Representativeness Study

U.S. Fire Administration

NFIRS
Representativeness
Study
October 2008

Table of Contents
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FIRE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM ............................................ 1
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF AN NFIRS REPRESENTATIVENESS STUDY................ 3
SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 4
NFPA FIRE DEPARTMENT CHARACTERISTICS...................................................................... 7
FIRE DEPARTMENTS REGISTERED WITH THE CENSUS....................................................... 9
Census Fire Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS ............................................................................... 9
Midwest ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Northeast........................................................................................................................................ 11
South .............................................................................................................................................. 12
West ............................................................................................................................................... 13
Census Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code ....................................................................................... 15
Census Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code within Region ............................................................... 16
Midwest ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Northeast........................................................................................................................................ 17
South .............................................................................................................................................. 17
West ............................................................................................................................................... 18
NFIRS FIRE DEPARTMENTS NOT REGISTERED WITH THE CENSUS ................................ 20
Methodology........................................................................................................................................... 20
NFIRS Fire Departments Not Registered with the Census by 2003 RUC Code.................................... 20
NFIRS Fire Departments Not Registered with the Census by 2003 RUC Code, Region, and
Department Type .................................................................................................................................... 21
Midwest ......................................................................................................................................... 21
Northeast........................................................................................................................................ 22
South .............................................................................................................................................. 22
West ............................................................................................................................................... 23
Maps ....................................................................................................................................................... 24
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 31
Reporting Rates ...................................................................................................................................... 31
Midwest ......................................................................................................................................... 32
Northeast........................................................................................................................................ 32
South .............................................................................................................................................. 33
West ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code.................................................................................................... 35
Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code within Region ............................................................................ 35
Midwest ......................................................................................................................................... 35
Northeast........................................................................................................................................ 36
South .............................................................................................................................................. 36
West ............................................................................................................................................... 36
RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................. 39
APPENDIX I................................................................................................................................ 40
APPENDIX II............................................................................................................................... 46

List of Tables
Table 1. 2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes ............................................................................................. 6
Table 2. NFPA Estimate and Percentage of Fire Departments by Type of Department,
2006 ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Table 3. Type of Department by Population Protected (Percent), 2006 ....................................................... 8
Table 4. Percent of Census Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS in 2004-2006 by the
2003 RUC Code ................................................................................................................................... 10
Table 5. Percent of Census Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS in 2004-2006 by the
2003 RUC Code within Region............................................................................................................ 15
Table 6. Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS Departments by the 2003 RUC Code............................. 16
Table 7. Percent of Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS Departments by the 2003
RUC Code within Region..................................................................................................................... 19
Table 8. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by the 2003 RUC Code ............................................................ 21
Table 9. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by the 2003 RUC Code and Region ......................................... 24
Table 10. Overall Percent of Fire Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS by the 2003
RUC Code (2004-2006) ....................................................................................................................... 32
Table 11. Overall Percent of Fire Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS by the 2003
RUC Code within Region (2004-2006)................................................................................................ 34
Table 12. Overall Percent of NFIRS and Total Departments by the 2003 RUC Code
(2004-2006) .......................................................................................................................................... 35
Table 13. Overall Percent of NFIRS and Total Departments by the 2003 RUC Code
within Region (2004-2006) .................................................................................................................. 38
Table I-1. The Number of Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS Departments: 2003
RUC Code by Department Type .......................................................................................................... 40
Table I-2. Census-NFIRS Departments by the 2003 RUC Code and Region............................................. 41
Table I-3. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by the 2003 RUC Code and Region....................................... 41
Table I-4. The Number of Census-NFIRS Departments by Region: 2003 RUC Code by
Department Type.................................................................................................................................. 42
Table I-5. The Number of Census-nonNFIRS Departments by Region: 2003 RUC Code
by Department Type............................................................................................................................. 43
Table I-6. The Number of NFIRS-nonCensus Departments: 2003 RUC Code by
Department Type.................................................................................................................................. 44
Table I-7. The Number of NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by Region: 2003 RUC Code
by Department Type............................................................................................................................. 45
Table II-1. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Midwest Region ................................................................................................................................... 46
Table II-2. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Northeast Region.................................................................................................................................. 48
Table II-3. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
South Region ........................................................................................................................................ 50
Table II-4. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
West Region ......................................................................................................................................... 53
Table II-5. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Midwest Region ................................................................................................................................... 56

