Study highlights firefighters' fears on economy

By Ken Robinson, FireRescue1 Staff

Related Video: Ron Siarnicki, of the NFFF, gives his opinion on the results of the survey

Related Resources:  Financial crisis in the fire service  Budget discussions at The Kitchen Table Fireman's Fund Insurance Company Survey Site National Survey Results (PDF)

WASHINGTON — Most firefighters believe a continuation of the current economic crisis would hurt their ability to serve their communities, a survey found.

The top three challenges facing fire departments today are lack of budget, old or outdated equipment and staffing issues, according to the study released Tuesday.

It also found one out of four fire departments is lacking in adequate extrication equipment and 13 percent of responding departments don't have at least one thermal imaging camera.

Another equipment problem identified was in the area of hazmat incidents, with one-third of departments reporting a need for hazmat protective equipment.

Of the volunteer departments represented in the survey, 57 percent are losing volunteers who need to look for other jobs.

About 17,500 firefighters from nearly 9,500 fire departments participated in the survey, "Supporting Safer Communities: A National Firefighter Survey." It was sponsored by the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs based in New York.

"When you consider that firefighters are the first responders to nearly every fire, medical emergency, and natural or man-made disaster in our local communities, it is imperative that we have adequate funding to ensure we keep our communities safe," said Chief Larry J. Grorud, president of the IAFC.

"This study helps to show the needs of today's fire service in communities across the country."

The survey was available online from mid-February to March 31, 2009, to all career and volunteer firefighters.

When multiple firefighters from the same department took the survey, the first individual to respond was selected to represent that department.

Other key findings include:

• More than half of all fire departments said the poor economy meant they had to increase fundraising efforts or grant writing due to budget cutbacks.
• 76 percent of departments do not believe their organization is adequately trained to deal with terrorism or weapons of mass destruction.
• 52 percent of departments do not feel they are adequately trained to handle hazardous material incidents.
• Only 50 percent of departments have protective equipment for all personnel to respond to wildland fires.
• Despite the current economic crisis, only 17 percent of fire departments felt the quality of service they provide has declined.
• 62 percent are confident in their fire service organizations' disaster response capabilities.
• 90 percent of fire departments believe they have adequate training for structural fires.