Firefighters and EMS responders are increasingly called upon to meet community demands for service.
As a result, they are often expected to respond to incidents where they can be exposed to violence.
(Polk Co firefighter pleas to keep man who bit off chunk of his arm in jail. Courtesy of WFLA News Channel 8 and YouTube. Posted on Jun 30, 2017)
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has released a NEW Report which documents the causes of violence to firefighters and EMS responders.
It explains the risk factors for violence and presents opportunities to reduce or prevent it.
Finding: Although weapons are present in a small number of violence-related cases, responders may not be equipped to deal with the issue.
- NEW Violence against first responders – Best practices for preventing and mitigating violence against firefighters and EMS responders.
(Two Detroit EMS workers attacked by a man with a knife. Courtesy of WXYZ-TV Detroit and YouTube. Posted on Oct 20, 2015
Focus areas include:
- Characteristics of patients/perpetrators of violence.
- Estimates of violence.
- EMS responder risk factors.
- Psychosocial impact.
- Reporting/Under-reporting
- Inventory of best practices and intervention opportunities.
Click here to Download the report (PDF 2.5 MB)
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) sponsors research to create safer operational environments for firefighters by increasing awareness.
USFA, as an entity of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the mission of the U.S. Fire Administration is to provide national leadership to foster a solid foundation for our fire and emergency services stakeholders in prevention, preparedness and response.
