Webinar
Third Fire Service
Needs Assessment
Dr. John R. Hall, Jr.
National Fire Protection Association
August 2011
How Do We Define Need?

We don’t ask fire chiefs to tell us what they consider
their needs.

We ask what resources they have and then
compare those resources to what existing standards
or other national guidance says they ought to have.

That tells us whether an individual fire department
has a need for a particular resource, whether it be
training or equipment or programs or apparatus or
stations.
How Do We Define Need?

For need statistics, we calculate what percentage of
departments have a specific need.

We don’t weight departments by the number of
firefighters having the need or the number of
protected people affected by the department’s need.

That means the many small rural departments tend
to dominate the statistics on all departments
combined.

Note how needs vary by size of population protected
Background

Fire service needs assessment surveys have been
conducted by NFPA in 2001, 2005, and 2010.

First two studies were sponsored by the U.S. Fire
Administration, as directed by U.S. Congress.

First study was authorized by the same legislation
that created the Assistance to Firefighters Grant
program.
Background

Latest study had about 4,700 fire department
responses (about 1/6 of all local U.S. departments).

That response rate is good for national results and
okay for results by size of community (population
protected).

The response rate is marginal for most states.
Background

First study took place around the time of the 9/11
attacks.

Council on Foreign Relations used results in first
study as primary data source in estimating costs of
improving preparedness.
Would you like to know more?

Go to www.nfpa.org/needsassessment for free access to:

The 200+ page full report, including extensive results by
size of community.

National and state reports from the two earlier studies.

State reports for the latest needs assessment study will be
released in October.

General and topic-specific fact sheets derived from the
main studies, as they become available.

A copy of this presentation.
Training –
Structural Firefighting
 46% of all departments responsible for structural firefighting
have not formally trained all involved personnel.
 This is down from 55% in 2001 and 53% in 2005.
 The need is decreasing but still substantial.
Percent of All Departments Where Not All Firefighters
Involved in Structural Firefighting Are Formally Trained
2001
55%
53%
2005
46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2010
60%
Training –
Structural Firefighting
 Only 3-8% of all departments protecting 25,000 or more
population have not formally trained all involved personnel.
Percent of All Departments Where Not All Firefighters
Involved in Structural Firefighting Are Formally Trained
250,000 to 499,999
7%
4%
3%
100,000 to 249,999
5%
3%
2001
8%
2005
50,000 to 99,999
10%
7%
2010
4%
25,000 to 49,999
15%
12%
7%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
Training –
Structural Firefighting
 The percent of departments that have not formally trained all
involved personnel rises rapidly for smaller communities.
Percent of All Departments Where Not All Firefighters
Involved in Structural Firefighting Are Formally Trained
25%
21%
10,000 to 24,999
16%
40%
39%
5,000 to 9,999
2001
30%
2005
2,500 to 4,999
49%
47%
54%
2010
72%
71%
Under 2,500
64%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Training –
Emergency Medical Service
 48% of all departments responsible for emergency medical
service have not formally trained all involved personnel.
 This is down from 54% in 2001 and 53% in 2005.
 The need is decreasing but still substantial.
Percent of Departm ents Perform ing EMS
for Which Not All Involved Personnel Are Form ally Trained
2001
54%
53%
2005
48%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2010
60%
Training –
Hazardous Material Response
 65% of all departments responsible for hazardous material
response have not formally trained all involved personnel.
 This is down from 73% in 2001 and 71% in 2005.
 The need is decreasing but still substantial.
Percent of Departm ents Perform ing Hazardous Material Response
for Which Not All Involved Personnel Are Form ally Trained
2001
73%
71%
2005
65%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2010
80%
Training –
Wildland Firefighting
 68% of all departments responsible for wildland firefighting
have not formally trained all involved personnel.
 This is down from 75% in 2001 and 74% in 2005.
 The need is decreasing but still substantial.
Percent of Departm ents Perform ing Wildland Firefighting
for Which Not All Involved Personnel Are Form ally Trained
75%
74%
68%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2001
2005
2010
80%
Training –
Technical Rescue
 85% of all departments responsible for technical rescue have
not formally trained all involved personnel.
 This is down from 88% in 2001 and 88% in 2005.
 The need is slightly decreasing but nearly unchanged.
Percent of Departm ents Perform ing Technical Rescue
for Which Not All Involved Personnel Are Form ally Trained
2001
88%
88%
85%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
2005
2010
100%
Program to Maintain Basic
Firefighter Fitness and Health
 70% of all departments do not have a program to maintain
basic firefighter fitness and health.
 This is down from 80% in 2001 and 76% in 2005.
Percent of Departments
Without a Program to Maintain Basic Firefighter Fitness and Health
2001
80%
76%
2005
70%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2010
80%
90%
Adequacy of Personnel

