Annual Study Shows Decrease In Firefighter Deaths In 2024

First responders are the people we rely on in the event of an emergency. Like police officers, firefighters have one of the most important jobs, but also one of the most dangerous. On Thursday, The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) released its “Fatal Firefighter Injuries in the U.S” report for 2024. According to the report, a total of 62 on-duty U.S. firefighter were killed in 2024. However, that’s a 31 percent decrease over the 90 on-duty firefighter fatalities since the study began in 1977. 51 deaths occurred while firefighters were on duty. The other eleven of the fatalities were due to heart attacks or medical conditions within 24 hours of being on duty.

Of those 51 on-duty firefighter deaths in 2024, 19 were volunteer firefighters and 26 were career firefighters. The others were state forestry service firefighters, one federal forestry service firefighter, two state contractor employees, and one industrial firefighter. Firefighters ages 40 to 49 experienced the highest number of fatalities, accounting for nearly one-third of the total (20 deaths), while 13 of the firefighter fatalities were among the ages of 50 to 59. Eleven of the firefighter fatalities were among those aged 70 years or older.

Jay Petrillo, research analyst at NFPA, says “Advances in firefighting practices and procedures, communications and equipment, training programs, and education have all helped to improve safety and health outcomes for firefighters through the years, but still, the unique variety of hazards encountered by firefighters across their multiple types of duties poses an ongoing challenge for injury prevention.”