In 2004, more than 200 fire service professionals met in Tampa, Florida, to discuss ways to reduce firefighter line-of-duty deaths. So, how are we doing as we approach the halfway mark?

It is that time again, the time of year where we all make new goals and resolutions for the year to come. Maybe your goal is to shed a few pounds or to join a gym...again. If you are anything like me, your goals are lofty and sometimes unrealistic. I have decided to keep my goals fairly simple for 2009...or will they be?

The latest number of line-of-duty deaths occurring at structure fires is not encouraging. In fact, as fatalities are concerned, it sadly appears that the U.S. Fire Service is once again heading to another record breaking year.

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced today there were 114 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2008. During this period, there were firefighters lost from 34 states and one from the Virgin Islands. North Carolina experienced the highest number of fatalities (11), while Oregon (9), Pennsylvania (9), California ( 8), New York (7), Illinois (6), Missouri (6), and Ohio (6) each suffered more than 5 on-duty losses.

I seem to have a reputation of being a pessimist, who only talks about or delivers bad news. Well, someone else can deliver good news - I want us to stay focused on the preventable problems, and that's usually bad news.

It wasn't on the fire ground or an accident, or even on the dangerous interstate highway-there were no warning signs-just a physical that the fire station requires. The chief is always asking if everyone went for his or her physical; and the answer is normally, "yes" or "I have an appointment." I was one of the lucky ones.

Heart attacks are a common cause of death among firefighters, but the Green Bay Fire Department has not lost one of its firefighters to a heart attack.

Concern about the poor performance of the engineered lightweight wood construction under the fire conditions is nothing new. We have known about it for more than a couple of decades.

Each time a firefighter heads into a blazing building, he/she faces myriad risks. Some dangers are quite obvious - like smoke inhalation and falling debris. Others, like contamination from asbestos, are less so.