Roughly 17,500 firefighters across the country responded. Nearly 9,500 fire departments are represented. It is one of the most comprehensive national fire service surveys ever conducted... and the results are in.

The current economic crisis in the United States is negatively impacting fire departments across the country. "Supporting Safer Communities: A National Firefighter Survey," found that the top three challenges facing fire departments are:

• lack of budget
• staffing, recruiting and retaining qualified firefighters
• old or outdated equipment, gear and apparatus

Detailed survey results:

National

Metro Regions

1. Atlanta metro
2. Chicago metro
3. Dallas metro
4. Los Angeles metro (and California)
5. New Jersey
6. New York metro
7. Phoenix metro
8. Seattle metro
9. Washington, D.C. metro