Fire Fighting Equipment - Essay Example

The U.S. Fire Administration recently released its provisional report showing that there were 115 on-duty firefighter fatalities in 2007. Of those deaths, 42.06% were career and 51.3% were volunteer firefighters. Thirty-four states recorded at least one death with South Carolina, Pennsylvania and California having the most (11, 10 and 9 respectively). Nine of South Carolinas fatalities came in a June furniture store fire. That was one of seven fires with multiple fatalities. In recent years, investigations reports reveal that stress or overexertion is the leading cause, accounting for 47.

8% of the deaths; vehicle collisions are second with 22.6%. Heart attacks are the nature of the fatality in 45.2% of the deaths, with 40% die while not on the scene. Of those who died, 37.4% were not yet 40 years old. Beside this figure, 2008 is off to a bad start with three fatalities. The above figures force the authorities to put their attention on this critical issue. The U. S. Fire Administration (USFA) has tracked the number of firefighter fatalities and conducted an annual analysis of almost 30 years.

Through the collection of information on the causes of firefighter deaths, the USFA is able to focus on specific problems and direct efforts toward finding solutions to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities in the future. This information is also used to measure the effectiveness of current programs directed toward firefighter health and safety. Two types of firefighters are present in most European countries and America. These are generally called volunteer and career firefighters. Not all firefighters are paid for their services.

In some countries, including the United States, Canada, Finland, Australia, and New Zealand, there are often paid, or "career" firefighters working. Additionally, there is a volunteer and retained firefighters.