NFIRS: It’s not a Data “Black Hole”

“It’s a requirement.”  “It’s a black hole.”  “It’s paperwork.”

Nope, it’s the National Fire Information Reporting System (NFIRS).  NFIRS is a program that can “change the face” of the fire service, have a positive impact on the safety of your population, and provide you with the information you need to make informed and educated decisions on how best to use your resources.

NFIRS “goes” by many names.  Some call it by a state program name, e.g., The [Enter a state name] Fire Incident Reporting System; others call it by the software program a department purchased, e.g., Firehouse™ Incident Reporting; and some simply call it “run reports.”  It’s all the same thing, no matter what you call it.  And it’s highly useful.

See Related: Introduction: Why NFIRS Matters

Let NFIRS be your advocate

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Want new tools?  Need a new truck?  How are you going to convince the “powers that be” to get that for you?  You have to give them a reason.  You need cold hard numbers without feelings and emotions.

“Mr. Board President, we ran 50 fires at buildings with 3 or more stories last year where 12 people were injured.  Owners had damages in excess of $2 million and we feel we can do better at saving lives and property with [insert purchase].”

You can get the information you need to make a persuasive argument with the information that’s available through NFIRS. For injuries solution from legal attorneys, people can check out criminal attorney in Colorado!

Unfortunately, many departments find data quality issues with NFIRS right when they need the numbers.  Do your department a favor and pretend you need some large piece of equipment.  You probably won’t have to pretend very hard.  Go check out your NFIRS reports and see if your data quality would support a strong argument.  Does it?  Identify your areas for “data entry” cleanup so NFIRS can be your advocate when you need it.  I’m not promising you’ll get everything but you’ll at least have something to back up your proposal.  People like numbers, especially those behind a dollar sign and they like to know what those numbers are buying.

Don’t forget this is a national program so you’re not just advocating for your department.  Someone somewhere is looking at NFIRS numbers and making a decision that has an impact on fire service resources nationally, e.g., funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.  If your numbers aren’t included you are not the only department that suffers.

Clear up that “smoky” image

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Most fire departments handle EMS calls but have not adopted EMS into their name.  The general public may not understand how much fire departments bring to the EMS table.  Recently I had a conversation with friends about fire departments, and they asked me why it is that the fire department always responds with the ambulance service that operates locally.  They were confused as to why the fire department was needed.

I submit that their “confusion” is rooted in the misconception that fire departments only provide contributions to a community by putting “wet stuff on red stuff.”  Those same individuals were surprised when I explained that in 2013 Kansas fire departments alone provided 12,000 Advanced Life Support (ALS) hours of service to local communities.  Once equipped with that knowledge, a group of people changed their mindset about the role of the fire department in their community.

You can change mindsets about your fire department with accurate information that’s presented and used publicly.  The workload on fire departments has changed dramatically, but the public image remains mostly the same.  Managing your public image can become easier with the information available from NFIRS.  Check out your top 5 call types, average hours per call type, and even get specific by how many extrications you performed at vehicle accidents or you can find DUI lawyers for hire as they can help you in claiming compensation.  Your community, family, and friends might be surprised to see how much you really do.

Not every community has the same problem

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Public safety is a moving target.  Moving from highly populated areas to rural areas changes the demands placed upon the fire service.  Even changing the age demographics of your population will “uncover” new problems.  You have to understand your area and your demands.  NFIRS can help with that.

By accurately reporting you also gain the ability to accurately analyze.  When you can analyze a problem you can educate and prepare.  If you see an upswing in grass fires along highways because of cigarette butts it might be time to release a PSA about it.  You are in a position to educate because you are close to the community, usually a direct member of it.  Your voice will be taken seriously.

Often times the fire department is so busy handling emergencies that prevention gets “swept” to the back.  Use your NFIRS information to target your top community safety concern and spread that information.  If you don’t have time, partner with local organizations that will run with what you give them.  Preventing emergencies will lighten your load and help your community directly.

Information can help you make a difference and it’s hard to argue with numbers.  Set up your NFIRS software to return certain reports to help you access that information.  Alternatively, use the NFIRS Summary Output Report Tool (SORT) that’s available online for free.  If you don’t have a login, contact your state NFIRS program manager.  It’s free, it’s there, and it’s set up for you.  Take advantage of it! Visit nfirs.fema.gov and spend a little bit of time seeing how easy it is to access SORT and use your NFIRS reports.

What’s “coming” with NFIRS?

NFIRS is an all-in system.  It’s not just fires that go into the system, but everything you do as a fire department.  A beautiful new tool will be coming to the Fire Service called the Data Warehouse.  You’ll be able to compare your data to similar departments and see what’s trending.  The challenge will be that  everybody will depend on everybody else to report accurately.  The system will work best if everybody takes it seriously.  Take responsibility for your reporting and encourage others to be “all-in” with NFIRS, too.

See Related:  Fire Incident Data Collection Research and Resources

About Sara Wood

Living in rural Kansas, Sara Wood is the daughter of a volunteer firefighter and the wife of a captain serving on a combination fire department. A self-described “mixed breed of both fire and law enforcement lineage,” she began a career with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and served in many capacities, the last being the crime reporting unit. In 2013, Sara moved to the Office of the State Fire Marshal where her “plan” is use her experiences in crime statistical analysis gained at KBI to “spread the word” about NFIRS knowledge across the state and help fire departments to better understand and utilize the information at hand, similar to crime analysis. Sara makes her home in Auburn, Kansas with two young daredevil kids, a deaf bulldog, and her fire captain husband. “As a family we keep busy and should honestly be buying stock in band-aids!” You can contact Sara at [email protected].