In August of 2022, NFPA released its annual “Firefighter Fatalities in the US 2021” report, which showed that on-duty firefighter deaths in 2021 had increased over the last two years although, they have trended downward since the late 1970s. Of the total 135 on-duty deaths, 65 were due to Covid. The majority of the Covid deaths were tied directly to emergency response exposures, with a smaller percentage attributed to workplace exposure. Even when factoring out Covid-related deaths, which should dissipate in future years as the pandemic lessens its grip, on-duty firefighter deaths are slightly higher over the last two years. Other important findings included two multiple-fatality incidents, volunteer firefighter deaths surpassing the latest 10-year average, the continued impact of vehicle crashes and deaths from cardiac arrest.
This year’s findings of on-duty firefighter deaths reflect increases in 2020 and 2021, but for the ninth time in 10 years the total was 70 or lower. Continued focus on the root causes of firefighter fatalities is paramount so that the increases over the last two years don’t become a trend. So far, 2022 does not show signs of improvement, reporting five multi-firefighter fatalities including fires, vehicle crashes and wildland fire response. While progress in certain areas continues, sudden cardiac death remains the leading cause of on-duty firefighter deaths followed by internal trauma and crushing injuries.
Overall, 70 on-duty firefighter deaths occurred in 2021. Of the 70 fatalities, 35 were volunteers, 27 were career firefighters, seven were state and federal land management contracted employees, and one served as a member of an industrial fire department.
The 35 deaths of U.S. volunteer firefighters in 2021 are above the average of 33 deaths reported over the last 10 years but far lower than the average of 67 reported in the early years of the study. The 27 deaths of on-duty career firefighters in 2021 aligns with the trend of 20 or fewer over the last 10 years. In the earliest years of this study, the annual average number of deaths of career firefighters while on duty was 57.
In 2021, overexertion, stress and medical issues accounted for 57% of firefighter deaths. Of the 40 deaths in this category, 29 were classified as sudden cardiac deaths, four were due to strokes, two deaths were by suicide, one firefighter died after emergency surgery for internal bleeding and four were found unresponsive. The 31 sudden cardiac deaths taking place while the victim was at work continues to be the number-one cause of on-duty firefighter fatalities accounting for 44% of the deaths reported in the United States.
In 2021, 16 firefighters died in vehicle-related incidents, 10 died in crashes, and six were struck by vehicles. Five of the crash victims were killed during emergency response, four were operating at wildland fires or prescribed burns, and one was at the scene of a motor vehicle crash. In the past, crashes of road vehicles consistently accounted for the second-largest share of on-duty deaths.
It remains a concern to see the overall number of on-duty firefighter fatalities rising, especially considering that the full firefighter fatality picture is far broader than NFPA’s data, which focuses on on-duty deaths tied to specific events that occur while firefighters are at work. The hazardous nature of firefighting includes long-term exposure to carcinogens and other contaminants, as well as physical and emotional stress and strain. Sadly, 2021 continued other troubling trends, such as firefighter-related murders and suicide. One firefighter was murdered on duty and two more committed suicide.
NFPA’s annual firefighter fatalities report only reflects deaths that occur while victims were on the job, either as the result of traumatic injuries or onset of acute medical conditions. Studies have shown that years spent in the fire service can take a toll on a firefighter’s health, both physical and emotional, and can also result in exposure to toxins that may eventually result in job-related cancer, cardiac and suicide deaths that are not represented in this report. Due to limitations in tracking firefighter exposure to toxic substances and environments, a complete picture of the impact on active-duty and retired firefighters cannot be drawn. Another area of growing concern is firefighter suicide. According to the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA), 89 firefighters and 16 EMTs and paramedics died by suicide in 2021.
