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Four Years Later - A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service

A cooperative study between the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), Directorate for Preparedness, Department of Homeland Security and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Authorized by U.S. Public Law 108-767, Title XXXVI

About the Survey

The 2005 Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey used the unaltered survey instrument developed in the first (2001) needs assessment, with the aim of supporting valid timelines on all questions. Once again, America's fire departments rose to the challenge, carefully reviewed their departments' capabilities and described those capabilities in forms submitted to us for use in this study.

Capabilities Reviewed

• Revenues and Budgets
• Personnel and Their Capabilities
• Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement
• Facilities, Apparatus and Equipment
• Communications and Communications Equipment
• Ability to Handle Unusually Challenging Incidents
• New and Emerging Technology

In all, 15,545 fire departments - just over half the total in NFPA Fire Service Inventory database, including all departments protecting communities of at least 50,000 population - were mailed survey forms, and 4,709 responded, for a 30% response rate.

The content of the survey was developed by NFPA in the 2001 survey, in collaboration with an ad hoc technical advisory group consisting of representatives of the full spectrum of national organizations and related disciplines associated with the management of fire and related hazards and risks in the U.S. The survey form was used without modification in order to maximize comparability of results and development of valid timelines.

State Reports

Data from the fire departments that responded to the 2005 Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey has been aggregated by state in the reports below to provide a state-specific needs assessment.