Incident Report

Subject:                   USFA Releases Provisional 2010 Fire-fighter Fatality Statistics

Date of Email report:   Mon 10/01/201

Report Detail:

USFA Press Office: (301) 447-1853
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced today there were 85 on duty fire-fighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2010, a 6 percent decrease from the 90 fatalities reported for 2009. The 85 fatalities were spread across 31 states. Illinois experienced the highest number of fatalities (9). In addition to Illinois, only New York (8), Ohio (8), Pennsylvania (7), and Kansas (5) had 5 or more fire-fighter fatalities.

Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines noted that "When evaluating the trend in on duty fire-fighter fatalities over more than three decades, the past two years have seemed to reflect a possible change in the fire fighting culture of the United States whereEveryone Goes Home, including all fire-fighters." Gaines then added, "Working closely with our partners, USFA will continue every effort to be sure that when it comes to fire-fighter health and safety this downward trend in on duty fire-fighter deaths continues."
Heart attacks and strokes were responsible for the deaths of 51 fire-fighters (60%) in 2010, nearly the same proportion of fire-fighter deaths from heart attack or stroke (58%) in 2009.

Nine on duty fire-fighters died in association with wildland fires, about half the number that died in association with wildland fires in 2009 and a third of the 26 such fatalities in 2008.

Forty-eight percent of all fire-fighter fatalities occurred while performing emergency duties.

Eleven fire-fighters died in 2010 as the result of vehicle crashes, down substantially from 16 deaths in 2009, and for the first time since 1999, none the of the deaths involved aircraft. Four fire-fighters in 2010 died in accidents involving fire-fighters responding in personal vehicles. Seven fire-fighter deaths involved fire department apparatus, one of which was a double fire-fighter fatality incident.
These 2010 fire-fighter fatality statistics are provisional and may change as the USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify the names of fire-fighters reported to have died on duty during 2010. The final number of fire-fighter fatalities will be reported in USFA’s annual fire-fighter fatality report, expected to be available by July.

For additional information on fire-fighter fatalities, including the annual fatality reports from 1986 through 2009 and the Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study 1990-2000, please visit the USFA website.

Additional Documentation:

Download fatality reports by the year from here: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/report.shtm