2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s 

Summit on Fire Prevention 

and Control

A National Roundtable

October 11, 2022

National Emergency Training Center

Emmitsburg, Maryland

Welcome Letter i

Welcome Letter

Welcome to the 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and 

Control. You are taking part in a historic meeting of governmental officials, notable 

fire service leaders, and expert scientists, gathered with the collective purpose of 

combating the fire problem in America and keeping firefighters safe and healthy. 

The federal government’s involvement in fire protection began with President 

Woodrow Wilson’s first proclamation of fire prevention week in 1922. Today, as we 

commemorate that proclamation’s 100th anniversary, we will carry on that tradition. 

The fire problem in America was also addressed in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman 

after several horrific fires with tremendous loss of life. It is a true honor for this 

Summit to have President Truman’s grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, with us today.

In 1968, the Fire Research and Safety Act created the National Commission on Fire 

Prevention and Control, whose mandate was to examine the nation’s fire problem 

and formulate recommendations for improving fire safety. This led to the formative 

1973 America Burning document, which set the course for efforts in the latter part 

of 20th Century to reduce the effects of fire. We are now nearly one-quarter of the 

way through the 21st Century, and America is still burning.

In fact, the United States continues to have the highest per capita death rate and 

property loss of all major industrialized nations. This Summit is an opportunity 

for you to join me in reducing the effects of fire loss as envisioned by President 

Woodrow Wilson and President Harry S. Truman.

I challenge you to lean in and support this effort with all your might. Individually, we 

have limited impact. Collectively, we can save lives and property and preserve the 

nation’s infrastructure for future generations ... and protect our responders. The 

task is daunting but not insurmountable.

It is my pleasure to have you join us in our renewed effort to make America fire safe, 

and I look forward to working with you to make our country a model for fire safety 

that other nations will aspire to emulate.

Sincerely,

Lori Moore-Merrell, DrPH, MPH

U.S. Fire Administrator

U.S. Fire Administration
ii 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control
Table of Contents iii

Table of Contents

Agenda ........................................................................................................................... 1

A National Roundtable ................................................................................................ 3

Chief Donna Black, International Association of Fire Chiefs ........................... 5

Chief Kevin Quinn, National Volunteer Fire Council ......................................... 7

General President Edward Kelly, International Association of Fire Fighters ... 8

Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., National Fallen Firefighters Foundation................. 9

Mr. James Pauley, National Fire Protection Association................................... 10

Fire Prevention and Control Fact Sheets................................................................... 13

Impact of Climate Change .................................................................................... 15

Fire Service Apprenticeship Program ................................................................. 17

Impact of Occupational Cancer ........................................................................... 19

Impact of Behavioral Health ................................................................................ 21

Parity with Law Enforcement in Federal Policy Development........................ 23

Impact of Codes and Standards........................................................................... 25
iv 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control
Agenda 1

Agenda

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell

U.S. Fire Administrator

Mr. Clifton Truman Daniel

National Roundtable

Chief Donna Black

President, International Association of Fire Chiefs

Chief Kevin Quinn

First Vice Chair, National Volunteer Fire Council

General President Edward Kelly

International Association of Fire Fighters

Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr.

Board of Directors Member, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Former U.S. Fire Administrator

Mr. James Pauley

President and Chief Executive Officer, National Fire Protection Association

Presidential Proclamation of the 100th Fire Prevention Week

Closing Remarks
2 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control
A National Roundtable 3

A National Roundtable
4 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control
A National Roundtable 5

Chief Donna Black

President, International Association of Fire Chiefs

I am honored to speak with you this morning. As Fire Chief of Duck, North Carolina, 

I have witnessed the effects of climate change. I have seen hurricane-driven storm 

surges and wind endanger our residents and visitors and damage our buildings, 

beaches, and roads.

As climate change drives extremes in weather, we see extremes emerging in our 

nation’s fire problem. Due to climate change, more fire departments are responding to 

an increasing number of wildland-urban interface and suburban conflagration fires. 

The wildland-urban interface is where suburban and rural areas merge with the 

wildland. About one-third of our population lives in this built environment. My 

state ranks fourth in terms of houses in the wildland-urban interface, trailing only 

California, Texas, and Florida.

