Estimates of the total economic burden to the nation for addressing and preventing firefighter injuries run from $2.7 billion to $7.8 billion per year, says a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

“Each year tens of thousands of firefighters are injured while fighting fires, rescuing people, responding to hazardous materials incidents and training for their job,” states The Economic Consequences of Firefighter Injuries and Their Prevention. “While the majority of injuries are minor, a significant number are debilitating and career-ending. Such injuries exact both a great human toll and financial toll. In addition to the costs the firefighters bear — economically and in terms of pain and suffering — the jurisdictions where they work must absorb the direct costs of lost work time, possibly higher insurance premiums, disability and early retirement payments, overtime for substitutes, and costs to train replacement personnel.”

NIST's Building and Fire Research Laboratories funded the study, which was conducted by TriData Corp. of Arlington, Va. TriData's research team arrived at the $2.7 billion to $7.8 billion figure by applying national firefighter injury data to two relevant scientific studies on injury costs, looking primarily at workers compensation payments and other insured medical expenses, long-term care, lost productivity, the administrative costs of insurance, and other factors.

That estimate doesn't include many indirect costs, such as labor spent investigating firefighter injuries, the cost of training firefighters and physical fitness and wellness programs, or what fire departments pay in medical insurance for firefighters. Estimates that apply some of these other factors quoted in the study climb as high as $16 billion.

“The main issue is that there is a large uncertainty in that number, but it is a big number,” says William Grosshandler, chief of NIST's Bureau of Fire Research. “To put that in perspective, the number that we use normally for direct fire losses due to fire in a year for our own internal discussions is about $10 billion. We would call this an indirect loss or expense, so when compared to the toll of direct losses of fire in a year, it's a significant number.”

Grosshandler said the study is believed to be the first comprehensive examination of the economic losses caused by firefighter injuries. NIST, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Protection Association have been tracking firefighter and civilian deaths from fires and their economic impact for many years, “but we had not really seen a good, well-thought-out, scientifically defensible study on how much injuries to firefighters were costing this country,” says Grosshandler.

The study's purpose was to quantify what firefighter injuries cost so that figure can be compared to the expenses associated with preventing and mitigating injuries. BFRL often evaluates new technologies that may help reduce firefighter injuries.

“If someone claims that a such-and-such technology will cost so much money but will reduce the injuries to firefighters, what are the trade-offs? What will actually be saved?” asks Grosshandler. “If you're making the decision to invest in the technology and develop a technology, it's always nice if you can associate some kind of economic benefit. It's not always necessary, but it is helpful.”

Chief I. David Daniels of Fulton County, Ga., chairman of the Health, Safety and Survival Section of International Association of Fire Chiefs, says the report is a particularly important one for the fire service and for fire department leaders.

“This report can be an important tool to help fire chiefs make an objective case for the importance of prevention of injuries and saving nearly a billion dollars to our nation's economy,” Daniels said. “It's also an important first step toward providing data for the fire service's renewed interest in research as a vehicle to reduce injuries and deaths.”

The report breaks down the cost of firefighter injuries and methods for preventing injuries from many standpoints. Fire departments can use information in the report to estimate the cost implications of the firefighter injuries that occur, and of the measures designed to prevent them.

“The first step is to assemble and evaluate departmental injury data over several years and then develop a specific injury profile reflecting the department's actual experience, rather than relying on industry or national averages,” BFRL notes. “Fire officials can then apply cost factors to the injury data and estimate the overall loss picture for their department.”

Among the report's findings:

• In 2002, an estimated 80,800 civilian firefighter injuries occurred in the line of duty, an almost 2% decrease from 2001. The majority (51%) occurred on the fireground.
• Muscle injuries, mostly sprains and strains, accounted for nearly 50% of firefighter injuries in 2002. Overexertion was a primary cause.
• Open wounds, cuts, bleeding and bruising accounted for the second-largest portion of fire service injuries, about 20%.
• Only 6.2% of injuries are burn-related. Most burns are not severe and are treated without hospitalization.

The number of civilian firefighter injuries has trended downward by nearly 20% over the last decade. The incidence of injuries per 1,000 calls also has decreased, from a high of 6.6 in 1992 to a low of 4.1 in 2000. Factors in the decrease include a lower incidence of fires, better safety equipment, and closed cabs and improve restraint systems to protect firefighters in vehicle crashes.