Each year in the United States and its protectorates, approximately 100 firefighters are killed while on duty and tens of thousands are injured. Although the number of firefighter fatalities has steadily decreased over the past 20 years, the incidence of firefighter fatalities per 100,000 incidents has actually risen over the last 5 years, with 1999 having the highest rate of firefighter fatalities per 100,000 incidents since 1978.