Fourth Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service

This fourth Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey was conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2015-2016 and follows three earlier surveys, which were completed in 2001, 2005 and 2010. The first two were conducted under grants from the U.S. Fire Administration. These surveys have been linked from their inception to the DHS/FEMA grant programs, including the Assistance to Firefighters, and the staffing-focused program called SAFER. The goal of the assessments has been to identify major needs of the U.S. fire service, by comparing what departments actually have with what existing consensus standards, government regulations, and other nationally recognized guidance documents state they need to have in order to be safe and effective. Because these grant programs had already targeted many of these identified needs, the surveys were designed to examine the reduction of these needs over time to indicate the success of the grant program. Evidence of the need for staffing engines; training for structural firefighting, Hazmat and wildland firefighting; and updated SCBA and personal protective clothing is concerning. Many AFG and SAFER grant funds are targeted towards these areas of need.