Report: NFPA's "Firefighter Injuries in the United States"
Author: Richard Campbell and Shelby Hall
Issued: December 2022
Report highlights
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An estimated 60,450 firefighter injuries occurred in the line of duty in 2021, a decrease of 6 percent from the 64,875 injuries in 2020.
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Firefighters were more likely to be injured at fireground operations than other types of duties. In 2021,19,200 injuries, or 32 percent of all reported firefighter injuries, occurred at the fireground.
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The leading cause of fireground injuries was overexertion or strain (25 percent of total injuries).
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Strain, sprain, or muscular pain injuries accounted for more than two of five (45 percent) injuries on the fireground.
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Non-fireground injuries included 4,950 injuries while responding to or returning from an incident; 8,125 injuries incurred during training activities, 13,325 injuries at non-fire emergency incidents, and 14,850 injuries during other on duty activities.
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In 2021, an estimated 18,775 collisions involved fire department emergency vehicles responding to or returning from incidents, resulting in 600 injuries. Another 550 collisions occurred in the personal vehicles of firefighters; 200 firefighters were injured because of these collisions.
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