire-Related Firefighter Injury Severity by Affiliation 

(2012-2014)

Affiliation Severity Total Percent

No Lost Time (Percent) Lost Time (Percent)

Overall 56.2 43.8 100.00

Career 47.6 52.4 100.00

Volunteer 75.3 24.7 100.00

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where affiliation and severity were specified. Severity was specified in 100 percent of reported injuries, and affiliation was specified in 72 percent of reported injuries.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 7

Part of Body Injured in Fire-Related 

Firefighter Injuries

Injuries to the upper and lower extremities (arms/hands 

and legs/feet) accounted for 42 percent of fire-related 

firefighter injuries (Figure 8). The head and shoulder 

regions accounted for an additional 26 percent of injuries.

Of the fire-related firefighter injuries that occurred to the 

upper extremities (where the nature of the injury was 

specified), 43 percent involved wounds/bleeding, 21 percent 

were burns, and 14 percent were strains/sprains.

The majority of the injuries that occurred to the lower 

extremities were strains/sprains at 57 percent. Injuries to 

the lower extremities also involved fractures (14 percent) 

and wounds/bleeding (12 percent). Burns (33 percent) and 

wounds/bleeding (27 percent) accounted for 60 percent of 

fire-related firefighter injuries to the head area.

Figure 8. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Part of Body Injured (2012-2014)

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0

Other part of body

Abdomen, pelvis, hip area

Spine

None

Internal

Thorax

Multiple body parts

Neck, throat, shoulder

Head area

Lower extremities

Upper extremities 21.2

6.2

3.1

2.6

1.8

11.6

7.8

7.1

14.2

20.6

4.1

Source: NFIRS 5.0. 

Note:	 Includes only injuries where part of body injured was specified. The part of body injured was specified in 76 percent of reported injuries. Total does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Location of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries and Type of Activity When Injured

Of all fire-related firefighter injuries, 96 percent occurred at the scene (Table 7). Of these, 53 percent of the injuries occurred 

outside the structure, and 42 percent occurred inside the structure.13 All other locations produced far fewer injuries.

Table 7. Location of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries (2012-2014)

Location Where Injured Percent

At scene, outside structure 53.3

At scene, inside structure 42.3

At fire department location 2.0

Location, other 1.2

En route/Returning 1.2

Total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where the location of injury occurred was specified. The location where the injury occurred was specified in 76 percent of reported injuries.

As shown in Figure 9, the largest percent of fire-related 

firefighter injuries occurred while extinguishing the fire/

neutralizing the incident (52 percent). This is followed 

by suppression support and other incident scene activity, 

which made up 24 percent and 9 percent of the injuries, 

respectively.

Of those fire-related firefighter injuries that occurred while 

extinguishing the fire/neutralizing the incident, 42 percent 

were strains/sprains (22 percent) and burns (20 percent). 

Wounds/Bleeding (24 percent) and strains/sprains 

(23 percent) accounted for 47 percent of the injuries that 

resulted from suppression support activities.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 8

Figure 9. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Type of Activity (2012-2014)

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0

Station activity

Activity, other

Administrative activity

Driving or riding vehicle

Operating fire department apparatus

EMS/Rescue

Access or egress

Other incident scene activity

Suppression support

Extinguishing fire/Neutralizing incident 52.0

3.0

2.8

1.4

1.3

0.5

3.4

3.2

8.9

23.6

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where type of activity was specified. The type of activity was specified in 79 percent of reported injuries. Total does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Factor Contributing to Injury in FireRelated Firefighter Injuries

When a factor was specified as contributing to the 

firefighter’s injury, fire development — fire progress, 

smoky conditions and the like — and slippery or uneven 

surfaces accounted for 56 percent of fire-related firefighter 

injuries, with fire development as the leading factor 

contributing to injury (Table 8). The third and fourth 

general factors contributing to injury included other factors 

and collapse or falling objects, which made up 19 percent 

and 16 percent, respectively.

Table 8. General Factor Contributing to Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries (2012-2014)

General Factor Contributing to Injury Percent

Fire development 30.3

Slippery or uneven surfaces 25.4

Other factor 18.8

Collapse or falling object 16.0

Holes 3.8

Vehicle or apparatus issue 2.9

Lost, caught, trapped or confined 2.4

Civil unrest/Hostile acts 0.5

Total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where a factor contributing to injury was specified. The factor contributing to injury was specified in 47 percent of reported injuries. Total does not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

Protective Equipment Failure in FireRelated Firefighter Injuries

Very few of the fire-related firefighter injuries reported 

to NFIRS indicated problems with firefighter protective 

gear; only 9 percent indicated protective gear failures as a 

factor in the injury.14 Modern equipment and equipment 

standards, combined with current equipment replacement 

cycles, may preclude protective equipment failures. 