Fires in the wildland and wildland-urban interface are also larger and more 

destructive. The Western states continue to experience significant impacts, 

including increases in fires so severe that they threaten forest recovery. These fires 

are not limited to the western U.S. — the southeast may see large fires increase by 

300 to 400% in the next 30 years. 

Nor are these fires limited to a season. Colorado’s Marshall Fire burned 6,000 acres, 

destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses, and caused over $500 million in 

damages in December, well outside the traditional wildland fire season. 

With suburban conflagration fires in the wildland-urban interface, structural 

firefighters are not fighting a single-family house fire. Instead, they are responding 

to entire neighborhoods and communities under threat. The NFPA’s needs 

assessment found that while 88% of structural fire departments respond to 

interface fires, only 50% have training on interface fires involving multiple 

structures. 

This must change. We need funding to provide all firefighters — career and 

volunteer — with the training and equipment necessary to meet these challenges. 

Properly equipped and trained firefighters can conduct rapid fire attack operations, 

reducing life and property loss, preserving scarce firefighting resources, and 

lessening environmental impacts. 

Finally, water is a critical issue as droughts continue. Limited water for firefighting 

is not something that may happen someday. It is happening now, today. In July, 

firefighters in Pembroke, Massachusetts could not use their fire hydrants because 

of a water shortage. Officials in Las Vegas, New Mexico announced they had 

about 20 days of water left as ash and debris from the state’s largest wildfire 

contaminated the supply. Without readily available water, firefighters may not be 

able to stop a small brush fire from becoming a disaster.
6 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

In closing, we cannot continue this cycle. Our current system, while much improved, 

cannot overcome climate change, population growth, and complex changes in 

both our society and the built environment. We must prepare all firefighters for 

the climate-driven increase in wildfires in the wildland-urban interface by 

providing them with the proper training and equipment.

Thank you again for this opportunity.
A National Roundtable 7

Chief Kevin Quinn

First Vice Chair, National Volunteer Fire Council

In my opinion, being a firefighter represents one of the most significant ways to 

serve a community.

Sadly, the number of people interested in becoming firefighters is declining. While 

we must study why this is happening, I can share with you the challenges I’ve seen 

and heard from firefighters across the country.

Over the past 2 1/2 years, there have been mass retirements in fire departments 

due to the COVID pandemic. A number of other factors contributed to the decline in 

recruitment and retention of firefighters, including civil unrest, active shooters, and 

mass casualty events. Both career and volunteer departments are affected by this.

In order to maintain services within their communities, fire departments are 

requiring mandatory overtime, and they are having difficulty recruiting and 

retaining employees. In Minneapolis, for instance, the fire department normally 

receives about 2,500 applications per year. But this year, they received only 700 

applications.

While there has been a decline in the number of volunteer firefighters over the past 

30 years, call volume has more than tripled, primarily due to increased emergency 

medical calls. Increasing time demands, time-consuming training requirements, and 

aging communities make finding and keeping new volunteers challenging.

The fire service struggles to recruit and retain women and people of color. The 

most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 11.6% of career 

fighters were Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% were African-American, and 1.3% were 

Asian. Women represent 11% of volunteer firefighters and 5% of career firefighters, 

according to the NFPA’s 2022 “U.S. Fire Department Profile” report based on 2020 

data.

As Dr. Moore-Merrell mentioned earlier, we are here to provide some solutions. 

One solution is to invest in a national apprenticeship program to address 

the shortage of firefighters and to make the fire service more diverse and 

inclusive. A fire service apprenticeship program could mirror the Registered 

Apprenticeship Program and the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program 

administered by the Department of Labor. Fire departments can benefit from 

apprenticeship programs by attracting people who might not have considered the 

fire service originally as a career or as a way to serve their community.

The recent grants awarded under the Apprentice Building America program are 

grounded in equity, job quality, sustainability, and evidence-based practices. 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital to the longevity of the fire service, and these 

types of grants support these factors.

The fire service occupies a unique place in American society – trusted and often 

welcomed. We need to do everything we can, on every level of government, to 

attract firefighters to serve in their communities. Thank you for being here today.
8 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

General President Edward Kelly

International Association of Fire Fighters 

We ask the federal government to establish a comprehensive firefighter 

cancer strategy that invests in research, provides access to cancer screening 

for all firefighters, and reduces and eliminates PFAS exposure.

