The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Volunteer Fire Council has completed "Emerging Health and Safety Issues in the Volunteer Fire Service." This report provides information on initiatives, programs and strategies for reducing fatalities among volunteer firefighters.

There are an estimated 823,950 volunteer firefighters in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association report "U.S. Fire Department Profile through 2006." Over 70% of the fire departments in the U.S. are all-volunteer and 17% are mostly volunteer or combination departments.

"The volunteer fire service has distinct issues related to health and safety that need to be specifically addressed," said Philip C. Stittleburg, NVFC chairman. "We lose too many volunteer firefighters in line-of-duty deaths."

Further information about this study may be found under the Research section of the USFA Web site.