NFPA Responder Forum: DATA in the Fire Service

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NFPA Responder Forum: DATA in the Fire Service

Abstract: The United States Fire Service has realized a great deal of change over the last three decades. We have witnessed the introduction of enhanced Personal Protective Equipment, the accepted use of the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, the advancement of the Fire Service into technical areas such as Hazardous Materials Response, Technical Rescues and Advance Cardiac Life Support services that require fire fighters to be highly educated and trained. With these advances comes additional challenges. One of these challenges involves properly recording, documenting and reporting the full breadth of the services our fire fighters provide and the manner in which they are provided. Data can provide valuable information to make good decisions when developing deployment strategies and evaluating fire department incident activity. But data can also be used to justify actions that do not support effective fire department operations when political agendas and poor analysis interfere with honest evaluation and use of data. Traditionally, the Fire Service has utilized the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Over time, gaps in the ability of NFIRS to capture operational data and yield timely reports have been identified. There are additional technologies and data systems that assist fire departments in filling gaps within NFIRS or to replace it altogether to improve the services provided. This project will illustrate how data can be misused, identify national resources for fire service data collection and identify gaps in the existing national fire data collection system. The results of a survey taken by Work Group Members will be presented to illustrate how data is currently used and provide a users perspective to the discussion.

Title: NFPA Responder Forum: DATA in the Fire Service

Alternative Title: DATA in the Fire Service: Can We Improve Our Planning and Response While Documenting Our Value to Our Community?

Description: Abstract:The United States Fire Service has realized a great deal of change over the last three decades. We have witnessed the introduction of enhanced Personal Protective Equipment, the accepted use of the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, the advancement of the Fire Service into technical areas such as Hazardous Materials Response, Technical Rescues and Advance Cardiac Life Support services that require fire fighters to be highly educated and trained.With these advances comes additional challenges. One of these challenges involves properly recording, documenting and reporting the full breadth of the services our fire fighters provide and the manner in which they are provided. Data can provide valuable information to make good decisions when developing deployment strategies and evaluating fire department incident activity. But data can also be used to justify actions that do not support effective fire department operations when political agendas and poor analysis interfere with honest evaluation and use of data.Traditionally, the Fire Service has utilized the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Over time, gaps in the ability of NFIRS to capture operational data and yield timely reports have been identified. There are additional technologies and data systems that assist fire departments in filling gaps within NFIRS or to replace it altogether to improve the services provided. This project will illustrate how data can be misused, identify national resources for fire service data collection and identify gaps in the existing national fire data collection system. The results of a survey taken by Work Group Members will be presented to illustrate how data is currently used and provide a users perspective to the discussion.

Date: 2015

Creator: NFPA Responder Forum: Work Group 2

Creator: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Subject Location (Country): United States of America (the)

Type of Resource: White papers

Format: Document

Language: English

Is Part Of: 2015-10 Responder Forum: Indianapolis, IN

Audience: Public

Publisher: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Access Rights: IN COPYRIGHT (NFPA owned content - see Rights License)

Rights License: NFPA owned content - for copyright permission contact: NFPA Copyright Requests - https://www.nfpa.org/About%20NFPA/Copyright%20request%20form

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