Report: Firefighter Deaths Lowest Since ’77

A national fire safety group says the number of on-duty firefighter deaths last year was the lowest in more than three decades.

National Fire Protection Associations said Monday in a new report that a total of 72 on-duty firefighter deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2010. That is a sharp drop from the 105 on-duty deaths in 2008 and 82 in 2009. The group said it is the lowest annual total since the NFPA began conducting this annual study in 1977.

James Shannon, NFPA CEO and president, said advances in training, equipment and fire codes are a major factor in reducing the number of deaths.

Each year, the Quincy, Mass.-based NFPA collects data on firefighter fatalities in the U.S. that results from injuries or illnesses that occurred while on-duty.