Services Provided by Firefighters

​The United States was home to nearly 337,000 firefighters in 2022. American firefighters respond to an estimated 358,500 house fires every year. Putting out residential, commercial, and wildfires are only a few of the services provided by firefighters in the US.

To begin, firefighters provide various emergency response services that have nothing to do with fires. In fact, nearly four out of five emergency response situations involve rendering medical aid at a residence or place of work. Firefighters frequently provide medical services following vehicle accidents. All firefighters receive comprehensive first aid training, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Firetrucks are equipped with first aid kits, which contain valuable items such as burn and antibiotic ointment, bandages, and pain relievers.

Firefighting professionals responding to vehicle crashes may also engage in technical rescue efforts. Technical rescues, which involve safely removing a person from a crashed vehicle or some other type of machinery, may be preceded by search efforts. Emergency responders can perform other search and rescue activities, such as saving citizens from drowning in lakes and rivers.

Firefighters perform hazardous material response activities. A hazardous material is any substance that, regardless of the amount, poses a direct threat to human life and health. Hazardous materials may also threaten public and private property. Over four billion tons of hazardous materials are transported throughout the country annually. A few of the most common hazardous materials in the US include explosives, compressed gasses, flammable and combustible liquids, and corrosives, which are materials that can injure skin and damage metal. Radioactive materials are also considered hazardous materials, often referred to as “hazmat.”

Specific response activities vary depending on the hazardous material in question, but standard procedure involves isolating the materials, decontaminating the impacted area, and disposing of the dangerous materials. Firefighting and hazmat response activities sometimes overlap, such as during the response to a chemical or industrial fire.

Firefighters also provide a range of fire-adjacent services, such as fire investigations. Also known as origin and cause investigations, fire investigations help firefighters and local authorities understand what started the fire. In some cases, this information is used to help prevent similar fires from occurring in the future. Other times, investigations may reveal that the fire was the result of arson. Advanced fire investigations may be performed by police, but firefighters are expected to take mental notes immediately upon arriving at the scene, establishing the foundation for the ensuing investigation.

Similarly, firefighters perform investigations and audits to ensure fire code enforcement. The fire code is a group of laws and construction standards designed to optimize fire safety. Basic aspects of a local fire code include the correct use of fire alarms, maintaining a functional sprinkler system, and the proper storage of fire extinguishers.

Of course, firefighters are tasked with controlling and extinguishing many different types of fires. Municipal fire departments in America respond to more than 1 million fire calls each year. Fire departments also provide firefighting training and fire prevention education services.

Finally, firefighters perform in-house equipment maintenance to ensure timely, effective responses to fires and other emergency events. If a firefighter is not actively responding to an incident or maintaining equipment, they are likely performing routine safety inspections or training for these and other emergency response situations.

Dakota Ibrahim

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