In 2010, NIOSH found firefighters have excess cancer risk compared to the general 

population for multiple cancers, including testicular, brain, prostate, colon, 

mesothelioma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia. Recently, the International Agency 

for Research on Cancer declared a firefighter’s occupational exposure as “Class 1, 

threat, carcinogenic to humans.” 

Given that there is now little doubt that the higher risk is due to our occupational 

exposures, what we need now is to further understand the link between these 

exposures and cancer development. There has been some critical research into 

the connection between exposures and genetic mutations, and that research 

must continue and expand until we know enough about the impact of cancer on 

firefighters. Thus far, what we are learning from science about this matter is of great 

concern to our profession. 

Second, we need access to health screenings for all firefighters, throughout their 

time as a firefighter and in retirement when the chronic exposures usually manifest. 

For example, firefighters have a higher risk of lung cancer, yet it is often difficult for 

individual firefighters to get lung screenings due to existing recommendations that 

do not take into account that our profession is a significant risk factor for cancer. 

We must direct medical professionals and insurance companies to account for this 

occupational risk when making coverage decisions. A comprehensive, aggressive 

screening program will help us find and treat cancer early, when there is a greater 

likelihood of a positive outcome.

Finally, we need to reduce PFAS exposures. Because of the slow rate in which they 

degrade, PFAS have been termed “forever chemicals.” None of the over 12,000 

types have proven to be safe. PFAS are in some foams we use to put out particularly 

difficult fires and we urge action to ban the production and use of these foams, as 

they have in European countries.

PFAS accumulate in our bodies, compounds our exposures, and contribute to higher 

rates of several cancers. They can pass in utero and via breastmilk to the children of 

female firefighters. And PFAS are a driver of higher rates of testicular and prostate 

cancers in male firefighters.

Most concerning, our bunker gear contains PFAS. The very gear we rely on to 

protect us is making us sick. Next-generation PPE must be developed, evaluated, 

and manufactured as quickly as possible. Most departments cannot afford 

to replace their gear and we need to make sure that funding isn’t a barrier to 

replacement. We must also plan for the safe disposal of our existing gear. 

Time is of the essence, and we must act now. Together, we can ensure other families 

do not experience the pain we have felt.
A National Roundtable 9

Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr.

Board of Directors Member, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

As my esteemed colleagues have discussed, preventing and mitigating fires is crucial 

to protecting the lives of citizens, and protecting firefighters from a toxic environment 

is vital. Today, I want to share another issue affecting families and fire departments 

across the country, the increased number of firefighters dying by suicide and 

suffering from behavioral health issues. It is our position, that we need to provide 

behavioral health resources and suicide prevention initiatives for all firefighters.

According to organizations tracking the issue, the number of firefighter suicides 

is estimated to be at least 100 per year. Additionally, the “Ruderman White Paper 

on Mental Health and Suicide of First Responders” noted that the suicide rate for 

firefighters is 18 per 100,000 compared to 13 per 100,000 for the general public.

We are responsible for protecting those who protect us by investing in their mental 

health, including collecting accurate data. According to evidence-based research, 

behavioral health awareness campaigns provide effective intervention methods. It 

is our collective responsibility to provide those who serve with the tools they need 

to help themselves and each other.

The fire service, as well as our brothers and sisters in blue, are both dealing 

with occupational-related behavioral health issues. The FBI launched the 

Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection on January 1, 2022, to help improve 

understanding and prevent suicide among law enforcement officers. We applaud this 

effort and see this data collection as a model of what is needed in the fire service. 

Federal agencies have poured millions of dollars into addressing the suicide problem 

for our colleagues in blue, but there is no comparable effort for the fire service.

As policies and programs are developed by federal agencies on first responder 

behavioral health and other topics, it is time to involve the fire service in federal 

policy development on an equal basis with law enforcement. Nearly every 

Cabinet-level department in the federal government plays a role in addressing the 

fire problem in America. Each has programs to address fire safety issues in keeping 

with its specific mission. Our Fire Administration must be elevated to adequately 

represent the more than 1.1 million firefighters serving in this country.

