Rise in Police and Firefighter Injuries in One California City

Injuries to Berkeley, Calif., first responders are spiking and the mayor is blaming poor safety training.

The Oakland Tribune says police and firefighter on-the-job injuries are much higher than state and national averages.

Officials don’t know why they are getting hurt more often, but Mayor Tom Bates says the figures show the city’s training and safety program has failed.

Twenty-eight percent of Police Department employers have been hurt on the job in the first five months of the year.

The City Council has been warned that if the trend continues it would be more than double the 20 percent hurt in all of last year.

Twenty-two percent of firefighters reported injuries from January to May, which is up 16 percent from 2011.