Table II-6. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Northeast Region.................................................................................................................................. 58
Table II-7. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
South Region ........................................................................................................................................ 60
Table II-8. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
West Region ......................................................................................................................................... 63
Table II-9. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Midwest Region ................................................................................................................................... 65
Table II-10. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC
Code: Northeast Region ....................................................................................................................... 68
Table II-11. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC
Code: South Region.............................................................................................................................. 69
Table II-12. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC
Code: West Region............................................................................................................................... 72

List of Figures
Figure 1. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006)...................................................................... 26
Figure 2. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006): Midwest Region ......................................... 27
Figure 3. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006): Northeast Region ....................................... 28
Figure 4. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006): South Region.............................................. 29
Figure 5. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006): West Region............................................... 30

About the National Fire Incident Reporting System
The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) is a voluntary, all incident based data
collection system. Section 9b of the Fire Prevention and Control Act, Public Law (PL 93-498)
specifies that the United States Fire Administration (USFA) develop standardized data reporting
methods and encourage and assist State, local, and other agencies, public and private, in
developing and reporting information. NFIRS was developed specifically to address these two
requirements.
All fire departments in the U.S. are eligible to participate in reporting to NFIRS on a voluntary
basis. Participating fire departments collect a common core of information on an incident and
any casualties that ensue by using a common set of definitions. The data may be collected using
paper forms in some States or submitted electronically. Local agencies forward the completed
NFIRS modules to the State agency responsible for NFIRS data. The State agency combines the
information with data from other fire departments into a statewide database and then transmits
the data to the National Fire Data Center (NFDC) at USFA. Data on individual incidents and
casualties are preserved incident by incident at local, State, and national levels. Once limited to
fire incidents only, NFIRS now encompasses all incidents to which the fire department
responds—fire, emergency medical services (EMS), hazardous materials (Hazmat), and the like.1
NFIRS data are used extensively at all levels of government for major fire protection decisions.
At the local level, incident and casualty information are used for setting priorities and targeting
resources. The data collected are particularly useful for designing fire prevention and educational
programs and EMS-related activities specifically suited to the real emergency problems the local
community faces.
At the State level, NFIRS is used in many capacities. Many States mandate NFIRS reporting
departments for their own purposes. One valuable contribution is that some State legislatures use
these data to justify budgets and to pass important bills on fire-related issues such as sprinklers,
fireworks, and arson.
Many Federal agencies, in addition to USFA, make use of NFIRS data. NFIRS data are used, for
example, by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to identify problem products and
to monitor corrective actions. The Department of Transportation (DOT) uses NFIRS data to
identify fire problems in automobiles, which has resulted in mandated recalls. The Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uses NFIRS to evaluate safety of manufactured
housing (mobile homes).The USFA uses the data to design prevention programs, to order
firefighter safety priorities, to assist in the development of training courses at the National Fire
Academy (NFA), and for a host of other purposes.2

1
2

U.S. Fire Administration’s, Fire in the United States 1995-2004, 14th Edition, August 2007.
Ibid.

1

It is important to note that NFIRS data are used by USFA and other Federal agencies to derive
national fire data estimates. USFA does not use NFIRS data to produce State or county level fire
estimates.
Based on proprietary data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there was an
annual average estimate of 30,400 fire departments in the U.S. for the years 2004 to 2006.
Approximately 77 percent of these departments reported fire incidents to NFIRS in at least one
of these three years. NFIRS has seen approximately a 76 percent increase in the number of
departments reporting fires between 1999 and 2006 (the last year for which all States have
released their NFIRS data). In 1999, there were 11,067 departments reporting fires to NFIRS and
in 2006, there were 19,532 departments reporting fires. Some of this increase can be explained
by the number of fire departments receiving Assistance to Firefighters Grants. If a fire
department is a recipient of one of these grants, then NFIRS participation is required.3

3

From the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program guidance, if the applicant is a fire department, the department
must agree to provide information, through established reporting channels, to NFIRS for the period covered by the
assistance. If a fire department does not currently participate in the incident reporting system and does not have the
capacity to report at the time of the award, the department must agree to provide information to the system for a 12month period that begins as soon as the department develops the capacity to report. See
http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2008AFGguidance.pdf.