Where relevant issues touch law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), 

and the fire service, it is essential that the federal government gives equitable 

consideration to each discipline. Initiatives addressing sustainable infrastructure, 

resiliency in the built environment, or public health initiatives cannot operate in 

silos. Public safety must be approached holistically, which requires equal support to 

all first responders — the fire service, EMS providers, and law enforcement.
10 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Mr. James Pauley

President and Chief Executive Officer, National Fire Protection 

Association

More than 300 codes and standards influence fire and life safety in the built 

environment. We can create safer communities by assisting local jurisdictions in 

implementing and enforcing these codes and standards, which will keep Americas 

safe from the “menace of fire,” just as Mr. Daniel’s grandfather spoke of in 1947. 

State and local governments are responsible for promoting the use and 

enforcement of current codes and standards. The federal government can help 

by incentivizing compliance and providing funding to local jurisdictions for code 

implementation, inspection, and enforcement.

Proper use of life-saving technology, like smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and 

automatic fire sprinkler systems, is proven to save lives. All modern buildings require 

these systems, and the fire codes must be consistently and aggressively enforced. 

In addition, we strongly urge that all federally funded construction projects be 

required to comply with current fire and building codes and that federal housing 

assistance needs to be tied to the use and compliance of current fire, life safety, 

electrical, and building codes. 

Fire disproportionately impacts our vulnerable populations — older adults, children, 

people of color, low-income populations, and people with disabilities. This is an equity 

issue. Safe housing and affordable housing should not be mutually exclusive concepts. 

Nearly a million households live in public housing units in the United States, and fire 

safety improvements in public housing must receive heightened attention. 

In 1992, Congress passed the Federal Fire Safety Act, requiring newly constructed 

multi-family housing units to have fire sprinklers. HUD estimates that approximately 

570,000 multi-family public housing units are still in the inventory constructed before 

the sprinkler requirement, of which a significant portion still lacks fire sprinklers. 

We must make investments in retrofitting public housing with fire sprinkler 

systems. An NFPA study found that in buildings with sprinkler systems the civilian 

fire death and injury rates were 89 percent and 27 percent lower. 

Additionally, HUD must ensure all public housing units are equipped with working 

smoke alarms that are installed and maintained under the relevant codes and 

standards. 

Nearly three out of five home fire deaths are caused by fires in properties without 

smoke alarms or smoke alarms that failed to operate. HUD must provide resources 

to public housing authorities to either retrofit housing units with hardwired smoke 

alarms or require the installation of tamper-resistant long-life battery-powered 

smoke alarms. 

By embracing current fire and life safety codes and standards at all levels of 

government, we can make great strides in addressing the fire problem in our nation. 

Together we can create safer communities by implementing and enforcing 

codes and standards, especially in the wildland-urban interface and underserved and vulnerable populations providing affordable and fire-safe housing.
A National Roundtable 11

It is important to note this year marks the 100th Anniversary of the National Fire 

Protection Association’s Fire Prevention Week. The theme is ‘Fire Won’t Wait, Plan 

Your Escape.’ This theme clearly applies to all communities, including the urban 

interface. Each year, the President of the United States signs the proclamation of 

Fire Prevention Week, signaling the federal government’s support of saving lives 

and property.
12 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control
Fire Prevention and Control Fact Sheets 13

Fire Prevention and Control 

Fact Sheets
14 2022 U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control
U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Impact of Climate 

Change

Impact Areas 

Occurrence of Wildfi re

According to a June 2022 U.S. Congressional Budget Offi ce report, the 

intensity of wildfi res has increased, as has the number of wildfi res 

impacting the built environment over the past 30 years. As our nation 

continues to grow and develop in the WUI, our communities are faced 

with increased wildfi re threats associated with:

 Increased populations.

 Reduced land management practices.

 Dangerous increase of fuel buildup.

 Climate change.

The fi re service today is faced with three main fi re types:

1. Structural fi res — fi res involving built construction where trained 

fi refi ghters have specifi c strategies and tactics to maintain life safety 

and gain control of a fi re, including interior attack, exterior attack, 

search and rescue, ventilation, salvage, and overhaul. 

2. Wildland fi res — fi res typically involving trees and other vegetation 

where wildland trained fi refi ghters use specifi c strategies and tactics 

to gain control and suppress the fi re, including off ensive (direct attack) 

and defensive (indirect attack), backfi re burning, and trenching. These 

strategies use equipment and/or resources such as bulldozers, aircraft, 

hand crews, and fi re engines to construct fi re lines that provide control 

and containment of the fi re.

