NFPA Journal - Spring 2023 - 74

NFPA Research The Reports
The data from the report are derived
from the US Fire Administration's
National Fire Incident Reporting
System (NFIRS) in conjunction with the
annual Fire Experience Survey administered
by the National Fire Protection
Association. The data in this report are
estimates of firefighter injuries from
fires reported to US municipal fire
departments and exclude firefighter
injuries reported only to state or federal
agencies or industrial fire brigades.
Fatal firefighter injuries are detailed in
a separate NFPA report.
KEY FINDINGS
The majority of fireground injuries
were sustained by career firefighters
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firefighter injuries on the fireground
from 2016 through 2020.
(83 percent of the total), with volunteer
firefighters experiencing 17 percent
of injuries.
Female firefighters accounted for four
percent of injuries.
Injuries to lower (19 percent) and
upper (17 percent) extremities
together accounted nearly two in
five injuries, with one in ten of these
injuries involving hands or fingers.
Acute trauma may have caused some
of these injuries, but they also involve
parts of the body that may be injured
as a result of repetitive or
acute strain.
Fireground injuries were highest in
the months of January and July, with 10
percent of injuries occurring in each of
these months. March and August each
accounted for nine percent of injuries.
Injuries were lowest in September,
October, and November.
Slightly more than two in five fireground
injuries occurred in fires that
took place between noon and 8 p.m.,
but these hours also accounted for over
half of the fires. Although there were
fewer fires between midnight and 8
a.m., injuries were substantially higher
relative to the share of fires at these
hours. Such factors as working in dark
environments or sleep disturbance may
play a role in this injury pattern.
Factors relating to fire development
(such as smoke conditions or explosions)
contributed to approximately
three in ten injuries, while slippery or
uneven surfaces contributed to another
14 percent of injuries.
Structure fires were associated with
the largest share of firefighter injuries
(83 percent).
RICHARD CAMPBELL is senior research analyst
in the Research Division at NFPA.
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NFPA Journal - Spring 2023

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