There were 83 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the U.S. during 2012, the same number as in 2011, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). The 83 fatalities were spread across 34 states.

Pennsylvania and North Carolina experienced the highest number of fatalities with nine firefighter deaths. New York had six firefighter deaths, including the most recent tragic shooting deaths of two firefighters in Webster.

Volunteer deaths accounted for 48.2 percent of the total deaths while fatalities among career firefighters were at 38.6 percent, followed by part-time wildland at 4.8 percent. Eleven on-duty firefighters died in association with wildland fires, the same as 2011 and 2010, the report said.

Read the entire story from FIRE CHIEF, our sister publication.