The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has released the 2006 Annual Report on Firefighter Fatalities. The report examines the circumstances surrounding all on-duty firefighter deaths. This information is used to help identify ways to reduce the number of future firefighter fatalities.

 

Heart-attack remained the leading cause of on-duty fatalities in 2006. Fifty of the 106 on-duty deaths, or 47%, were attributed to heart attack. This is the same percentage of firefighters who died of heart attack in 2005, when 55 of the 116 on-duty deaths that year were attributed to heart-attack.

 

“The total number of on-duty firefighter deaths has been declining since 2004, but heart attack remains the number one cause of these deaths. We will continue our important work to educate firefighters on their heart-health risks and teach them the steps they can take to prevent cardiac events,” said Maggie Wilson, Director of Health and Safety. For further resources and information on heart-health, visit the Heart Healthy Firefighter Program web site.

 

Visit the USFA web site to download the 2006 Report.