Fire Fighter Safety Standards

Each year, more than 100 fire fighters die in the line of duty, and additional tens of thousands are injured. While it will never be possible to eliminate every death, many could be avoided if industry consensus standards for safe fire fighting were followed consistently.

Developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and other standards-making bodies, industry consensus standards address a wide range of issues, including requirements for protective equipment, safe staffing and fire ground operations, training, fitness and incident command. Developed by all facets of the fire service, government agencies and interested private sector parties, these standards are widely respected as the gold standard for safe fire fighting practices and fire department operations.

To better promote compliance with such standards among local fire departments, the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act authorizes a study to determine the current extent of such compliance and establish a task force to make recommendations to ensure their broad adoption.  The bill was recently reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as H.R. 1499 by Representative Perlmutter (D-CO), and reintroduced in the U.S. Senate as S. 602 by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

For more information about fire fighter safety standards and current congressional action, click here:  Fact Sheet

For more information about the importance of minimum standards for fire department operations, click here:  Key Points

See if your Representative and Senators support the Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act:

     Cosponsors House

     Cosponsors Senate