Firefighter protective coats, gloves with wristlets, hoods, 

and positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus 

accounted for 42 percent of equipment problems.

Responses and Physical Condition Prior to 

Injury in Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

Most firefighters (82 percent) were reported as being 

well-rested before their injury occurred; this applies to both 

minor and severe injuries, as shown in Table 9.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 9

Table 9. Firefighter Physical Condition Prior to Fire-Related Injury (2012-2014)

Physical Condition

Prior to Injury

Severity

No Lost Time Overall (Percent)

(Percent)

Lost Time 

(Percent)

Rested 81.4 82.9 82.1

Fatigued 12.4 10.5 11.6

Injured or ill 2.7 3.7 3.2

Physical condition, other 3.4 2.8 3.2

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where the physical condition and severity of injury were specified. Severity was specified in 100 percent of reported injuries, and physical condition was specified in 67 percent of reported

injuries. Totals do not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

The number of fire department responses attended prior 

to the injury, however, does appear to result in more 

severe injuries. Table 10 shows that firefighters with one 

or more responses in the immediate 24-hour period prior 

to the time of injury had higher percentages of injuries 

that resulted in lost time than firefighters who reported no 

prior responses. It is important to note, however, that 67 

percent of all fire-related firefighter injuries occurred when 

a firefighter had no prior responses.

Table 10. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Severity and Number of Responses Prior 

to Injury (2012-2014)

Number of Responses

Prior to Injury

Severity Total 

(Percent)

Overall

(Percent) No Lost Time

(Percent)

Lost Time 

(Percent)

No prior responses 61.3 38.7 100.0 66.8

One prior response 56.1 43.9 100.0 11.7

Two prior responses 51.3 48.7 100.0 7.2

Three prior responses 49.2 50.8 100.0 5.1

Four or more prior responses 49.8 50.2 100.0 9.2

Overall total 100.0

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where number of responses prior to injury and severity of injury were specified. The number of responses prior to injury was specified in 75 percent of reported injuries.

Type of Medical Care for Fire-Related 

Firefighter Injuries

Regardless of the apparent severity of an injury, it is a 

common safety precaution to transport an injured firefighter 

to a hospital. Of the reported fire-related injuries, 65 percent 

of the firefighters were transported to hospitals to be treated 

for their injuries (Figure 10). Another 25 percent were 

treated but not transported to a medical facility or other 

location. Very few firefighters sought medical care for firerelated injuries at a doctor’s office.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 10

Figure 10. Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries by Where Treated (2012-2014)

Percent of Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0

Residence

Taken to, other

Station or quarters

Doctor's office

Not transported

Hospital 65.4

2.3

1.2

0.2

5.7

25.2

Source: NFIRS 5.0.

Note:	 Includes only injuries where treatment information was specified. Treatment information was specified in 74 percent of reported injuries.

Examples

The following are recent examples of fire-related firefighter 

injuries reported by the media: 

• May 2016: Police and fire crews responded to a fire at a 

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, T-shirt shop after 1 a.m. 

The shop was located in a building that also contained 

several other businesses. One firefighter suffered from 

smoke inhalation and was transported to a local hospital 

for treatment. The firefighter was released a short time 

later. According to fire department personnel, a T-shirt 

press was left on; however, the cause of the fire remains 

under investigation.15

• May 2016: Two firefighters were injured while battling 

a restaurant fire in Charlotte, North Carolina. The fire 

started in a vent duct of the restaurant around 4:30 p.m. 