2

Background and Purpose of an NFIRS Representativeness
Study
In the past, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has questioned why the NFIRS data
collection should be a census of incidents for all departments rather than a statistical sample.
USFA has investigated the possibility of sampling and the issues surrounding it. While there are
certain advantages to a statistical sampling methodology, USFA has not undertaken a sampling
approach to fire data collection for several reasons. As previously mentioned, USFA is directed
by Public Law to develop a standardized incident data reporting method and assist local and
State agencies in reporting incident data to this system. Because NFIRS is used at the local,
State, and Federal levels, abandoning it for a statistical sampling method would adversely impact
State and local fire department data collection and the NFIRS standard, which is also used
internationally. Additionally, much of the cost burden of the current NFIRS data collection is
carried by the State NFIRS operations. USFA has relied heavily on States as cooperative partners
in bearing the costs and resources of maintaining the system, and the States have relied on USFA
to shoulder the development costs. Switching to a sampling method would mean USFA would
need to acquire additional funding and personnel to design and maintain a new sampling system,
leaving the State and local entities to wholly cover the cost of a data collection system.
Regardless, OMB directed USFA to complete a study regarding the bias in NFIRS due to
nonresponse. As a result, USFA completed this study to identify fire departments that do not
participate in NFIRS, characteristics of these departments, and whether their nonresponse
impacts the representativeness of NFIRS. In addition, based on OMB’s instructions for previous
terms of clearance for the NFIRS form renewal, this study identifies how USFA might continue
efforts to encourage even more participation in the all incident based data collection system.

3

Scope and Methodology
To complete this NFIRS Representativeness Study, USFA matched the NFIRS database with
USFA’s National Fire Department Census database. By matching these two databases, USFA
was able to identify characteristics of fire departments that are necessary to determine
representativeness. The characteristics of NFIRS departments that did not match to the census
were also studied.
Because NFIRS is a voluntary system, fire departments that report fires in one particular year
may not report fires in the next year. As a result, USFA used the 2004-2006 NFIRS databases to
determine the unique number of fire departments that reported fires during that time period and
to match against the census database. Between 2004 and 2006, a total of 23,390 departments
reported fires to NFIRS.
In the past several years, USFA assembled as complete as practicable a National Fire
Department Census, which currently has about 26,000 fire departments registered. The census is
considered a representative universe of all fire departments as it includes approximately 86
percent4 of the more than estimated 30,000 fire departments in the U.S.5 Fire departments in the
census database that had missing or blank Fire Department Identification Numbers (FDIDs) were
removed from the census database along with departments located in the U.S. Territories. As a
result, the remaining number of fire departments in the census that were matched against the
NFIRS database was 25,707.
To match the NFIRS database to the census database, USFA used the State and FDID fields as
FDIDs are unique within each State. Those fire departments identified in the census database that
matched to the current NFIRS database were identified as “Census-NFIRS.” Those that did not
match to the current NFIRS database were identified as “Census-nonNFIRS.” There were 19,430
departments in the census that matched to departments that reported fires to NFIRS (CensusNFIRS), whereas 6,277 departments in the census did not report fires to NFIRS (CensusnonNFIRS). Additionally, there were 3,960 departments that reported fires to NFIRS, but did not
match to the census database. These departments were identified as “NFIRS-nonCensus.” While
the census appears to reflect 86 percent of the estimated fire departments in the U.S., by
including the NFIRS-nonCensus departments as part of this study, the fire department population
examined is approximately 95 percent of the total estimate of fire departments in the country.
Using the fire department census data, USFA was able to identify and analyze characteristics of
the Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS departments that are important when determining
representativeness. For instance, USFA examined the geographic location of fire departments
4

OMB’s rule of thumb often used for samples is that the sample should cover 80 percent of the population total.
Questions and Answers When Designing Surveys for Information Collections, Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, OMB, January 2006.
5
For more information about the National Fire Department Census, please visit:
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/census.

