Mississippi
A county-level source exists but is not complete enough for public scoring — only two complete years, and the largest urban county reads as near-zero, indicating the census is incomplete.
Why this state isn't scored
The Fireground Index scores one comparable metric — the civilian fire-death rate — computed from exact per-county death counts and Census population. For Mississippi, no public source provides those counts completely and unsuppressed for all 82 counties. Rather than publish estimated, partial, or suppressed figures, the state is shown here transparently.
Sources checked
| Source | What it provides |
|---|---|
| MEMA GIS ArcGIS layers (republishing SFMO/DOI data) | All 82 counties present and unsuppressed, but only 2022–2023 are complete (2024 partial); largest county (Hinds/Jackson) reads 0–1, an implausible-completeness flag. |
| SFMO Fire Damage Registry | Login-gated (insurance portal). |
| SFMO annual reports | Statewide fiscal-year totals only; no county tables; do not reconcile to the calendar-year GIS totals. |
What failed the source gate
Every state must clear this public-source standard before it is scored:
- Public & authoritative (a state fire-marshal / fire-agency or primary record)
- County-level (or the jurisdiction's county-equivalents)
- Civilian fire deaths, incident-based (counted where the fire occurred; firefighter line-of-duty excluded)
- Exact counts — not rates, not statistically suppressed small cells
- All counties present, with zero-death counties verifiable (not ambiguous omission)
- A recent 5-year window, or a best-available clearly-labeled window
Not met for Mississippi:
- Complete recent 5-year window (only 2 complete years)
- Trustworthy census (largest county implausibly low → zeros not verifiable)
What data would unlock scoring
A complete, reconciled per-county civilian fire-death series for a recent multi-year window, with the largest counties properly captured.
Could a records request unlock it?
Likely yes. A records request for the primary per-county fatality database — or MEMA finalizing complete 2024–2025 layers — would unlock scoring.
Relevant office: Mississippi State Fire Marshal's Office (Dept of Insurance)
Have this data? Help make Mississippi scoreable.
If you work with a state fire marshal’s office, fire-service data program, or public-health agency and can share a complete, per-county civilian fire-death dataset, we will evaluate it against the public-source standard and — if it qualifies — publish a fully-cited scorecard for Mississippi.
Contact the Fireground team (opens in a new tab)