You need enough staffed stations to provide adequate speed of
response.
 We evaluate this against the response speed and distance guidance
provided by the Insurance Service Office.

You need enough people at a structure fire to provide a safe
and effective interior attack.
 We evaluate this against NFPA 1710 and NFPA 1720.

Some departments need enough people to handle two or more
simultaneous calls.
 We do not evaluate this need.
Adequacy of Staffed Stations
 Most departments do not have enough staffed
stations, regardless of size of community.
Percent without enough staffed stations:
 76% for under 5,000 population;
 63% for 5,000 to 10,000 population;
 76% for 10,000 to 25,000 population;
 70% for 25,000 to 50,000 population;
 63% for 50,000 to 100,000 population;
 72% for 100,000 to 250,000 population;
 82% for 250,000 to 500,000 population; and
 77% for at least 500,000 population.
Adequacy of
Staffing on Apparatus
 We focused on population-size intervals where
most firefighters are career firefighters.
 We see progress in reducing need for departments
protecting at least 250,000 population:
o 23% of departments did not assign at least four career
firefighters to an engine or pumper. Down from 36% in
2001 and 33% in 2005.
 We see little change and much higher need for
departments protecting 50,000 to 250,000 population:
o 67% of departments did not assign at least four career
firefighters to an engine or pumper. Largely unchanged
from 70% in 2001 and 67% in 2005.
Personal Protective or
Firefighting Equipment
 Here is where we saw the largest reductions in
need … and the largest shares of grants and
grant funds under the AFG program.
 We looked at four types of equipment:
 Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
 Personal alert safety system (PASS) devices
 Personal protective clothing
 Portable radios
Self-Contained Breathing
Apparatus (SCBA)
 52% of departments do not have enough self-contained
breathing apparatus (SCBA) to equip all firefighters.
 This is down from 70% in 2001 and 60% in 2005.
 55% of departments have some SCBA that is at least 10
years old.
Percent of Departments Where Not All Firefighters
on a Shift Are Equipped With SCBA
2001
70%
60%
2005
52%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2010
60%
70%
80%
Self-Contained Breathing
Apparatus (SCBA)
 0-8% of departments protecting 25,000 or more population
do not have enough SCBA to equip all firefighters.
Percent of Departments Where Not All Firefighters
on a Shift Are Equipped With SCBA
5%
250,000 to 499,999
4%
0%
5%
100,000 to 249,999
2%
2%
2001
2005
8%
50,000 to 99,999
2010
5%
1%
17%
25,000 to 49,999
11%
8%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
Self-Contained Breathing
Apparatus (SCBA)
 The percent of departments that do not have sufficient SCBA
rises rapidly for smaller communities.
Percent of Departments Where Not All Firefighters
on a Shift Are Equipped With SCBA
10,000 to 24,999
16%
23%
5,000 to 9,999
32%
36%
47%
2,500 to 4,999
59%
2001
56%
Under 2,500
67%
70%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2005
76%
77%
80%
2010
87%
90%
100%
Personal Alert Safety System
(PASS) Devices
 39% of departments do not have enough PASS devices to
equip all emergency responders.
 This is down from 62% in 2001 and 48% in 2005.
 The need is decreasing.
Percent of Departments Where Not All
Emergency Responders on a Shift Are Equipped With PASS Devices
2001
62%
48%
2005
39%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
2010
50%
60%
70%
Personal Protective Clothing
 9% of departments do not have enough personal protective
clothing to equip all emergency responders.
 This is down from 15% in 2001 and 11% in 2005.
 63% of departments have some personal protective
equipment that is at least 10 years old.
Percent of Departments Where Not All Emergency Responders
Have Their Own Personal Protective Clothing
15%
11%
2005
9%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
2001
2010
12%
14%
16%
Portable Radios
 51% of departments do not have enough portable radios to
equip all emergency responders.
 For 63% not all radios are intrinsically safe in an explosive
atmosphere.
 For 59% not all radios are equipped with water resistance.
Percent of Departments Where Not All
Emergency Responders on a Shift Have Portable Radios
2001
77%
65%
2005
51%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2010
60%
70%
80%
90%
Fire Stations
 44% of departments do not have backup power
for their stations
 66% of departments do not have exhaust
emission control for their stations
 As noted earlier, there is no sign of extensive
building of additional stations to add companies
 There also is no sign of extensive building of
replacement stations.
 38% of stations were at least 40 years old in
2010, up from 32% in 2001 and 36% in 2005.
We are not holding the line on aging stations.
Fire Apparatus
(Engines and Pumpers)
 46% of engines and pumpers are at least 15 years old. We
