An Analysis of Volunteer Firefighter Injuries

[x635 4,066]

Interesting study by the NFPA.

An analysis of volunteer firefighter injuries was undertaken to compare their experience to all firefighter injuries. "All firefighter injuries” refers to the firefighter injuries that are estimated based on the NFPA National Fire Experience Survey and reported in the NFPA Annual Firefighter Injury Report. The injury statistics in that report combine career and volunteer firefighters.

Volunteer fire departments are highly related to the size of community protected. Departments that protect communities of less than 10,000 population are comprised mostly of volunteer firefighters.

Three years of data were used in this analysis because the estimates for some of the breakdown categories are small and can vary considerably from year to year

http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/NFPA%20reports/Fire%20service%20statistics/osvolunteerfirefighterinjuries.pdf

[Dinosaur 844]

How many went unreported because the injured FF couldn't afford to miss work at his/her real job?

[M' Ave 1,466]

I'm not surprised about the higher percentage of Strain/Sprain injuries. You might be more inclined to ignore a strain if you could go home and not back to the firehouse to finish a 24 hour tour.

[JFLYNN 681]

I would be curious to know how NFPA came up with a stat of 7.1% of departments serving 500,000 to 999,999 being "mostly volunteer", and 2.9% of departments serving populations of 250,000 to 499,999 as well being "mostly volunteer"...Barry???

[SageVigiles 1,194]

I would be curious to know how NFPA came up with a stat of 7.1% of departments serving 500,000 to 999,999 being "mostly volunteer", and 2.9% of departments serving populations of 250,000 to 499,999 as well being "mostly volunteer"...Barry???

Maybe the DC Metro County departments? That's a good question.

[Bnechis 3,961]

I would be curious to know how NFPA came up with a stat of 7.1% of departments serving 500,000 to 999,999 being "mostly volunteer", and 2.9% of departments serving populations of 250,000 to 499,999 as well being "mostly volunteer"...Barry???

Maybe the DC Metro County departments? That's a good question.

Don't know, but I was thinking the same thing. Some of those county depts. have 10,000 vol/1,000 career, so they are "mostly" volunteer. If you count them by # of ff's.