In 2015, 68 firefighters died in the line of duty, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) annual U.S. Firefighter Fatalities report, making this the fourth time in the past five years that the total number of deaths has been below 70, the NFPA points out.
Overexertion, stress, and medical issues contributed to 40 line-of-duty deaths (LODDs). Thirty-five were classified as sudden cardiac deaths, usually heart attacks, with onset while the victim was on duty, noted the NFPA.
Although the NFPA views the decline in overall LODDs as encouraging, it cites areas of concern such as the sudden cardiac deaths and the “significant number of cancer deaths and suicides among current and former firefighters” not captured in the report, which tracks only on-duty deaths.
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