NFPA Adding 24-Hour Cardiac Numbers to Yearly Firefighter Fatality Reports

By Bill Carey
23 July 2023

For as long as they have been recording firefighter fatality data, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) showed what I called a more accurate number of fatalities each year since, unlike the United States Fire Association (USAF), the NFPA yearly totals did not include cardiac-related deaths that occurred within 24 hours like the USFA Hometown Heroes Act.

The Hometown Heroes Act, or Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act, allows deaths due to heart attack and stroke occurring within 24 hours of qualifying activity to be included as official on-duty deaths. Begun in 2003, these deaths have accounted for up to 10 percent of firefighter deaths each year. The NPFA yearly reports did not include these deaths which was the main reason why there was a confusing difference between the two organizations’ numbers.

The NFPA announced in their 2022 firefighter fatality report that they would be including firefighter deaths in that 24-hour window. In a press release, the NFPA stated that since the majority of on-duty deaths are cardiac-related, adjusting the reporting shows a better picture of those deaths. “By adjusting the reporting period by 24 hours, we were able to more fully capture cardiac failure among firefighters, allowing us to more accurately identify the serious health risks firefighters face on the job,” NFPA Senior Research Analyst and report author Richard Campbell stated.

There were 16 of these specific deaths in the NFPA 2022 report. Likewise, the USFA reports 16 deaths under the Hometown Heroes Act for the same year. As far as the yearly total, the NFPA reports 96 firefighter fatalities and the USFA reports 91. The reason for the difference is currently unknown and stands to show how unclear how fatality data is.

You can read the NFPA “Fatal Firefighter Fatalities in the US in 2022” here.

The USFA 2022 report is not available.

Neither is the 2021 report, still.

Go figure.

Related:
On Duty & Line of Duty: What Is the Difference?

Photograph courtesy of Unsplash.