are holding the line on aging fire apparatus.
 11% of engines are at least 30 years old. 66% of older
engines are in communities with under 2,500 population.
Fire Apparatus
(Engines and Pumpers)
 The percentage of AFG grant funds used to purchase
apparatus has been highest for the smallest communities.
 These purchases have also helped communities under 2,500
population to reduce their reliance on converted vehicles.
Percent of Converted Apparatus for All- or Mostly-Volunteer
Departments Protecting Under 2,500 Population
2001
16%
14%
2005
10%
0%
5%
10%
2010
15%
20%
Planning for Unusually
Challenging Incidents
 Most departments have responsibility for one or
more of the following types of unusually
challenging incidents:
 Structural collapse of building w/ 50 occupants (62% of
departments said they were responsible)
 Chemical/biological agent incident w/ 10 injuries (64%)
 Wildland/urban interface fire affecting 500 acres (53%)
 Mitigation of a developing major flood (28%)
 Very few departments can handle any of these
incidents using only local specially trained
personnel and local specialized equipment.
Planning for Unusually
Challenging Incidents
 Increasing percentages of departments now have
written agreements for working with others on such
incidents.
 Especially true for wildland/urban interface incidents.
 National authorities have long taken the lead in facilitating the
creation and maintenance of such written agreements.
 The survey did not ask:
 How prepared is department to perform its role in such an
agreement ?
 Does department perform any simulations or exercises to test
readiness to execute such agreements?
Planning for Unusually
Challenging Incidents
 55% of departments responsible for technical rescue and
EMS at a structural collapse incident with 50 occupants do
not have a written agreement for working with others.
Percent of All Departments Responsible for
Technical Rescue and EMS at Structural Collapse
With 50 Occupants That Do Not Have a
Written Agreement for Working With Others
2001
67%
60%
2005
55%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
2010
70%
80%
Planning for Unusually
Challenging Incidents
 51% of departments responsible for hazardous material
response and EMS at a chemical/biological agent incident
with 10 injuries do not have a written agreement for working
with others.
Percent of All Departments Responsible for
Chemical/Biological Agent Incident
With 10 Injuries That Do Not Have a
Written Agreement for Working With Others
64%
57%
2005
51%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2001
2010
60%
70%
Planning for Unusually
Challenging Incidents
 39% of departments responsible for a wildland/urban
interface fire affecting 500 acres do not have a written
agreement for working with others.
Percent of All Departments Responsible for
Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI) Fire
Affecting 500 Acres That Do Not Have a
Written Agreement for Working With Others
2001
53%
45%
2005
39%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
2010
50%
60%
Planning for Unusually
Challenging Incidents
 50% of departments responsible for mitigating a developing
major flood do not have a written agreement for working with
others.
Percent of All Departments Responsible for
Mitigation of a Developing Major Flood
That Do Not Have a
Written Agreement for Working With Others
2001
72%
62%
2005
50%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2010
60%
70%
80%
Fire Prevention Programs
 52% of departments have no program for free distribution of
home smoke alarms.
Percent of Departm ents With No Program for
Free Distribution of Sm oke Alarm s
69%
2001
57%
2005
52%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2010
60%
70%
80%
Fire Prevention Programs
 49% of departments have no involvement in plans review.
Percent of Departm ents With No Involvem ent in Plans Review
62%
2001
50%
2005
2010
49%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Fire Prevention Programs
 35% of departments report that they have no school fire
safety education program based on a national model
curriculum.
Percent of Departm ents With
No School Fire Safety Education Program
47%
0%
10%
20%
30%
2001
35%
2005
35%
2010
40%
50%
Fire Prevention Programs
 Caution: Other information available to us suggests that the
real percent of departments without a national fire safety
curriculum in place is much higher.
 We think that many fire departments reported having a
school program without closely checking on the specific
wording of the question.
 This could mean that fire departments counted school
programs that don’t do much more than provide a couple
safety messages and introduce children to firefighters.
Fire Prevention Programs
 24% of departments report no one conducts fire-code
inspections in the community.
Percent of Departm ents With
No One Conducting Fire-Code Inspections
27%
2001
25%
2005
24%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
2010
30%
Summary of Main Findings

