Reference

Data Methodology

Standards Alignment (NFPA & NIST)

PlainFireData reports raw federal data exactly as published, but our analytical framing follows the canonical fire-service standards bodies:

  • NFPA 1710 (Standard for Career Fire Departments) - defines the 4-minute travel-time benchmark and minimum staffing levels for the initial alarm in a career-staffed urban department. Career-classified departments in our dataset are evaluated against this standard when interpreting personnel-to-station ratios.
  • NFPA 1720 (Standard for Volunteer Fire Departments) - defines the corresponding response-time and staffing benchmarks for predominantly volunteer-staffed departments. Volunteer-classified and combination departments in our dataset are evaluated against this standard, which acknowledges longer rural response windows.
  • NFPA 1500 (Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health) - frames our interpretation of personnel and equipment data when discussing firefighter occupational safety. Apparatus inventories on department profiles are interpreted against the NFPA 1500 minimum-equipment requirements.
  • NFPA 1900 (Standard for Aerial Fire Apparatus, Wildland Apparatus, and Automotive Fire Apparatus) - the consolidated apparatus standard (replacing NFPA 1901, 1906, 1911, 1912 effective 2024). Truck and apparatus counts on department profiles reference the NFPA 1900 functional categories.
  • NIST Fire Research - research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology Fire Research Division frames our interpretation of fire-cause and fire-spread analyses presented on the cause-of-fire pages.

For example: a department classified as "career" with 12 personnel across 4 stations averages 3 personnel per station, falling short of the NFPA 1710 4-firefighter-on-arrival benchmark for the first-due engine company. Such interpretation requires reading the standard alongside the raw data, we surface both the data and the standard reference so users can draw their own conclusions.

Data Sources

PlainFireData combines federal open-data programs to build a comprehensive view of fire protection across the United States:

  • HIFLD Fire Stations (DHS/CISA): The Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) Open Data set contains station-level data for over 53,000 fire stations nationwide. Each record includes geographic coordinates, street address, personnel counts (paid, volunteer, and total), fire truck and apparatus inventory, EMS designation and level, and the Fire Department ID (FDID) identifier. This dataset is maintained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as part of the national critical infrastructure data program.
  • USFA National Fire Statistics: State-level fire statistics published by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These statistics include annual structure fires, fire deaths, civilian injuries, firefighter casualties, and estimated property loss by state. The USFA compiles this data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), to which fire departments voluntarily report incidents.
  • FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants (OpenFEMA): Federal grant awards to fire departments published through the OpenFEMA data portal. This includes funding amounts, program types, Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER), and Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) - award dates, and grant purposes such as equipment purchases, vehicle acquisition, and personnel hiring.
  • U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024): State-level population estimates (POPESTIMATE2023, as of July 1, 2023) used solely as a denominator to compute department-density and per-capita context (e.g., departments per 100,000 residents on state comparison views). Not used for any fire, personnel, or grant figures.
  • USFA National Fire Statistics & NFPA Research (leading fire causes): National leading-cause-of-fire shares (percent of residential fires and fire deaths by cause) drawn from USFA National Fire Statistics and NFPA Research Reports (Home Structure Fires by cause-and-ignition), shown on cause-of-fire pages.
  • NFPA Fire Code Adoption Data & State Fire Marshal Offices: Which base fire code (International Fire Code or NFPA 1) each state has adopted, and the adoption year, shown on the fire codes by state page.

Data Vintage and Update Frequency

HIFLD station data is updated periodically by DHS/CISA as state and local agencies submit updated infrastructure information, typically on an annual or biannual cycle. USFA state fire statistics reflect the most recent full year of published national fire reporting, which typically lags 1–2 years behind the current date due to the time required to compile and validate NFIRS submissions from thousands of participating departments. FEMA grant data is updated in near-real-time as new awards are announced and processed. Census population estimates are released annually (each "vintage" revises prior-year estimates and adds the newest year). PlainFireData refreshes its database when any of these federal datasets releases an update.

