NFIRS Data: Using Thought Leadership Media

Welcome to our 3rd “Mail Bag” blog.  As I stated in our 1st “Mail Bag” posting, this is not your usual collection of reader comments/feedback/input because it actually comes from across several “platforms”.

I received the following comments in response to my recent piece,  NFIRS: It’s Not a Data “Black Hole”. The comments, however, were posted by LinkedIn colleagues in response to my posting of the article on the National Fire Protection Association and the Fire-Rescue Data Groups on LinkedIn.

From the National Fire Protection Association Group

Michelle Meyer
Owner, 1st Contact

What an excellent article. As a database consultant I’ve worked with NFIRS data to prove the need for new rigs, stations and recruit classes. Specifically we analyzed response times in specific areas of the City and used those response times to show that the City was falling short in specific neighborhoods. It was NFIRS data that allowed decision makers to make the case to the public and show the need for increased spending to build stations, add rigs and recruit classes.

It amazes me that more Fire Departments are participating in the NFIRS program. The data can be used to increase

Don Linder
Deputy Fire Marshal at Yakima County Fire Marshal’s Office

NFIRS may not be perfect, but it is tool to accomplish what Sara talked about. Good record keeping today is a must. Other organizations are years ahead of the fire service in this area. You can stop asking why they get what they want, they prove the need through documentation.

As a leader in a fire service organization, shouldn’t you know, and be on top of what your department is doing, other than just saying “we are extremely busy”.

That’s my two cents, so it’s probably not worth much.

Have a great day, be safe out there.

Michelle Meyer
Owner, 1st Contact

Don – part of the problem I’ve run into – from a data management perspective is just getting the data you need. Sometimes the proprietary software packages involved in NFIRS data collection do not give adequate access to data. They have their standard reports and exports, etc.. But – there are times when you really need to dig into the details.

This isn’t uncommon though. Most of my clients use my services because proprietary software vendors typically don’t make it easy to get unfettered access to data. NFIRS data isn’t any different. If the standard reports and export files aren’t giving you what you need, take the time and effort to get someone on the job who can work through the hoops. The results will make it worth the trouble.

Sara Foster-Wood (author of the original post)

State NFIRS Program Manager at Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kansas

I agree that it’s difficult to really dig into the data in some software packages. I had the good fortune to attend the NFIRS Program manager course at the NFA where you learn how to bypass all those software and use Excel. But you need computer comfort.

Michelle Meyer
Owner, 1st Contact

Hello Sara – yes it is totally possible to by-pass the software. Excel comes in pretty handy as well. Nothing analyzes data better than Excel.

There are also other things you can do. Right now I am working on building an in-house storage database for the actual data. Not only will my clients do their regular exports to NFIRS, the goal is to also export that data out of the proprietary system right into an in-house storage database where they have full control over the data and can store higher volumes of data than can be managed in Excel.

Once the data is stored in house – then folks can use Excel to analyze, they can use Access to write custom reports, that type of thing.

Irvin Lichtenstein
Public Safety Consultant

FIRS is mandatory for grant applications but trying to get small departments or volunteer companies to input the data using most packages is a real problem. We have been asking for interfaces between the CAD systems and the FIRS for years but often hit a wall. What we need is a FIRS system package that runs on various operating systems, has a very user friendly front end, and can accept incident data from a station printer line or other existing interface. Then we have to convince training officers to put in the training data and inventories of PPE and other equipment so there will be meaningful data at the township level.

Sara Foster-Wood
State NFIRS Program Manager at Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kansas

There is a free Federal Client Tool but it doesn’t interface with CAD. It’s what I set the small departments up with here in Kansas. Free is the perfect price! I had to write a manual on it but well with the time investment as there wasn’t a user manual when I started in October

Sara Foster-Wood
State NFIRS Program Manager at Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kansas

Kansas did that in the past but couldn’t sustain the cost of providing the software for free. Hard times and it’s unfortunate what gets cut.

Fire-Rescue Data Group

Michelle Meyer
Owner, 1st Contact
Robert – this article is right on track. I’ve personally been involved in using NFIRS data to justify the need for new Stations, Rigs and Personnel. It was response time analysis that allowed us to show areas of the city where we were falling short. That data helped convince the politicians and taxpayers, both.

Pretty good stuff, don’t you think?  So what’s the conversation like in your organization?