4

that report fires to NFIRS versus fire departments that do not report fires to NFIRS. In addition
to geographic location, type of department was also considered.
Finally, another key characteristic, population protected was studied. The current census
database includes fields for population protected and area protected. Population protected refers
to the resident population in a department’s first due response area. Population protected,
however, means many different things to many different departments. For example, as submitted
to the National Fire Department Census, some departments with large seasonal populations
combined the seasonal population protected with the resident population protected and provided
that total to the census. Other departments included populations of mutual aid areas covered in
addition to first due response areas. These scenarios and others result in fire departments across
the country over counting the U.S. population protected. The same is true for the area protected
data. As a result, the population and area protected data are not considered reliable.
Because the fire department census data for population and area protected are suspect, it was
necessary to use other means to capture these two variables. Since 1998, USFA has used the
United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural-Urban Continuum Code (RUC) as a
means to categorize fire departments by population and place.6 USFA believes the assignment of
the 2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Code (2003 RUC Code) to be a reasonable proxy for
population protected and the distinction between rural and urban areas. Therefore, USFA
assigned the appropriate 2003 RUC Code to each fire department in the census based on the
Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) State and County codes.
The 2003 RUC Codes form a classification scheme that distinguishes metropolitan (metro)
counties by the population size of their metro area, and nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties by
degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area or areas. The metro and nonmetro
categories have been subdivided into three metro and six nonmetro groupings, resulting in a
nine-part county codification. All U.S. counties and county equivalents are grouped according to
their official metro-nonmetro status announced by the OMB in June 2003, when the population
and worker commuting criteria used to identify metro counties were applied to results of the
2000 Census.7 Table 1 provides the 2003 RUC Codes.

6

See United States Fire Administration, The Rural Fire Problem in the United States, FA-180, August 1998 for the
initial use of the USDA RUC Code. This document also contains a discussion of USFA’s choice of the RUC Code
over other schemas.
7
United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Measuring Rurality: Rural-Urban
Continuum Codes: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Rurality/RuralUrbCon/.

5

Table 1. 2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes
Code

Description

Metro counties:
1
Counties in metro areas of 1 million population or more
2
Counties in metro areas of 250,000 to 1 million population
3
Counties in metro areas of fewer than 250,000 population
Nonmetro counties:
4
5
6
7
8
9

Urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a metro area
Urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a metro area
Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, adjacent to a metro area
Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, not adjacent to a metro area
Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, adjacent to a metro area
Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, not adjacent to a metro area

Source: USDA’s Measuring Rurality: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes

The first part of the report briefly addresses fire department characteristics at a national level
(based on data from the NFPA). The remainder of the report focuses on the analysis of
characteristics of the fire departments registered with the census, both NFIRS (Census-NFIRS)
and non-NFIRS (Census-nonNFIRS) departments, and NFIRS reporting departments not
registered with the census (NFIRS-nonCensus). Additionally, there is a Maps section showing
NFIRS reporting departments versus nonreporting departments for the Nation and each region of
the country. Finally, the entire report is summarized in the conclusion section and concludes with
a recommendation section, followed by the Appendices.

6

NFPA Fire Department Characteristics
To understand fire department characteristics at the national level, a one year snapshot of fire
department data is observed. In 2006, the NFPA estimated that there were 30,635 fire
departments in the U.S.8 NFPA describes fire department personnel as career or volunteer.
Career personnel are uniformed firefighters that are employed full-time regardless of duties (e.g.,
administrative, fire suppression, fire prevention, etc.). Volunteer personnel include part-time
firefighters (paid per call) and firefighters who do not receive monetary contributions for their
services. Fire departments are classified into one of four department type9 categories based on
the number of fire department personnel. These four department types include all career, mostly
career, mostly volunteer, and all volunteer. Table 2 shows the number and percentage of fire
departments by type of department.
Table 2. NFPA Estimate and Percentage of Fire Departments by Type of Department, 2006
Type of Department
All Career
Mostly Career
Mostly Volunteer
All Volunteer
Total

Number
2,321
1,731
5,134
21,449
30,635

Percent
7.6
5.6
16.8
70.0
100.0

Source: NFPA’s U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2006

Additionally, the type of department by population protected is shown in Table 3. It can be noted
that fire department types vary considerably by community size. For population protected of
25,000 or more, the percentages of departments identified as all career and mostly career range
from 73 percent to 100 percent. For departments where the population protected is less than
25,000, the percentages of departments identified as all volunteer and mostly volunteer range
from 64 to 98 percent.10

8

Michael J. Karter, U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2006, NFPA, November 2007.
The numbers of fire department personnel are used to determine the department type. (All Career: 100 percent of a
department’s firefighters are career; Mostly Career: 51-99 percent of a department’s firefighters are career; Mostly
Volunteer: 1-50 percent of a department’s firefighters are career; All Volunteer: 100 percent of a department’s
firefighters are volunteer).
10
Michael J. Karter, U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2006, NFPA, November 2007.
9

