Sample data for demonstration only.Not real rankings until public data ingestion is complete.
Transparency
Data sources
Every number on Fireground Index traces back to a public dataset. This catalog lists each source, who publishes it, how often it updates, and where coverage is partial. Nothing is proprietary at this layer.
Fire incidents & outcomes
U.S. Fire Administration (USFA / FEMA)
- Reporting year
- 2024 (most recent complete release)
- Refresh cadence
- Annual
- Geography
- Incident-level, rolled up to state
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Voluntary participation; coverage varies by state
- Quality notes
- Undercounts where participation is incomplete; values normalized to rates and cross-checked against CDC mortality.
- Used for
- Fire incidents, Fire deaths, Fire injuries, Property loss
National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS)Continuous (rolling)
U.S. Fire Administration (USFA / FEMA)
- Reporting year
- 2024 (rolling)
- Refresh cadence
- Continuous (rolling)
- Geography
- Incident-level
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Successor to NFIRS; phased national rollout
- Quality notes
- Coverage expanding during the NFIRS-to-NERIS transition; continuity seam documented in methodology.
- Used for
- Fire incidents, Response data, Reporting completeness
U.S. Fire Administration; National Fire Protection Association
- Reporting year
- 2023–2024
- Refresh cadence
- Annual
- Geography
- National and state
- License
- Mixed (USFA public domain; NFPA terms apply)
- Coverage notes
- National estimates with state breakdowns
- Quality notes
- Estimated figures used to validate incident rates and staffing; NFPA terms apply to some tables.
- Used for
- Fire death rate validation, Firefighters per capita, National benchmarks
Outcomes cross-check
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Refresh cadence
- Annual
- Geography
- State and county
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Near-complete vital records
- Quality notes
- Small-cell suppression on low counts; used as an independent check on fire/burn deaths.
- Used for
- Independent fire/burn mortality cross-check
Demographics, housing, socioeconomics
American Community Survey (ACS) 5-YearAnnual (5-year rolling)
U.S. Census Bureau
- Reporting year
- 2019–2023 (5-year)
- Refresh cadence
- Annual (5-year rolling)
- Geography
- Nation to block group
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Comprehensive
- Quality notes
- Survey-based with published margins of error; 5-year estimates smooth small-area volatility.
- Used for
- Population, Poverty, Age, Housing age/type, Rurality
Funding & grants
Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Refresh cadence
- Continuous
- Geography
- Award-level, rolled up to state
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- AFG, SAFER, FP&S, BRIC, HMGP awards
- Quality notes
- Award timing can be lumpy year to year; multi-year context recommended for grant trends.
- Used for
- Fire grant funding, Grant per capita, Grant dependency
USAspending.govContinuous
U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Reporting year
- FY2024
- Refresh cadence
- Continuous
- Geography
- Award-level
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Federal awards across agencies
- Quality notes
- Requires filtering to fire/emergency program codes; agency reporting lags vary.
- Used for
- Federal fire/emergency awards by state
Fiscal structure
Census of Governments — State & Local FinanceAnnual / quinquennial
U.S. Census Bureau
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Refresh cadence
- Annual / quinquennial
- Geography
- State and local
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Partial for fire-specific line items; flagged where modeled
- Quality notes
- Fire-specific expenditure and tax lines are sparse and inconsistently reported; derived inputs are flagged and down-weighted.
- Used for
- Fire protection expenditure, Fire tax indicators
Risk & vulnerability
FEMA National Risk IndexPeriodic
Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Refresh cadence
- Periodic
- Geography
- County, rolled up to state
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- National
- Quality notes
- Composite index; state rollups summarize county-level social vulnerability and resilience layers.
- Used for
- Social vulnerability, Community resilience, Hazard exposure
Wildland context
National Interagency Fire Center; U.S. Forest Service
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Refresh cadence
- Annual
- Geography
- State and incident
- License
- Public domain (U.S. Government work)
- Coverage notes
- Wildland fire activity
- Quality notes
- Wildland focus; most relevant for WUI-heavy states and used as contextual, not core, input.
- Used for
- Wildland-urban interface context
Looking for how these feed the score? Read the methodology →