Firefighters in many fire departments across the U.S. lack basic health and safety protections, adding unnecessary risks to an already risky occupation, according to an assessment released last week by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Inadequate training, insufficient safety equipment and the lack of basic fitness and health programs were among the findings of the The Third Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service, which compared the current needs of America's fire departments to those identified in assessments done in 2001 and 2005.

The report looked at staffing, training, certification, wellness/fitness, PPE, the ability to handle unusually challenging incidents, and communications and new technologies, among other other things.