Public Safety Program

Program Description

The mission of the NIOSH research program for the Public Safety Sector is the reduction or elimination of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers through a focused program of research and prevention. Public safety workers are employed in some of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Every day across the nation, emergencies occur that threaten people’s life, well-being, property, peace, and security. During these events, society relies on public safety workers to respond, protect, and restore the safety, security, and routine to our lives. Every time these responders take action, they may be putting their health, safety, and even lives on the line.

A variety of occupational hazards potentially affect the health of public safety workers. Due to a variety of risks and stressors, emergency response activities expose public safety workers to the possibility of serious injuries from motor vehicle incidents, workplace violence, and musculoskeletal injuries.

In 2015, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated nearly 2 million career public safety workers were employed full-time in corrections, emergency medical services, firefighting, and law enforcement.¹ This estimate does not account for volunteers, as they make up a large proportion of firefighters and EMS.

• Fire Service - There were 1,134,400 career and volunteer firefighters in 2014, of which 82,550 (7%) were female. Career firefighters accounted for 346,150 (31%), while 788,250 (69%) were volunteer firefighters.²
• Law Enforcement - There were more than 1,223,000 sworn law enforcement officers serving in the United States in 2015, employed by local, municipal, county, state, tribal and federal departments and agencies.¹
• Corrections - Correctional officers, bailiffs, and jailers held approximately 472,044 jobs in 2015 employed at local, county, state, federal, and private correctional facilities.¹
• Emergency Medical Service – The 2011 National EMS Assessment reported a total of 826,000 licensed and credentialed EMS professionals in the United States. This estimate includes paid and volunteer EMS workers.³
• Wildland Fire Service – In 2015, there were 68,151 wildland fires that affected over 10,125,100 acres of land.⁴ The number of personnel engaged in wildland fire activities is unknown and often dictated by funding and the frequency and severity of wildfires.

The Public Safety Program sets national priorities, encourages new NIOSH projects to address program priorities, and monitors NIOSH-funded Intramural and Extramural projects and grants. Through the development of partnerships, the program can identify the most salient needs of this diverse sector with a comprehensive goal to improve occupational safety and health (OSH). The program uses NIOSH resources to support the most important research, understand effective intervention strategies, and learn how to implement those strategies to achieve sustained improvements in workplace practice. The Public Safety Program also tracks impacts achieved by NIOSH projects and partner efforts in support of sector goals.