3. WUI fi res — fi res occurring in the built (structural) environment directly 

adjacent to or intermixed with a wildland area. WUI fi re operations have 

non-standardized and relatively new and diff erent strategies and tactics 

when compared with either strictly structural or wildland fi refi ghting. 

Firefi ghters operating in the WUI use primary and secondary tactics 

typically conducted by structural engine crews attempting to adapt 

these tactics to fi t the wildland fi re situation. 

Prepare all fi refi ghters for the climate-driven increase in wildfi res in the wildland urban 

interface (WUI) by providing them with the proper training and equipment.

Issue

WUI fi res are one of the most 

devastating fi re problems in the 

United States. Currently, most 

structural fi refi ghters receive 

little to no training on how to 

respond, remain safe, and/or 

how to operate eff ectively in 

an extremely dangerous and 

dynamic fi re environment.
U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control — Impact of Climate Change

Firefi ghting Resources 

Wildfi re knows no boundaries. Fires can start and burn across federal, tribal, state, local, and private lands. 

That means fi res are often fought with a combination of agencies and fi refi ghters from diff erent training 

backgrounds and employers. These diff erences include seasonal federal and state wildland fi refi ghters, state 

and local career fi refi ghters, and volunteer fi refi ghters from community-based fi re stations. While some 

fi refi ghters trained to operate in the built environment are also specifi cally trained to engage in wildland 

fi refi ghting, the majority have little to no training for operating in an urban or suburban confl agration with 

multiple structures burning simultaneously.

Advances in command and coordination, especially at large, long-duration wildland and WUI fi re events, have 

improved resource deployment and operations on the ground. However, these resources often take time to 

get into place. Therefore, initial response often comes from state and local fi re departments, many of which 

are already dealing with limited and overworked staff . 

Training, Equipment, and Water

Local fi re department responders are typically trained as structural fi refi ghters given that single family 

dwellings are the most common fi re risk they encounter. Structural fi refi ghters, accustomed to fi ghting one 

structure fi re at a time, are now being confronted with multiple structures burning simultaneously. They must 

react and respond with uncharacteristic tactics and strategies to successfully mitigate the event by reducing or 

eliminating fi re spread. The reality is that they must add urban interface wildfi re strategies and tactics to their 

operational repertoire. 

As the risk of losing entire communities from wildfi re extends to a year-round threat, staffi ng resources, 

proper training, and equipment are necessary to fi ght these WUI fi res. 

Training and Equipment 

Communities across the nation are experiencing an increasing number of larger and more destructive 

wildland, urban interface, and suburban confl agration fi res. Because these fi res are occurring more often in 

both suburban and rural areas adjacent to or intermixed with the wildland, structural fi refi ghters are regularly 

involved in suppression eff orts and responsible for defending homes and critical infrastructure. According 

to the National Fire Protection Association Needs Assessment, 88% of structural fi re departments in the U.S. 

respond to urban interface fi res, but only 40 percent of those fi re departments provide training on urban 

interface strategy and tactics. 

Additionally, there is often diffi culty accessing wildland fi refi ghting equipment including PPE and proper 

footwear, for both women and men who attend training and are involved in WUI fi refi ghting.

Water Access 

Particularly in the West, water is a limited and often contested resource. Drought conditions elsewhere in the 

country are causing similar eff ects to spread eastward. Scarcity of water has a severe impact on fi refi ghting 

eff orts. Additionally, fi re in watershed areas and burn scars following a fi re can contaminate water resources 

as debris and other contaminants aff ect both availability of potable water and treatment eff orts. 

More Information 
U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Fire Service 

Apprenticeship Program

Impact Areas 

Local communities are facing numerous challenges when 

it comes to staffi ng local fi re departments. The COVID-19 

pandemic, civil unrest, active shooter, and mass casualty 

events have all contributed to recruitment and retention 

challenges for career and volunteer fi re departments. In 

addition, increasing emergency call volumes, greater time 

demands, time-consuming training requirements, aging 

communities, and the physical and behavioral risks of the 

occupation create further challenges to fi re departments 

struggling to maintain suffi cient staffi ng levels.

The fi re service struggles to recruit and retain women 

and people of color. The most recent data from the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2019 reported that 11.6% 

of career fi refi ghters were Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% were 

African American, and 1.3% were Asian-Pacifi c Islanders. 

