NFPA Journal - Summer 2023 - 74

responding to the 2021 National Fire
Experience Survey. Data was collected
by sending designated fire departments
a form requesting a description
of circumstances that led to a particular
injury. The 2,239 departments
responding to the survey protect 99
million residents, or 30 percent of the
U.S. population. The results reported
here are based on injuries incurred
by public fire departments. No state
or federal firefighting entities are
included, and no adjustments were
made for injuries that occurred during
fires attended solely by private fire
brigades. The major types of injuries
occurring during fireground operations
were strains and sprains (45
percent of the injuries), wounds, cuts,
bleeding, and bruises (13 percent),
smoke or gas inhalation (5 percent),
and thermal stress (5 percent).
Overexertion or strain was the leading
cause of fireground injuries, with 25
percent of the total. Other major causes
were falls, jumps, or slips (24 percent),
exposure to fire products (12 percent)
and contact with objects (9 percent).
Approximately two-thirds (68 percent)
of firefighter injuries occurred
While the overall decline in
firefighter injuries and illness
is encouraging, research
indicates that this continues
to be a substantial problem for
firefighters and their families.
off the fireground, which includes
training activities, nonfire emergencies,
responding to or returning from
incidents, or other unspecified onduty
activities.
Strains, sprains, and muscular pain
were the leading type of injury in all
nonfireground activities and accounted
for especially high shares of injuries in
training (58 percent of total) and nonfire
emergency (52 percent) activities.
Wounds, cuts, bleeding, and bruises
were the second leading type of injury
in nonfireground activities, accounting
for 14 percent to 16 percent of injuries
across all nonfireground activities.
Strain, sprain, and muscular
pain injuries also accounted for
approximately two in five injuries that
occurred while responding to or returning
from incidents (41 percent) and
one-third of injuries in other on-duty
activities (34 percent).
Dislocations and fractures accounted
for 6 percent of injuries sustained while
firefighters responded to or returned
from incidents and 4 percent of injuries
sustained during training activities.
Smoke or gas inhalation accounted for
3 percent of injuries while responding
to or returning from incidents, as well
as nonfire emergency injuries. Injuries
involving a wound, cut, bleeding, or
bruise were the second leading type of
injury experienced by firefighters in all
nonfireground work activities, ranging
from 14 percent of injuries sustained in
other nonduty activities to 16 percent
of training injuries. Higher shares of
burns, dislocations or fractures, and
heart attacks or strokes were sustained
while responding to or returning
from incidents than the other nonfireground
activities.
RICHARD CAMPBELL is senior research analyst
in the Research Division at NFPA. SHELBY HALL
is a fire analysis research manager at NFPA.
For more information see under
www.fiwarec.de
74 | NFPA JOURNAL * SUMMER 2023
PREVIOUS SPREAD: STEVEN M. FALK/THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER VIA AP
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NFPA Journal - Summer 2023

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