Rhode Island
The State Fire Marshal investigates every fatal fire but publishes no county or municipal fatality table, and the public data collector holds only a single incident — one of the five counties.
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 Rhode Island, no public source provides those counts completely and unsuppressed for all 5 counties. Rather than publish estimated, partial, or suppressed figures, the state is shown here transparently.
Sources checked
| Source | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island Division of the State Fire Marshal (fire-marshal.ri.gov) | Investigates every fatal fire but publishes no fire-fatality statistics, annual report, dashboard, or county/municipal fatality table — permits, inspections, and investigations pages only. |
| NASFM Fire Fatality Data Hub — Rhode Island (incl. its public dashboard) | Correctly structured with a real county field, but the county-bearing layer holds only 1 approved record (a single 2023 incident in Kent County). Four of five counties are absent; it is not a census, so unlisted counties are not verifiable zeros. |
| USFA/FEMA state profile & CDC WONDER (X00–X09 by county) | USFA is statewide-only and rate-based (no county counts); CDC WONDER is residence-based and small-count suppressed (under 10 blanked) — RI's small counties would be almost entirely hidden. |
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 Rhode Island:
- A per-county breakdown (SFM data unpublished; NASFM has 1 of 5 counties)
- Complete coverage of all 5 counties (only Kent has any record)
- An incident census where unlisted = a true zero (NASFM is 1 incident, not a census)
- Unsuppressed exact counts at county grain (only residence-based vital stats reach counties, and they suppress)
What data would unlock scoring
A per-county (or complete county-mappable municipal), incident-based civilian fire-death count table (all 5 counties, explicit zeros) for a recent window.
Could a records request unlock it?
Likely yes. The SFM investigates every fatal fire and holds the incident-level records; an APRA records request for civilian fire fatalities by municipality/county (2019–2024) — or NASFM backfilling the Rhode Island layer beyond its single record — would unlock scoring.
Relevant office: Rhode Island Division of the State Fire Marshal (fire-marshal.ri.gov, via RI DPS / APRA request)
Have this data? Help make Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island.
Contact the Fireground team (opens in a new tab)