Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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

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

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.

Download the 15-page report

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.

July

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.

67% graph

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.