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The Fifth U.S. Needs Assessment report, released by the the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) this week, indicates that firefighters lack health and wellness support and fire departments are contending with aging apparatus and stations.
Respondents indicated that their response duties continue, oftentimes without additional resources. Beyond fire and EMS incidents, emergency needs include wildland fires, hazmat and traffic control duties, plus active shooter response, plus more community services.
Among the key findings are staffing, infrastructure upgrades and that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed myriad challenges for fire departments.
The country was just a few months into the pandemic when the survey began, but exposed numerous challenges, including supply chain shortages, counterfeit PPE and price scalping. In the five month period the survey was conducted beginning in September 2020, nearly half of the departments reported that they lacked the medical PPE they needed.
With more of a focus on taking care of firefighters, the survey found that 73 percent of the respondents lack behavioral health programs, with 90 percent of those agencies offering post-traumatic stress support.
Almost three-quarters of the departments do not have formal health and wellness programs.
Fire department infrastructure woes have been compounded by the need for modern facilities with design considerations that minimize exposures for firefighters, private or separate facilities for men and women, and backup power systems.
Often considered a challenge for volunteer fire departments, all types of departments reported staffing difficulties.
For the most part, staffing was flat compared to the 2015 survey, despite the increased need for firefighters in the communities.
“Firefighters are engaged in an ever-expanding scope of activities and are responding to new emergencies on a continual basis,” said Ben Evarts, data collection and research manager at NFPA. “The first responder role that firefighters played on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic reflects just one recent example of the myriad ways fire departments are relied upon to protect and serve their communities.”
Since 2001, the report is published every five years with feedback from a survey sent to fire departments across the country.