7

Table 3. Type of Department by Population Protected (Percent), 2006
Population
Protected
1,000,000 or more
500,000 to 999,999
250,000 to 499,999
100,000 to 249,999
50,000 to 99,999
25,000 to 49,999
10,000 to 24,999
5,000 to 9,999
2,500 to 4,999
Under 2,500
All Departments

All Career

Mostly
Career

Mostly
Volunteer

All Volunteer

Total

77.8
63.3
70.0
82.6
69.3
48.5
15.2
4.7
2.4
0.9
7.6

22.2
26.7
23.3
16.5
20.6
24.2
21.2
5.5
2.2
0.7
5.6

0.0
10.0
6.7
0.8
8.8
19.2
41.9
40.8
18.5
3.2
16.8

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.3
8.1
21.7
49.0
76.9
95.2
70.0

100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0

Source: NFPA’s U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2006
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

8

Fire Departments Registered with the Census
This phase of the study focuses on fire departments that were registered with the census, both
those that reported to NFIRS and those that did not report during the years 2004 through 2006.
Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS departments are studied to identify differences in
characteristics between the two groups.
Census Fire Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS
Table 4 shows the frequency of Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS departments for each
2003 RUC Code category and the percentage of census departments reporting fires to NFIRS
during the years 2004 through 2006. Overall, the percentages of fire departments reporting to
NFIRS range from 69 percent in counties adjacent to a metro area that are completely rural or
have an urban population less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Code is 8) to 79 percent in counties in
metro areas with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1).
The highest percentages of reporting departments occur in metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are
1, 2, and 3). Although the highest percentage of reporting departments occurs in the category
where the 2003 RUC Code is 1, the highest number of nonreporting departments is also found in
this same category. Of the nonreporting departments in this category, approximately 21 percent
are career11 or mostly career fire departments. Table I-1 in Appendix I shows the number of
Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS departments by the 2003 RUC Code and department type.
The lowest percentages of reporting departments occur in counties that are completely rural or
have urban populations less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Codes are 8 and 9). In these rural counties,
95 percent of the Census-nonNFIRS departments consist of 100 percent volunteer firefighters.

11

Fire departments in the census are assigned department types based on the number of active career, volunteer, and
paid per call firefighting personnel per department. For 73 Census-NFIRS departments and 65 Census-nonNFIRS
departments no firefighting personnel data were reported (these departments were not assigned a department type).
The department types are based on the NFPA definition (Career: 100 percent of a department’s firefighters are
career; Mostly Career: 51-99 percent of a department’s firefighters are career; Mostly Volunteer: 1-50 percent of a
department’s firefighters are career; Volunteer: 100 percent of a department’s firefighters are volunteer).

9

Table 4. Percent of Census Departments Reporting Fires to
NFIRS in 2004-2006 by the 2003 RUC Code
2003 RUC
Codes

Census-NFIRS
Departments

CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Total
Departments

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

4,475
3,328
2,454
1,894
709
2,880
1,913
707
1,070
19,430

1,203
950
689
693
208
1,097
660
316
461
6,277

5,678
4,278
3,143
2,587
917
3,977
2,573
1,023
1,531
25,707

Percent of
Departments
Reporting Fires
78.8
77.8
78.1
73.2
77.3
72.4
74.3
69.1
69.9
75.6

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.

Table 5 shows the percentage of census departments reporting fires to NFIRS during the years
2004 through 2006 by the 2003 RUC Code within U.S. Census Bureau Region.12 Overall, the
percentages of fire departments reporting fires to NFIRS during the years 2004 to 2006 range
from 68 percent in the West to 85 percent in the Midwest. Table I-2 and Table I-3 in Appendix I
show the overall distributions of the Census-NFIRS and Census non-NFIRS departments,
respectively, by the 2003 RUC Code and U.S. Census Bureau region. Table I-4 and Table I-5 in
Appendix I show the number of fire departments in each region by the 2003 RUC Code and
department type for both the Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS groups, respectively. Table
II-1 through Table II-8 in Appendix II show the numbers of Census-NFIRS and CensusnonNFIRS departments, respectively, by State within the 2003 RUC Code category and region.
Midwest

The Midwest region has the highest percentages of departments reporting fires to NFIRS. In this
region, the percentages of departments reporting fires to NFIRS range from 75 to 93 percent. The
Midwest shows an overall rate of 85 percent of departments reporting fire incidents.
The lowest percentages of departments reporting in the Midwest occur in counties where the
urban population is less than 2,500 or is considered completely rural (2003 RUC Codes are 8 and
9). This can be expected, as nearly all fire departments (where active firefighting personnel data
12

The regions of the United States are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Northeast (Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont); South (Alabama,
Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North
Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia); Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,
Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin); West (Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington,
Wyoming).

