Quincy, Mass. ? Firefighters are dying in burning buildings more frequently now than 25 years ago, despite advances in protective equipment, according to a report by a national safety group.

The rate of deaths per 100,000 structure fires gradually increased from about 1.5 in the late 1970s to about three in 2000, according to the Quincy-based nonprofit National Fire Protection Assn.

	www.nfpa.org

The survey of data from 1977 to 2000 also showed the number of structure fires had dropped from about 1 million a year to about 600,000.

The study had been expected to confirm that fewer fires, better equipment and improved building construction made firefighters’ jobs safer, said Gary Tokle, an assistant vice president with the organization.

“We are disappointed that the number of deaths of firefighters in structure fires has not gone down with the number of structure fires and with technological advances,” Tokle said.

He suggested that one reason for increased deaths may be overconfidence in advances.

“Some may believe that the latest protective clothing and equipment shields them better than it really does,” Tokle said in Sunday’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The association’s report also questioned the adequacy of training, on-scene procedures, building designs and fireproofing of furnishings.

It recommended ways to improve safety for firefighters, including closer attention to signs that a fire will abruptly spread or a building will collapse, consistent use of devices that send loud signals if a firefighter becomes motionless, and stronger emphasis on physical fitness of firefighters.

The group released the report in part Friday, with the full report to be released in the July-August issue of the NFPA Journal. The group works to set standards for saving lives and property from fires and electrical hazards.

The study did not include deaths from heart attacks, the leading cause of on-the-job firefighter deaths, or from traffic accidents, the second-leading cause. Instead, it focused on the three major hazards of the fire scene: smoke inhalation, burns and being crushed by falling debris.