Great deal of progress in reducing needs

Remaining needs are still large.

Largest need reductions are for resources with largest
shares of grants and grant funds under AFG and SAFER
grant programs.

These grant programs have been
 Effective and cost-effective
 Essential for the fire service to safely and effectively address
responsibilities and challenges of the 21st century.
Summary of Main Findings

Needs are greater in smaller communities
 That is, a larger percentage of those departments did not have
needed resources, for nearly every type of resource we asked
about.
 Especially the all-volunteer departments protecting communities
with less than 2,500 population.

Progress in reducing needs across the board
 From the largest city departments to the smallest rural departments.

Note the extent of the progress

But also note the magnitude of the job still ahead.
Summary of Main Findings

We have not only come a long way.

We have found a way forward that can take us to the goal
we all support:
 A national fire service fully capable of protecting the lives, health
and property of our communities against all the threats and hazards
our communities have asked us to address.

But success requires continued momentum and
commitment
 From local budgets to national grants.

In our lifetimes, we have never faced a more difficult
economic climate to pursue this goal.
Summary of Main Findings

Success requires more than our energy and commitment.

It requires us to persuade others to play their parts.
 Local and state officials
 Private-sector partners and allies
 Our fellow citizens

Making that case begins with a solid and compelling set of
facts.
 That is what the Fire Service Needs Assessment reports provide.
Summary of Main Findings

Making your case may require more than a 200+ page
comprehensive national report on fire service needs.

You may need materials focused on:
 Your size of community;
 Your type of department;
 Your part of the country;
 Specific types of resources to meet specific needs.

NFPA is committed to translating national results into
persuasive, customized facts and arguments.
Summary of Main Findings

You have many allies, partners and advocates at the
national level:
 NFPA
 CFSI
 IAFC
 IAFF
 NVFC
 Forgive me for not listing everyone

With the fire service needs assessments, we have uniquely
powerful tools. Let us help you make your case.