10

were reported) in these two RUC Code categories in the Midwest are classified as 100 percent
volunteer or mostly volunteer departments. Volunteer departments generally have low call
volumes and limited resources, including personnel and budgets, often leading to inadequate
record keeping and difficulty in reporting incidents to NFIRS.
The metro counties and counties adjacent to a metro area where the urban population is 20,000
or more (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, 3, and 4) have the highest percentages of departments
reporting fires in the Midwest. The highest rate (93 percent) of reporting fire departments occurs
in counties in metro areas of a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1).
Given the voluntary nature of NFIRS, Table 5 demonstrates a high level of coverage in the
Midwest for communities of all sizes.
Northeast

In the Northeast, the percentages of departments reporting fires to NFIRS range from 46 percent
(where the 2003 RUC Code is 8) to 77 percent (where the 2003 RUC Code is 5). The Northeast
shows an overall rate of 70 percent of fire departments reporting fire incidents to NFIRS.
The Northeast’s population tends to be concentrated in larger urban areas, especially along the
Eastern coast, and even for counties further inland, they generally have populations greater than
20,000. Compared to the other regions of the country, there are very few fire departments in
counties with a population less than 20,000 (where the 2003 RUC Codes are 6, 7, 8, and 9).
Of all the regions, the Northeast has the lowest percentage (46 percent) of fire departments
reporting in counties that are rural or have an urban population of less than 2,500 and are
adjacent to a metro area (2003 RUC Code is 8). The 33 Census-nonNFIRS departments in this
2003 RUC Code category are located in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and
Vermont. Thirty percent of these departments are located in Pennsylvania where fire departments
have only been reporting incidents to NFIRS since 2001 (approximately 41 percent of all PA
departments now report fires using NFIRS13). Historically, Pennsylvania and New York have
large numbers of fire departments, however, most of these departments tend to be small and
staffed by volunteer firefighters. All 33 of the Census-nonNFIRS fire departments located in
these nonmetro counties are volunteer or mostly volunteer departments.
In rural, nonmetro counties not adjacent to a metro area (2003 RUC Code is 9), 64 percent of
departments reported fires to NFIRS. There were only nine census fire departments in this 2003
RUC Code category that did not report fires to NFIRS. All nine of these departments were
comprised of 100 percent volunteer firefighters with 89 percent of the departments located in
Pennsylvania.
13

In the U.S. Fire Administration’s report, Fire in the United States 1995-2004, 14th Edition, Table 3 shows that in
2004 there were 2,389 fire departments in Pennsylvania and 1,995 departments in New York. The numbers of fire
departments were provided by each State’s Fire Marshal’s office or equivalent agency.

11

For departments in counties adjacent to metro areas where the urban population is 20,000 or
more (2003 RUC Code is 4), the percentage of departments reporting fires is 56 percent. Of the
nonreporting departments in this category, approximately 97 percent of the departments are
volunteer or mostly volunteer. Sixty-eight percent of the nonreporting departments in this 2003
RUC Code classification are located in Pennsylvania, with an additional 24 percent located in
New York.
In Northeast counties with an urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, both adjacent and not
adjacent to metro areas (where the 2003 RUC Codes are 6 and 7), the percentages of departments
reporting fires to NFIRS range from 61 to 62 percent. Seventy percent of the departments not
reporting fires to NFIRS in these two RUC Code categories are located in Pennsylvania and New
York and are comprised of volunteer firefighters. Maine includes an additional 22 percent of
nonreporting departments in these two RUC Code categories.
Approximately 70 percent of the Northeast’s fire departments registered with the census are
located in metro counties. In these counties, the Northeast has high levels of coverage ranging
from 73 to 75 percent.
In the Northeast region of the country, the States with fire departments most consistently not
reporting fires to NFIRS are Pennsylvania and New York. In recent years, progress has been
made in Pennsylvania’s reporting status. Although results for New York indicate a lack of
department reporting, approximately 69 percent of departments in New York are reporting fires
to NFIRS. Maine also indicates a lack of reporting in certain size communities.
South

