How well are the needs of fire departments in your state being met? Access the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) all-new, state-by-state fact sheets and online portal, which deliver statewide and customisable data, to find out. Both resources were developed using results from the association’s four U.S. Needs Assessment surveys.
“Each time we’ve conducted U.S. Needs Assessment surveys in the past (in 2001, 2005 and 2010), we would receive requests from fire service officials and fire departments asking for data specific to their states,” said Hylton Haynes, senior research analyst at NFPA. “While we didn’t have the resources to fulfil those requests, we fully understood the value of them. When we completed the most recent survey in 2015, delivering state-specific data was among our top priorities.”
Highlighting fire safety improvements made by states
According to Haynes, the fact sheets for all 50 U.S. states serve as a snapshot of where each state has made improvements in meeting the needs of its communities and where there are continued gaps. They include statistics on the percentage of fire departments that are fully trained to fight structural fires; have the needed protective equipment and clothing; conduct fitness and health programs; implement community risk reduction programs; and are equipped with specific safety features.
NFPA’s online Needs Assessment portal enables users to create customisable reports that can generate statistical comparisons to other departments of similar size, population protected and region.
Effective budget-defining tool for fire departments
“Customised data from the portal can serve as a powerful benchmark for showing where fire departments are ahead of the curve and where they’re experiencing gaps in meeting the needs of their communities identifying how they stack up to departments serving communities of similar demographics and size,” said Haynes. “It can also be an effective tool to justify budgets for needed equipment, apparatus, personnel, programs and other resources.”
All of NFPA’s U.S. Needs Assessments reports offer a wealth of information on U.S. fire departments’ needs, and can be downloaded online.