Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. is a single jurisdiction with no counties, so the county-ranking model does not apply. Its district-wide fire-death data is authoritative; the deferral is about geography, not data quality.
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. Washington, D.C. has no counties, so the within-jurisdiction ranking model does not apply; its district-wide data is authoritative but there is no rankable sub-geography. Rather than publish estimated, partial, or suppressed figures, the state is shown here transparently.
Sources checked
| Source | What it provides |
|---|---|
| USFA / NCHS (district-wide) | District-wide civilian fire deaths are published and authoritative (e.g., 2023 = 25) — but there is no rankable sub-geography. |
| DC Fire & EMS; opendata.dc.gov | No per-ward fire-fatality dataset; the open-data platform has no fire-fatality layer. |
| CDC WONDER (by ward) | Ward-level cells are suppressed. |
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 Washington, D.C.:
- A within-jurisdiction ranking needs multiple sub-units; D.C. has one (no per-ward fire-death data exists)
What data would unlock scoring
Either per-ward civilian fire-death data (to rank within D.C.), or a future platform mode that ranks whole jurisdictions against peers on the district-wide rate.
Could a records request unlock it?
Not applicable. D.C.'s district-wide data already exists; onboarding awaits a non-state jurisdiction framework, not a records request.
Have this data? Help make Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C..
Contact the Fireground team (opens in a new tab)