Frequently Asked Questions
What is Emergency Reports?
Emergency Reports is a website which allows the public to search fire, arson, wildland, EMS, hazmat, and casualty incident reports.
What years do you have data for?
We currently have NFIRS years 1980-2022 in our database. New data is released by USFA on an annual basis and typically updated in our system around the end of the year.
What is NFIRS?
NFIRS (National Fire Incident Reporting System) is the world's largest, national, annual database of fire incident information which Emergency Reports gets its data from.
What NFIRS modules do you have in your database?
All publicly-released modules including: arson, arson agency referrals, arson juvenile subjects, basic aid, basic incidents, causes, civilian casualties, EMS, fire departments, firefighter casualties and fatalities, firefighter equipment failures, fire incidents, hazardous chemicals, hazardous materials, hazmat equipment involvement, hazmat property, incident addresses, and wildland fires.
What is NERIS?
The successor program to NFIRS is called NERIS (National Emergency Response Information System) which was announced in 2023. Emergency Reports does not currently have access to NERIS but wishes to once it's released.
Is Emergency Reports a private company?
Yes. We are a private company based in the US but not affiliated with the US government, or any federal or state government agency.
Do you guarantee the accuracy of the reports?
No, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the reports. Information is made available to us but we do not have the capability to verify its accuracy. Please see our Terms of Service for more information.
Why are zeros reported for some fields when they don't appear to make sense?
A common error in NFIRS reports is a zero being entered instead of null (also known as "unknown" or "not available"). Readers should be skeptical of zero values when they don't appear to make sense in the greater context of an incident.
Should I rely on dollar loss amounts in reports?
No, dollar loss amounts should be considered estimations and not relied upon.
Do you have an API?
Yes, please contact us for more information.
Is scraping allowed?
No, scraping is disallowed by our Terms of Service. Instead, please contact us for API access.
How are emergency reports made searchable?
We make emergency reports searchable by emergency type, state, city, street and other criteria. Please note that some emergency reports may have missing or incorrect data. In those cases, we cannot make those reports available for searching.
Can you answer questions about a specific report?
No, we cannot answer any questions about any specific report. Instead, please contact the fire department/emergency official responsible for the report.
I found a mistake on a report. Can you fix it?
Unfortunately, we cannot correct individual reports.
Do you have a money-back guarantee for a purchased emergency report?
Yes. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please contact us for a refund. For more information, refer to our Terms of Service.
I have other questions. How can I get in touch?
Please contact us for any questions not covered in our FAQ.
I'm a fire/emergency professional and have a suggestion for the website. How can I get in touch?
We'd love to get your feedback. Please contact us using your work-issued email address for a direct response.