Fire Department Overall Run Profile as Reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (2020)
Topical Fire Report Series | June 2022 | Volume 22, Issue 1
Fire departments provide invaluable services to communities nationwide. To understand their full role in a community, this topical report profiles fire department run activity as reflected in the 2020 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release file.
At a Glance
In 2020, fire departments responded to 26,959,000 incident runs or calls as reported to the NFIRS. This is a 6% decrease in the number of runs reported in 2019.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the reported calls required emergency medical services (EMS) and rescue services from fire departments.
Only 4% of all reported fire department runs were fire related.
In 2020, fire runs were more prevalent on Saturdays, whereas severe weather calls peaked on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
More than half (55%) of the reported calls were to residential properties. Of these calls to residential properties, 70% required EMS or rescue services while only 3% were fire related.
Approximately 8% of reported runs involved mutual or automatic aid.
Fire department runs by major incident type category (2020)
In 2020, fire departments responded to 26,959,000 incident runs or calls as reported to the NFIRS.
Of the reported runs, 17,297,200 (64%) required EMS and rescue services.
Source: NFIRS 5.0| EMS/rescue | 64.2 |
|---|---|
| Good intent call | 11.7 |
| False alarm/false call | 8.0 |
| Service call | 7.6 |
| Fire | 3.9 |
| Hazardous condition (no fire) | 3.4 |
| Special incident type | 0.8 |
| Severe weather/natural disaster | 0.2 |
| Overpressure rupture/explosion (no fire) | 0.1 |
Specific types of fire department calls within the EMS and rescue service incident type category (2020)
EMS-designated calls were, by far, the leading specific type of fire department run within the EMS and rescue service calls category (68%), followed by medical assists (14%).
Source: NFIRS 5.0| EMS call | 67.8 |
|---|---|
| Medical assist | 13.9 |
| Motor vehicle accident with injuries | 4.8 |
| Motor vehicle accident with no injuries | 3.5 |
| All other EMS and rescue calls | 9.9 |
These topical reports are designed to explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Incident Reporting System. Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information.