The South leads the nation as the region with the largest number of fire departments registered
with the census in the country. The percentages of departments reporting fires to NFIRS in the
South range from 63 percent (where the 2003 RUC Code is 9) to 77 percent (where the 2003
RUC Code is 1). The South shows an overall rate of 73 percent of departments reporting fire
incidents.
In the South, the lowest rates of departments reporting are found in nonmetro counties where the
urban population is less than 2,500 or is completely rural (2003 RUC Codes are 8 and 9).
Approximately 77 percent of the nonreporting departments where the 2003 RUC Code is 8 are
concentrated in 5 of the 17 States in the South: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, and
Texas. Additionally 99 percent of the nonreporting fire departments in this category are
classified as all volunteer or mostly volunteer. Where the 2003 RUC Code category is 9, 46
percent of the Census-nonNFIRS departments are located in Oklahoma and North Carolina. All
fire departments in this 2003 RUC Code category are volunteer or mostly volunteer.

12

For fire departments in counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 2,500 to
19,999 (2003 RUC Code is 6), the percentage of departments reporting is 69 percent. Forty-nine
percent of the nonreporting departments in this category are located in Texas (20 percent),
Oklahoma (15 percent), and Alabama (14 percent).
The highest percentage (77 percent) of reporting departments in the South is found in metro
counties where the population is 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1). Fifty-three percent of
the nonreporting departments in this category are concentrated in three States in the South: Texas
(24 percent), Alabama (16 percent), and Virginia (12 percent).
West

The West, by far, has the least number of fire departments of all the regions of the United States.
The percentages of departments reporting fires to NFIRS in this region range from 65 percent
(where the 2003 RUC Code is 6) to 72 percent (where the 2003 RUC Code is 8). The West
shows an overall rate of 68 percent of fire departments reporting fire incidents to NFIRS.
In the West region, the lowest percentage of departments reporting to NFIRS occurs in counties
adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Code is 6)
where the percentage of Census-NFIRS reporting departments is 65 percent. Of the nonreporting
departments in this 2003 RUC Code category, 45 percent of the departments are located in
California (24 percent) and New Mexico (21 percent).
Where counties are not adjacent to a metro area and the urban population is 2,500 to 19,999
(2003 RUC Code is 7), 67 percent of departments report fires to NFIRS. In this 2003 RUC Code
category, 42 percent of the nonreporting departments are located in California (24 percent) and
Montana (18 percent).
In nonmetro counties with an urban population of 20,000 or more (where the 2003 RUC Codes
are 4 and 5), approximately 87 percent of the departments are classified as all volunteer or
mostly volunteer. Where the 2003 RUC Code category is 4, two of the 13 Western States
account for 62 percent of the departments not reporting fires to NFIRS. These States include
Arizona (44 percent) and California (18 percent). In the category where the 2003 RUC Code is 5,
27 percent of the nonreporting departments are located in California with an additional 23
percent located in New Mexico.
Table 5 shows that departments located in counties not adjacent to metro areas with a rural
population or an urban population less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Code is 9) have a reporting rate of
67 percent. Approximately 69 percent of the departments not reporting in these counties are
located in Montana (34 percent), Colorado (17 percent), and New Mexico (17 percent).
Sixty-eight to 70 percent of fire departments located in the metro regions of the West reported
fires to NFIRS (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3). Nonreporting fire departments located in
counties in metro areas with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1) were found
13

to be concentrated in California (63 percent). An additional 18 percent of nonreporting
departments were located in Arizona and another 10 percent were found in Colorado.
In metro counties consisting of 250,000 to 1,000,000 people (2003 RUC Code is 2), 48 percent
of Census-nonNFIRS departments are located in California. In counties in metro areas with a
population less than 250,000 people (2003 RUC Code is 3), approximately 47 percent of
nonreporting departments were located in California (24 percent) and Arizona (22 percent).
In the West, the State where many fire departments consistently do not report fires to NFIRS is
California. Other States that are indicating a lack of reporting in certain size communities include
Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico.

