"March 2019." "January 2019"--back cover. Supported by the United States Fire Administration Contract Number: HSFE20-16-0-0253

In 2015, women made up about 3.7 percent of career U.S. firefighters (Haynes & Stein, 2017). The percentage of women in the fire service had nearly doubled in the 15 years since the USFA/WFS study. The "U.S. Fire Department Profile -- 2015" offered more reliable data than in the past and reported that women held 12,850 career firefighting roles and 72,250 volunteer roles nationally, averaging 7.3 percent of the U.S. fire service overall (Haynes & Stein, 2017) Firefighting is an inherently dangerous job, attributing to 69 fatalities and 62,085 injuries among firefighters while performing job duties in 2016 alone (Haynes & Molis, 2017). Knowing and understanding the risks that contribute to such outcomes has long been at the heart of preventing such tragedies. Identifying trends can influence policy and lead to better safety practices, improved training and enhanced compliance. Recognizing any differences that may occur with occupational risks affecting subgroups of the work force (gender, ethnicity, race, etc.) becomes more important as the diversity of the fire services grows.