NFPA’s line-of-duty death statistics have historically only taken into consideration incidents from the United States, but as a global organization, NFPA is interested in providing for the health, safety and well-being of firefighters and communities across the globe. As NFPA’s Executive Secretary of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro), a member Section of the IAFC and NFPA, the Metro brings together fire service professionals from around the globe to address emerging issues in large-jurisdiction departments. Therefore, I was able to reach out to our international colleagues (fire service leaders) to gain their insights and perspectives on firefighter fatalities.
The CTIF (The International Association of Fire Services) an organization founded over 120 years ago and considered one of the largest, if not the largest, firefighting organizations in the world, recently released its 2022 Center of Fire Statistics – World Fire Statistics report on data (2016–2020) collected from 48 countries across the globe. In their report, 2020 firefighter fatalities totalled 89 across the 33 countries that reported data. The limitation stated in the report is that: ‘When comparing statistics of countries and cities, it is necessary to keep in mind that every country has its own rules for reporting fires, fire deaths, and fire injuries. These rules change from time to time.’
In the United Kingdom, Chief Mark Hardingham, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), said that when considering the number of firefighter fatalities in the UK, it is important to place the numbers in perspective. There are very few purely volunteer firefighters in the UK. Most of the fire service in the UK is made up of career firefighters with all the associated occupational health and length-of-service commitments. The same systems and processes apply to the part-time (retained) firefighters who protect most of the rural parts of the country.
In England, the government collects firefighter fatality data whether it happened at a fire or other emergency incident, or during training or other routine activity. Chief Hardingham said the UK has been very fortunate that from April 2021 to March 2022 there was no firefighter fatality in these circumstances.
Chief Hardingham indicates that fire leaders in the UK are continuing to provide support for health, well-being and suicide prevention. Alongside international colleagues, we continue to research the links between firefighting, cancer and cancer-related fatalities to provide a workplace that is as safe as it can possibly be.
In Australia, urban (career) firefighter deaths are comparatively very low. According to Rob Webb the Chief Executive Officer of AFAC, Australia and New Zealand’s National Council for fire and emergency services during 2021/2022 reported the following deaths and incidents:
- In January 2022, a female rural volunteer firefighter was killed in South Australia from a tree fall while responding to a fire.
- In February 2022, a male helicopter pilot was killed fighting fires in Tasmania.
There was one additional retrospective firefighter fatality recognized for 2020.
- In March 2020, a firefighter died from a cardiac arrest in the Northern Territory while on duty.
In Latin America the Metro recently partnered with OBA, Organización de Bomberos Americanos that represents 13 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Of the member countries reporting (Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Brazil) on-duty firefighter fatalities:
- In September 2021, a military firefighter died of cardiac arrest during fire operations in Brazil.
- In November 2021, a volunteer firefighter died because of an on-duty motor vehicle accident in Paraguay.
- In Chile, they reported three on-duty firefighter fatalities in 2020 and two in 2021.
The global perspective represented is admittedly limited due to varying date ranges, definitions and collection methodologies. The one uniting element is that firefighter fatalities are a reality faced by many countries participating in Metro Chiefs, in addition to the global challenges of cancer, suicide and the mental health realities experienced by those that serve during desperate times across the globe.
NFPA’s Firefighter Fatalities study is made possible by the cooperation and assistance of the United States fire service, the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the United States Fire Administration, the Forest Service of the US Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Protecting the health and safety of firefighters around the world is made possible by engaged, invested, proactive policymakers, fire administrators, and firefighters working every day to reduce harm to frontline firefighters.
The Firefighter Fatalities research content in this article was originally shared by Rita F. Fahy and Jay T. Petrillo – August 2022 and can be found at https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/Emergency-responders/osFFF.pdf
About the Author
Otto Drozd III, EFO, CFO is the Executive Secretary of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association. Metro brings together fire chiefs from large metropolitan fire departments to share information and focus on major issues affecting policy changes in the U.S. and abroad. Its members belong to the IAFC and NFPA and are the fire chiefs of jurisdictions with minimum staffing of 350 fully paid career fire fighters.
