Tne National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released its report on firefighter fatalities in the United States for 2008. The full report is available from the NFPA's Web site, www.nfpa.org.
For the second year in a row, 103 firefighters died while on duty. The largest share of firefighter deaths occurred while responding to or returning from emergency calls, with 39 fatalities: nine who perished in a helicopter crash, 12 who died of sudden cardiac events or stroke, and one who died when he was pinned between a tanker and a bay door.
Last year was the second year in a row during which 103 firefighters died on duty. In fact, 2008 was the fourth year in the last 10 during which 103 firefighters died. The average number of deaths annually over the past 10 years is 101.
Read more about the findings here: http://www.nfpa.org/journalDetail.asp?categoryID=1858&itemID=43883&src=NFPAJournal&cookie%5Ftest=1
Download the complete report here: http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/osfff.pdf
