Topical Fire Report Series July 2019 | Volume 20, Issue 2

Fire-Related Firefighter Injuries
Reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (2015-2017)

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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 2015 to 2017.

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At a Glance

From 2015 to 2017, an estimated
25,975
firefighter injuries
occurred annually on the fireground, and another 4,525 injuries occurred while responding to or returning from an incident.

87%

The majority of fire-related firefighter injuries (87%) occurred in structure fires. In addition, on average, structure fires had more injuries per fire than nonstructure fires.

46%
lost work time

Injuries resulted in lost work time for 46% of firefighters with reported fire-related injuries.

Fires resulting in firefighter injuries occurred more often in July, at 11%, and peaked between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m.

Overexertion/Strain
29%
Overexertion/Strain was the cause of 29% of reported fire related firefighter injuries.

Of the reported fire-related injuries, 67% of the firefighters were transported to hospitals to be treated for their injuries. Of those firefighters treated at a hospital, 70% were career firefighters.

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 National Fire Incident Reporting System. 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.
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