Only about 30 percent of fire departments in the United States have written plans for a biological or chemical agent scenario, according to a survey.
The National Fire Protection Association's study also revealed only 26 percent of departments polled have written plans for a building collapse scenario.
The organization said while the study showed there had been some improvement in homeland security preparedness, ongoing needs still persist in the country's fire departments.
It carried out the survey for the U.S. Fire Administration.
The 2005 study was the second comprehensive report on the needs and response capabilities of the nation's fire service following the first survey in 2001.
It was aimed at seeing if the needs reported in the first assessment had been reduced as a result of the special funding from the Assistance to Firefighters program.
Today's challenges
"NFPA was pleased to conduct these follow-up studies as a way to illustrate not only the challenges facing today's fire service, but what steps can be implemented for safer and more effective responses," said NFPA President James M. Shannon.
"The reports show only slight improvement and that is simply not good enough.
"The Fire Act grants have been well targeted, as the studies show, but they are dwarfed by the size of the needs. It is essential we provide the nation's fire service with the tools to protect themselves and all of us in both traditional and extraordinary situations."
The overall percentage of the 4,709 departments polled with written plans for a building collapse scenario increased by 7 percent compared to the 19 percent recorded in 2001.
The overall percentage of departments with written plans for a biological or chemical agent scenario increased by 9 percent from 21 percent.
Many of the estimated needs for personal protective equipment – SCBA and PASS devices, and personal protective clothing – were reduced but there continues to be a need for additional personal protective equipment, according to the study.
• The percentage of departments without enough SCBA to equip a shift declined by eight percentage points (from 36 percent to 28 percent).
• The percentage without enough PASS devices to equip a shift declined by 13 percentage points (from 42 percent to 29 percent)
• The percentage where not all firefighters have personal protective clothing was 8 percent, but nearly 100,000 firefighters serve in those departments.
The study also revealed the majority (53 percent) of departments that provide structural firefighting have not provided formal training to all their personnel involved in structural firefighting, and 42 percent of U.S. firefighters serve in these departments.
Formal training also has not been provided to all involved personnel in the majority of departments providing emergency medical service (53 percent), hazardous material response (71 percent), wildland firefighting (74 percent), and technical rescue (88 percent).
Despite modest progress, three-fifths to three-fourths of the nation's Fire departments still do not have enough fire stations, or the firefighters to staff them, to achieve widely recognized response-time guidelines, according to the study.
They also lack key equipment, prevention programs and training.
The study also showed the majority of departments – 61 percent – protecting departments protecting communities of 50,000 to 99,999 people population do not have enough fire stations, as do 65-75 percent of fire departments protecting communities of 0 to 49,999 or 100,000 to 499,999 people.
Four Years Later — A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service
Matching Assistance to Firefighter Grants to the Reported Needs of the U.S. Fire Services