Women represent 11% of volunteer fi refi ghters and 5% of 

career fi refi ghters, according to the NFPA’s 2022 “U.S. Fire 

Department Profi le” report based on 2020 data.

The creation of a National Fire Service Apprenticeship 

program would assist local communities in addressing 

the shortage of fi refi ghters in both career and volunteer 

departments and help make the fi re service become 

a more diverse and inclusive vocation. The fi re service 

apprenticeship program should be designed to mirror the 

Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship and the 

Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs.

Invest in a national apprenticeship program to address the shortage of fi refi ghters and 

to make the fi re service more diverse and inclusive.

Issue

In recent years there has been a steady 

decline in the number of fi refi ghters in 

the nation. This decline is impacting both 

career and volunteer departments, leaving 

the communities they serve vulnerable to 

threats, and increasing the stresses among 

fi refi ghters and the municipalities. It is 

imperative that we invest in programs to 

incentivize individuals to join volunteer and 

career fi re departments. 

0.0

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198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997

1998199920002001200220032004200520062007

20082009201020112012201320142015201620172018

2019

Career firefighters per 1,000 people

Number of Career Firefighters

Figure 1. Number of Career

Firefighters and Rate per 1,000 People

Career

Firefighters

Rate per 1,000

People

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198619871988

1989199019911992

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200020012002

2003200420052006

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Volunteers per 1,000 people

Number of Volunteer Firefighters

Figure 2. Number of Volunteer

Firefighters and Rate per 1,000 People

Volunteer

Firefighters

Rate per 1,000

people

NFPA. US Fire Department Profi le 2019 Rita Fahy, Ben Evarts and More Information 

Gary P. Stein, December 2021. https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/

Files/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/Emergencyresponders/osfdprofi le.pdf

U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Impact of 

Occupational Cancer

Impact Areas 

Research

Greater investment in research will expand our 

understanding of the mechanisms between occupational 

exposures and cancer, why fi refi ghters are at heightened 

risk from some cancers, and to better understand the 

cancer risks of our under-studied populations, including 

women and minorities. 

Access to cancer screenings

Preventive screenings can identify cancer in its earliest 

stages when positive treatment outcomes are more likely. 

However, it remains diffi cult for individual fi refi ghters to 

receive early screenings as current screening guidance 

does not account for their occupational exposures. Revised 

screening guidance can help medical professionals and 

insurance companies understand the need to screen 

fi refi ghters based on their higher cancer risk. 

Reduce and eliminate PFAS exposures

PFAS are likely carcinogenic chemicals that degrade very 

slowly, earning the label “forever chemicals.” PFAS are 

found in a fi refi ghter’s blood, their fi rehouses, some 

fi refi ghting foams, and perhaps most concerning, bunker 

gear. These chemicals are intensifying exposures, even 

though it is coming from the very gear meant to protect 

fi refi ghters. Next-generation PPE can remove this risk.

Establish a comprehensive fi refi ghter cancer strategy that invests in research, provides 

access to cancer screening for fi refi ghters, and reduces and eliminates PFAS exposure.

Issue

Firefi ghters have a 9% higher risk 

of developing cancer and a 14% 

higher risk of dying from cancer 

compared to the general public. 

More Information 

U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Impact of Behavioral 

Health

Impact Areas 

Firefi ghters and other rescue personnel develop PTSD at a similar rate 

to military service members returning from combat, according to an 

August 2016 study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. 

The report reveals that approximately 20 percent of fi refi ghters and 

paramedics meet the criteria for PTSD at some point during their career.1

This compares to a 6.8 percent lifetime risk for the general population. 

The connection between PTSD and traumatizing rescue work is clear.

The number of fi refi ghter suicides is estimated to be at least 100 per 

year. According to the “Ruderman White Paper on Mental Health and 

Suicide of First Responders,” the suicide rate for fi refi ghters is 18 per 

100,000 compared to 13 per 100,000 for the general public. 

The federal government has a responsibility to protect those who 

protect us by investing in the protectors’ mental health. Grant programs 

funding peer-supported behavioral health and wellness programs 

within fi re departments should be established by Congress. Resources 

should be available to health care providers highlighting best practices 

for addressing post-traumatic stress among public safety offi cers. 

Accurate data on the prevalence and causes of post-traumatic stress 

and suicide with the fi re service must be collected. According to 

evidence-based research, behavioral health awareness campaigns 

provide eff ective intervention methods. It is our collective responsibility 

to provide those who serve with the tools they need to help themselves 

and each other. 

