Fire Officials See Both Progress and Gaps in Departments’ Needs

HYANNIS – While the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) has found some progress in fulfilling needs for the country’s fire departments, some significant resource gaps persist.

The U.S. Needs Assessment report is the fifth of its kind published every five years since 2001.

It details the state of firefighting infrastructure as gathered through surveys sent to fire departments nationwide.

Some needs that have gone unmet according to the report include aging facilities and equipment, lack of behavioral health programs and training and certification challenges for structural firefighting. 

According to communications manager with the association Susan McKelvey, the report underscores the expanding roles of fire departments.

“I think everyone can see that fire departments over the years continue to take on more and more responsibilities, as active shooter incidents have occurred more frequently in recent years. Also mostly recently with the pandemic, these are the people who are on the front lines in all these types of incidents,” said McKelvey. 

“So we really try and look at where are they well-equipped to do the job that we ask them to do—that they’re called upon more and more to do—and where are their gaps in equipment, staffing, training and resources with the ultimate goal of hoping they can get the funding they need to have those needs better met.”

Among the biggest needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic includes the need for up-to-date personal protective equipment (PPE) and other contaminant-fighting gear.

Another gap shown in the report, said McKelvey, is the need to provide for firefighters’ mental health. 

“There’s a lot of post-traumatic stress among firefighters. A lot of their relationship with other people can be strained. Their ways of coping can be unhealthy. So we really need the programs in place,” said McKelvey.

“There still need to be so many more systems, programs and support for firefighters so that they have the mental health and capabilities to do their jobs, process the things that they see and do and work in a way that’s healthy over the long-term.”

She added that the resources need to be accessible for firefighters who might otherwise keep silent about their mental health challenges.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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