- Author
-
Karter, M. J., Jr.
|
Molis, J. L.
- Title
- U.S. Firefighter Injuries, 2003.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Keywords
-
fire fighters
|
injuries
|
fire statistics
|
fire fighting
- Identifiers
- injuries by type of duty; nature of fireground injuries; causes of fireground injuries; fire department vehicle collisions
- Abstract
- Firefighters work in varied and complex environments that increase their risk of on-the-job death and injury. A better understanding of how these fatal accidents, nonfatal injuries, and illnesses occur can help identify corrective actions which, could help minimize the inherent risks. Each year, the NFPA studies firefighter deaths and injuries to provide national statistics on their frequency, extent, and characteristics. Earlier this year, the NFPA reported 105 firefighters died on duty (See, "2003 Firefighter Fatalities ", NFPA Journal July/August). This report addresses 2003 firefighter injuries in the United States. The results are based on data collected during the NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for U.S. Fire Experience (2003). An earlier report measured the national fire experience in terms of the number of fires that fire departments attended and the resulting civilian deaths, civilian injuries, and property losses that occurredThis year's report includes among its results: * An estimate of the total number of 2003 firefighter injuries. * Estimates of the number of injuries by type of duty. * An estimate of the number of exposures to infectious diseases. * Trends in firefighter injuries and rates. * Fireground injuries by cause. * Fire department vehicle accidents and resulting firefighter injuries. * The average number of fires and fireground injuries per department by population of community protected. * Descriptions of selected incidents that illustrate firefighter safety problems.