The content of the survey was developed by NFPA in the 2001 survey, in collaboration with an ad hoc technical advisory group consisting of representatives of the full spectrum of national organizations and related disciplines associated with the management of fire and related hazards and risks in the U.S. The survey form was used without modification in order to maximize comparability of results and development of valid timelines.
The 2005 Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey used the unaltered survey instrument developed in 2001 with the aim of supporting valid timelines on all questions. Once again, America's fire departments rose to the challenge, carefully reviewed their departments' capabilities and described those capabilities in forms submitted to us for use in this study.
Capabilities Reviewed:
- Revenues and Budgets
- Personnel and Their Capabilities
- Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement
- Facilities, Apparatus and Equipment
- Communications and Communications Equipment
- Ability to Handle Unusually Challenging Incidents
- New and Emerging Technology
In all, 15,545 fire departments - just over half the total in NFPA Fire Service Inventory database, including all departments protecting communities of at least 50,000 population -- were mailed survey forms, and 4,709 responded, for a 30% response rate.
