WASHINGTON — The Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention program is once again accepting requests for investigations.
The FFFIPP program, which is housed under NIOSH, investigates firefighter line-of-duty deaths in order to develop recommendations to prevent future fatalities. Departments request investigations through an online form; however, this option was removed from the site following a reduction in force (RIF) notification that impacted seven of the eight FFFIPP employees working on department investigations.
The RIF followed an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about an impending “dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.’” Specifically, the HHS announcement indicated that the department’s 28 divisions will be consolidated into 15 new divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). The AHA would include NIOSH, previously housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Days later, on April 1, hundreds of NIOSH employees, including many who work on firefighter health and safety programs like the FFFIPP, were notified that they had been laid off or would be laid off in June.
On May 13, FFFIPP workers’ RIF notifications were revoked, reinstating the employees.
The FFFIPP is one of the few national-level programs that systematically studies why firefighters die in the line of duty, going beyond statistics to produce detailed case studies that are shared with the fire service community. Its findings help shape safety policies, training standards and operational protocols across the U.S. fire service.
