The NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program

The United States currently depends on approximately 1.1 million fire fighters to save lives and property from losses caused by fire. Of these fire fighters, approximately 300,000 are career and 800,000 are volunteers. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the U.S. Fire Administration estimate that approximately 80 to 100 fire fighters die in the line-of-duty each year.

In 1998, Congress recognized the need to better address the continuing national problem of fire fighter deaths and funded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to implement a fire fighter safety initiative. With fire service stakeholder input, we developed the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program.

Note: This publication has been superseded by 2020-127 [PDF – 639 KB]

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