The FBI launched the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection on 

January 1, 2022.2 to help improve understanding and prevent suicide 

among law enforcement offi cers. We applaud this eff ort, and a similar 

data collection model is needed at the U.S. Fire Administration.

It is our position, that we need to provide behavioral health resources 

and suicide prevention initiatives for all fi refi ghters. Like other injuries, 

early detection, access to culturally competent behavioral health 

specialists and proper screening can help reduce the eff ects of posttraumatic stress. Many insurance providers cap the costs related to 

behavioral health assistance and treatment centers for behavioral 

health programs are often out of the reach of the average fi refi ghter.

1 https://www.iaff recoverycenter.com/blog/trauma-fi refi ghting-and-ptsd/

2 https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/law-enforcement-suicide-data-collection

Provide behavioral health resources and suicide prevention initiatives for all fi refi ghters.

Issue

An increasing number of 

fi refi ghters are dying by suicide 

suff ering from behavioral 

health issues, including 

post-traumatic stress, from 

exposures that they have 

suff ered while delivering 

emergency medical services 

to the public. There is a 

lack of culturally competent 

behavioral health specialists 

to assist fi refi ghters, and local 

Employee Assistance Programs 

are ill-equipped to assist fi rst 

responders.

More Information 

U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Elevation of the Fire Service in 

Federal Policy Development

Impact Areas 

The White House Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal includes $1.97 

billion in discretionary funding to support state and local law 

enforcement, an increase of 12% over the previous fi scal year.1 This 

represents a signifi cant investment in local law enforcement and is 

much needed. Despite the signifi cant fi re problem our nation faces, 

the Administration requested $740 million for grants to local fi re 

departments.2 The National Fire Protection Association estimated 

the total cost of fi re in the United States in 2014 was $328.5 billion, 

approximately 1.9% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.3 Federal 

investments in fi re protection and response are not suffi cient to 

address the scope of the problem.

In addition to supporting local law enforcement, federal law 

enforcement agencies have a signifi cant presence in the federal 

government. These agencies include the Air Force Offi ce of Special 

Investigations, Army Criminal Investigation Division, Defense Criminal 

Investigative Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Coast Guard 

Investigative Service (Department of Defense), Customs and Border 

Protection, Federal Protective Service, Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service (Department of Homeland Security), 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement 

Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal 

Service (DOJ), U.S. Park Police (Department of Interior), IRS Criminal 

Investigations Division (Department of Treasury), U.S. Postal Inspection 

Service (U.S. Postal Service), Probation and Pretrial Services (Judicial 

Conference of the U.S.), and U.S. Capitol Police (United States Congress).

Nearly every department and agency in the federal government 

touches upon fi re and emergency services. These departments are 

responsible for engaging with fi re service stakeholders — inside and 

outside of the federal government — when developing policies and 

1

FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Budget Invests in Reducing Gun Crime to Make Our Communities 

Safer (White House; March 28, 2022)

2Fiscal Year 2023 President’s Budget

3Total Cost of Fire in the United States (NFPA; October 2017)

Involve the fi re service in federal policy development on an equal basis with law 

enforcement.

Issue

The fi re service must be included 

in federal policy development 

on an equal basis with law 

enforcement when federal 

agencies develop policies and 

programs related to public safety, 

such as fi rst responder behavioral 

health, building and fi re codes, 

and the fi ve mission areas of 

the National Preparedness Goal 

(prevention, protection, mitigation, 

response and recovery). 
U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control — Elevation of the Fire Service in Federal Policy Development

procedures impacting fi re and life safety. Despite the fi re service’s 

signifi cant footprint within these departments’ mission, there is a 

lack of coordination and cohesive policy development among these 

agencies. Consistent, competent and eff ective leadership at the U.S. Fire 

Administration level can coordinate these policies and ensure that the 

fi re service stakeholders can eff ectively operate at the national level. 

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) should be elevated within the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and transformed 

into a multi-disciplinary response, preparedness, and mitigation 

agency. As many response agencies already have, each FEMA region 

should have a dedicated USFA specialist to assist in the planning and 

response to disasters. USFA must be fully funded and appropriately 

staff ed in order to execute its mission.

