National survey of injury prevention activities in U.S. fire departments

We conducted a national survey of U.S. fire departments to create a benchmark of fire and life safety education (FLSE) activities and to identify needs for training and other resources to enhance their prevention education efforts.

We mailed a 35-item survey to a random sample of 7408 fire departments, stratified by size of population served (≤10,000, >10,000), region of the country (NE, MW, SE, S,W), and department type (volunteer, career, combination).

To date, 1521 (20.5%) fire departments completed the survey. Survey estimates based on this sample size will represent fire departments across the U.S. within +/-2%. Based on analysis of the first 1000 surveys, preliminary results suggest that, nationally, 91% of fire departments conduct some type of FLSE, 68% distribute or install injury prevention products, 58% conduct advocacy, and 58% evaluate their FLSE activities. Distribution or installation is commont (51%) for conventional smoke alarms but rare for other products such as fire escape ladders (3%), carbon monoxide detectors (16%), and lithium battery smoke alarms (24%). Most respondents (52%) described FLSE as “supplementary to other activities” while 8% view it as a “critical activity;” 34% were less than satisfied with their department's FLSE. Additional details about specific type, topic and audience for FLSE will be presented.

While departments acknowledged a variety of barriers (e.g., funding, time and competing priorities), most reported an interest in additional training in the area. Recommendations to enhance FLSE, including increased partnership with public health professionals, will be discussed.