Processing Pipeline

  1. HIFLD fire station data is downloaded from the HIFLD Open Data portal in GeoJSON or CSV format, containing one record per physical fire station location.
  2. Station records are aggregated to department-level profiles using the Fire Department ID (FDID) combined with the state FIPS code as a composite key. A single FDID corresponds to one department, which may operate multiple stations across a jurisdiction.
  3. Name normalization is applied to remove station number suffixes (e.g., "Station 4") and standardize department names across records sharing the same FDID, resolving variations in abbreviations and formatting.
  4. For personnel and equipment fields, values are aggregated across all stations within a department, total personnel is summed, while department-level attributes use the most complete record available.
  5. USFA state fire statistics are extracted from published annual reports and joined to state-level profile pages, providing context on fire risk, mortality rates, and property loss for each state.
  6. FEMA grant records are matched to departments using a combination of department name and state, and grant histories are aggregated per department to show total funding received, number of grants, and most recent award date.
  7. County-level coverage maps are built by geocoding station locations to their respective counties, enabling users to see fire protection density by geographic area.
  8. All processed data is loaded into a structured SQLite database serving department profiles, state summary pages, county coverage maps, and search functionality.

Coverage

  • Fire stations: 53,000+ in the HIFLD dataset
  • Fire departments: 38,518 after FDID-based aggregation (filtered to entity-level rows; sub-station and training-facility rows are dropped from listing/ranking)
  • States: All 50 U.S. states
  • FEMA grants: Historical grant records for thousands of departments across AFG, SAFER, and FP&S programs
  • Department types: Career, volunteer, combination, and military fire departments

Accuracy Commitment

PlainFireData reproduces federal data exactly as published by DHS/CISA, USFA, and FEMA. Station locations, personnel counts, and equipment inventories are presented as reported by participating agencies. When data is missing for a particular department or field, PlainFireData displays this transparently rather than estimating or interpolating values. Grant amounts reflect official FEMA award records.

Worked Example: Reading the Houston Fire Department Profile

To make this methodology concrete, here is how a reader should interpret the Houston Fire Department row in our database:

  • Aggregation: Houston FD is registered with the U.S. Fire Administration under a single Fire Department Identification Number. HIFLD reports its 88 individual stations under that FDID; we deduplicate to one department row, summing personnel across all stations.
  • Personnel: 3,815 total personnel reported. As a career-classified department under NFPA 1710, this should be interpreted as roughly 1,272 firefighters per shift (3-platoon system). Across 88 stations, the average per-shift staffing per station is approximately 14 firefighters, well above the NFPA 1710 minimum 4-firefighter initial response.
  • Apparatus: Truck and engine counts reference the NFPA 1900 functional categories (engine, ladder/aerial, rescue, ARFF). Houston operates a mix that complies with NFPA 1500 minimum-equipment standards for a major-metropolitan career department.
  • Federal grants: Houston FD's FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants history is available via the OpenFEMA portal under its FDID; multi-year award totals appear on the department-detail page.

This worked example illustrates the analytical layer we expect readers to apply: raw data + standards-body framing = operational interpretation.

Limitations

  • Not all fire departments appear in HIFLD data. Smaller volunteer departments, private fire brigades, and departments that have not reported to the federal infrastructure registry may be absent. Absence from PlainFireData does not mean a community lacks fire protection.
  • HIFLD personnel and equipment data is self-reported by departments and may not reflect current staffing levels, apparatus changes, or recent equipment acquisitions.
  • USFA state statistics are compiled from voluntary NFIRS submissions, not all fires are reported, and participation rates vary by state and by department size.
  • FEMA grant matching by department name and state is imperfect, some grants may be unmatched or incorrectly attributed due to variations in how departments are named across federal databases.
  • PlainFireData is not affiliated with DHS, CISA, USFA, FEMA, or any government agency.