and spread upward to the apartment units above the 

restaurant. One firefighter suffered a knee injury, and 

the other sustained a cut to the hand. No other injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was under 

investigation.16

• April 2016: One firefighter was injured while battling a 

fire when he fell through the roof of a Greenville, Texas, 

apartment building around 3 p.m. The firefighter was 

treated at the fire scene and was transported to a regional 

hospital. The extent of his injuries were not reported. One 

apartment unit sustained extensive damage, while a few 

others received only minor damage. No other injuries 

were reported, but several families were displaced as a 

result of the blaze.17

• March 2016: Four Littlestown, Pennsylvania, volunteer 

firefighters were injured inside a single-family home 

when it exploded around 11 a.m. Fire crews were called 

to the scene to investigate an odor of gas in the area. The 

four firefighters were checking the furnace area in the 

basement when the house exploded and fire ensued. Two 

of the firefighters were flown to a burn center and were 

treated for burns to their hands and ears, but they were 

expected to make a full recovery. The other firefighters 

were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and 

were released the same day. No residents were home at 

the time of the explosion.18

Firefighter Health and Safety

A key mission of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is to 

reduce firefighter injuries and on-duty fatalities through 

leadership, advocacy, coordination and support. USFA 

facilitates this through the research and special studies 

conducted by its National Fire Data Center. These initiatives 

cover topics to support firefighter health and safety, including:

• Firefighter health, wellness and fitness: https://www.

usfa.fema.gov/operations/ops_wellness_fitness.html.

• Emergency vehicle and roadway operations safety: 

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/operations/ops_vehicle.html.

• Firefighter protective equipment and clothing research: 

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/operations/ops_ppe.html.

• Fire service operational safety: https://www.usfa.fema.

gov/operations/ops_safety.html.

• Health and safety resources for the volunteer fire service: 

https://www.usfa.fema.gov/operations/ops_volunteer_

fire_service.html.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 11

Additionally, USFA’s National Fire Academy (NFA) has 

numerous training courses in firefighter health and safety 

topics. Further information on NFA training opportunities 

may be found on the USFA website: http://www.usfa.fema.

gov/training/nfa/.

NFIRS Data Specifications for Fire-Related 

Firefighter Injuries

Data for this report were extracted from the NFIRS annual 

Public Data Release files for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Only 

Version 5.0 data were extracted.

• All fires were included, as defined by the following incident type categories:

Incident Type Description

100, 163 Other fires

111-123 Structure fires

130-138 Vehicle fires

140-162, 164-173 Outside 

Note: Incident Type 110 was not included in the analysis.

• Aid Types 3 (mutual aid given) and 4 (automatic aid 

given) were included to allow for proper counting of 

firefighter injuries.

• Building fires were defined by the following criteria:

− Structure type:

-- For Incident Types 113 to 118:

° 1—Enclosed building, or

° 2—Fixed portable or mobile structure, or

° Structure type not specified (null entry).

-- For Incident Types 111 and 120 to 123:

° 1—Enclosed building, or

° 2—Fixed portable or mobile structure.

• Residential and nonresidential were defined by:

− Residential — Property Use 400 to 499.

− Nonresidential — Property Use except 400 to 499.

• Firefighter injuries were defined by the following criteria:

− The number of injured firefighters (i.e., FF_INJ > 0).

− Severity: 

-- 2—First aid only.

-- 3—Treated by physician (no lost time).

-- 4—Moderate (lost time).

-- 5—Severe (lost time).

-- 6—Life threatening (lost time).

-- U—Undetermined.

The analyses contained in this report reflect the current 

methodologies used by USFA. USFA is committed to 

providing the best and most currently available information 

on the U.S. fire problem and continually examines its 

data and methodology to fulfill this goal. Because of this 

commitment, data collection strategies and methodological 

changes are possible and do occur. As a result, analyses 

and estimates of the fire problem may change slightly over 

time. Previous analyses and estimates on specific issues (or 

similar issues) may have used different methodologies or 

data definitions and may not be directly comparable to the 

current ones.

To request additional information or to comment on this 

report, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/contact.html.

Notes:

1 The estimate of overall firefighter injuries includes both fire-related and nonfire-related injuries. This entails firefighters 

injured while performing fire suppression activities (at the fireground); responding to or returning from an incident 

(includes fire and nonfire emergencies); working at on-scene nonfire emergencies (includes rescues, hazardous calls and 

natural disaster calls); training; and participating in other on-duty activities (e.g. inspection or maintenance duties).

2 Injury estimates are from the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) U.S. Firefighter Injuries — 2014, Hylton J. 

G. Haynes and Joseph L. Molis, November 2015, and previous reports in the series. Annual averages of the NFPA estimates 

of overall firefighter injuries, firefighter fireground injuries, and firefighter injuries that occurred while responding to or 

returning from an incident were taken for the three-year period from 2012 to 2014. 