More Information 

Department of Defense 

 Military fi refi ghter health and safety 

Department of Justice 

 Bureau of Justice Assistance 

 Public Safety Offi cers’ Benefi ts Program 

Department of the Interior

 Bureau of Land Management 

 Wildland fi refi ghting 

Department of Agriculture

 U.S. Forest Service 

 Wildland fi refi ghting 

Department of Commerce 

 National Telecommunications and 

Information Administration 

 First Responder Network Authority 

(FirstNet) 

Department of Labor 

 Occupational Safety & Health 

Administration 

Department of Health and Human Services

 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention/

National Institute for Occupational Safety & 

Health

 National Firefi ghter Registry 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development

 Public and Indian Housing 

 Safe and aff ordable housing for our most 

vulnerable populations 

Department of Transportation

 National Highway Traffi c Safety 

Administration 

 Offi ce of EMS 

Department of Energy

 Offi ce of Environment, Health, Safety & 

Security 

 Fire Protection Program 

Department of Education

 Offi ce of Postsecondary Education 

 Campus Safety & Security 

Department of Veterans Aff airs 

 Safe and aff ordable housing for veterans 

and their families 

Department of Homeland Security 

 Federal Emergency Management 

Agency/U.S. Fire Administration 

 National Fire Academy

 Assistance to Firefi ghters/Staffi ng for 

Adequate Fire & Emergency Response/Fire 

Prevention & Safety Grants 

The federal government has numerous agencies and programs impacting the nation’s 

fi re and emergency services. Nearly every department in the federal government 

touches upon fi re and emergency services. Here is a snapshot of some of the various 

programs in the federal government impacting fi re and life safety.
U.S. Fire Administrator’s Summit on Fire Prevention and Control

Impact of Codes and 

Standards

Impact Areas 

Model building codes improve building resilience to natural 

disasters and save $11 for every $1 invested.1

All nationally recognized modern building and fi re codes 

require the use of life-saving technology, like smoke 

alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and automatic fi re 

sprinkler systems. 

Nearly a million households live in public housing units 

in the United States,2 and fi re safety improvements in 

public housing must receive heightened attention. In 1992, 

Congress passed the Federal Fire Safety Act (15 USC 2227), 

requiring newly constructed multi-family housing units to 

have fi re sprinklers. HUD estimates that approximately 

570,000 multi-family public housing units are in their 

inventory that were constructed before the sprinkler 

requirement. A signifi cant portion of these units lack the 

protection off ered by fi re sprinklers. 

In buildings with automatic fi re sprinkler systems, 

the civilian fi re death rate is 89 percent lower than 

non-sprinklered buildings and the injury rate is 27 

percent lower. Furthermore, property damage decreases 

signifi cantly in buildings protected by fi re sprinklers.3

Investments must be made in retrofi tting public housing 

with fi re sprinkler systems.

Nearly three out of fi ve home fi re deaths are caused by 

fi res in properties without smoke alarms or smoke alarms 

that failed to operate.4 HUD must provide resources to 

public housing authorities to either retrofi t housing units 

with hardwired smoke alarms or require the installation of 

tamper-resistant long-life battery-powered smoke alarms. 

1

Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: 2019 Report (National Institute for Building Sciences; 

December 1, 2019)

2

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Office of Public and Indian Housing 

3US Experience with Fire Sprinklers (NFPA; October 2021)

4 Smoke Alarms in US Home Fires (NFPA; February 2021)

Create safer communities by implementing and enforcing codes and standards, 

especially in the wildland urban interface (WUI) and under-served and vulnerable 

populations providing aff ordable and fi re-safe housing.

Issue

State and local governments are responsible 

for promoting the use and enforcement of 

current codes and standards. The federal 

government can help by incentivizing 

compliance and providing funding to local 

jurisdictions for code implementation, 

inspection, and enforcement. This 

will increase fi re and life safety in our 

communities, especially in the WUI and 

among under-served and vulnerable 

populations.

More Information 

Philadelphia Fire Department 

units operating at January 2022 

multi-fatality fi re in the city’s 

Fairmount neighborhood. 

Photo credit: PFD Community 

Action Team

January 9th 2022: Bronx, New 

York: FDNY units operating at 

the Twin Parks Fire. Tragically, 17 

people died at this fi re. However, 

many more were rescued by the 

FDNY. Photo credit: Frank Leeb

Notes


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