3 In this topical report, all firefighter injury estimates are rounded to the nearest 25.

4 In order to get the best estimate of firefighter injuries that are fire-related, an unknown portion of the NFPA estimate of 

injuries categorized as responding to or returning from an incident (which includes but is not limited to fires) should be 

added to the estimate of firefighter fireground injuries.
TFRS Volume 17, Issue 6/Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries Reported to the NFIRS (2012-2014) Page 12

5 Fire department participation in NFIRS is voluntary; however, some states do require their departments to participate in 

the state system. Additionally, if a fire department is a recipient of a Fire Act Grant, participation is required. From 2012 to 

2014, 67 percent of NFPA’s annual average estimated 1,304,300 fires to which fire departments responded were captured 

in NFIRS. Thus, NFIRS is not representative of all fire incidents in the U.S. and is not a “complete” census of fire incidents. 

Although NFIRS does not represent 100 percent of the incidents reported to fire departments each year, the enormous 

dataset exhibits stability from one year to the next, without radical changes. Results based on the full dataset are generally 

similar to those based on part of the data.

6 Firefighter injuries reported to NFIRS may be the result of operations at the fire scene or responding to or returning from 

an incident.

7 In NFIRS Version 5.0, a structure is a constructed item of which a building is one type. In previous versions of NFIRS, the 

term “residential structure” commonly referred to buildings where people live. To coincide with this concept, the definition 

of a residential structure fire for NFIRS 5.0 has, therefore, changed to include only those fires where the NFIRS 5.0 structure 

type is 1 or 2 (enclosed building and fixed portable or mobile structure) with a residential property use. Such structures are 

referred to as “residential buildings” to distinguish these buildings from other structures on residential properties that may 

include fences, sheds and other uninhabitable structures. In addition, confined fire incidents that have a residential property 

use but do not have a structure type specified are presumed to occur in buildings. Nonconfined fire incidents that have a 

residential property use without a structure type specified are considered to be invalid incidents (structure type is a required 

field) and are not included.

8 For the analyses in Figure 1 and Table 1, vehicle fire incidents include those with mobile property not involved in ignition 

but burned, as well as mobile property involved in ignition that burned. Vehicle fires exclude mobile property involved in 

ignition but did not itself burn; these incidents are included in the outside and other General Property Type category.

9 For the purposes of this report, the time of the fire alarm is used as an approximation for the general time at which the 

fire started. However, in NFIRS, it is the time at which the fire was reported to the fire department.

10 Total does not add up to 45 percent due to rounding.

11 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, 2012 to 

2014 Annual Averages - Household Data - Tables from Employment and Earnings. Table 11. Employed persons by detailed 

occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Numbers of firefighters are based on a sample of U. S. households 

(http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_aa2014.htm). This statistic may reflect only a portion of the volunteer firefighters (i.e., those 

firefighters who are paid per call).

12 Michael J. Karter, Jr. and Gary P. Stein, NFPA, U.S. Fire Department Profile 2012, October 2013; Hylton J. G. Haynes and 

Gary P. Stein, NFPA, U.S. Fire Department Profile 2013, November 2014; Hylton J. G. Haynes and Gary P. Stein, NFPA, U.S. 

Fire Department Profile 2014, January 2016.

13 Total does not add up to 96 percent due to rounding.

14 Protective equipment failure was specified in 85 percent of reported injuries.

15 Manny Berdayes, “T-shirt press may have sparked fire at Myrtle Beach shop,” www.myrtlebeachonline.com, May 18, 2016, 

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article78269017.html (accessed May 19, 2016). 16 WBTV Web Staff, “Two firefighters injured responding to Charlotte restaurant, apartment fire,” www.wbtv.com, May 1, 2016, 

http://www.wbtv.com/story/31623505/two-firefighter-injured-responding-to-charlotte-restaurant-apartment-fire (accessed 

May 19, 2016).

17 Jessica Benavides, “Greenville Firefighter Injured Fighting Apartment Fire,” www.nbcdfw.com, April 3, 2016, http://www.

nbcdfw.com/news/local/Greenville-Firefighter-Injured--374426041.html (accessed May 19, 2016). 18 Leah Kirstein, “Update: Four injured, two firefighters hands and ears burned after home explodes,” fox43.com, March 4, 

2016, http://fox43.com/2016/03/04/two-firefighters-hands-and-ears-burned-after-home-explodes/ (accessed May 19, 2016).