14

Table 5. Percent of Census Departments Reporting Fires to
NFIRS in 2004-2006 by the 2003 RUC Code within Region
2003 RUC Code

MIDWEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
NORTHEAST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
SOUTH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
WEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

Census-NFIRS
Departments

Census-nonNFIRS
Departments

Total Departments

Percent of
Departments
Reporting Fires

1,340
880
943
663
280
1,110
808
288
628
6,940

108
129
138
64
52
217
187
90
211
1,196

1,448
1,009
1,081
727
332
1,327
995
378
839
8,136

92.5
87.2
87.2
91.2
84.3
83.6
81.2
76.2
74.9
85.3

1,505
986
303
398
99
299
134
28
16
3,768

546
321
113
318
29
193
83
33
9
1,645

2,051
1,307
416
716
128
492
217
61
25
5,413

73.4
75.4
72.8
55.6
77.3
60.8
61.8
45.9
64.0
69.6

1,219
1,119
904
620
193
1,256
647
298
298
6,554

355
353
307
200
63
572
229
156
177
2,412

1,574
1,472
1,211
820
256
1,828
876
454
475
8,966

77.4
76.0
74.6
75.6
75.4
68.7
73.9
65.6
62.7
73.1

411
343
304
213
137
215
324
93
128
2,168

194
147
131
111
64
115
161
37
64
1,024

605
490
435
324
201
330
485
130
192
3,192

67.9
70.0
69.9
65.7
68.2
65.2
66.8
71.5
66.7
67.9

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.

Census Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code
Table 6 shows the 2003 RUC Code distributions for the Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS
groups at the national level. In observing the table, it is shown that the percentage distribution for
15

the 2003 RUC Code categories of census departments that did not report fires to NFIRS is quite
similar to that of census departments that reported fires to NFIRS. This implies that fire
departments that do not report to NFIRS are located in similarly sized communities as those
departments that report to NFIRS.
The absolute differences in percentages for each of the 2003 RUC Code categories do not vary
by more than 2.0 percent, except for category 1 where the absolute difference is 3.8 percent and
in category 6 where the absolute difference is 2.7 percent. Where the 2003 RUC Code is 1,
approximately 79 percent of the census departments report fires to NFIRS.
In the metro areas, the percentages of NFIRS reporting departments are slightly higher than those
not reporting. This may be due, in part, to the fact that fire departments in metro areas are
generally large, career departments, with the resources needed to report to NFIRS. Additionally,
career departments use their NFIRS data to justify the need for increases in personnel and budget
requirements.
For each of the six nonmetro categories, the percentages of Census-nonNFIRS departments are
slightly higher for each 2003 RUC Code category than for the Census-NFIRS departments
except for the category where the 2003 RUC Code is 5. This can be expected since most
departments in these counties are generally smaller, volunteer fire departments where resources
and budgets are often scarce.
Table 6. Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS Departments by the 2003 RUC Code
2003 RUC
Code

Census-NFIRS
Departments

Percent

Census-nonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

4,475
3,328
2,454
1,894
709
2,880
1,913
707
1,070

23.0
17.1
12.6
9.7
3.6
14.8
9.8
3.6
5.5

1,203
950
689
693
208
1,097
660
316
461

19.2
15.1
11.0
11.0
3.3
17.5
10.5
5.0
7.3

Total

19,430

100.0

6,277

100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Census Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code within Region
Table 7 shows the frequency and percentage distributions of departments by the 2003 RUC Code
within region for the Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS groups, respectively.

16

Midwest

Approximately 46 percent of Census-NFIRS departments in the Midwest are located in metro
counties, whereas 31 percent of Census-nonNFIRS departments are located in metro counties.
NFIRS has a high reporting rate of fire departments in metro counties in the Midwest.
Nineteen percent of Census-NFIRS departments are located in metro counties with a population
of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1), and 9 percent of Census-nonNFIRS departments are
found to be located in this category. This difference is due to the high rate of fire departments
reporting to NFIRS in the metro areas of the Midwest.
The highest proportions of Census-nonNFIRS departments in the Midwest are found to be in
nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003
RUC Code is 6) and in completely rural counties not adjacent to a metro area (2003 RUC Code
is 9). These departments are the small, volunteer departments that generally have limited
personnel and budgets needed for reporting.
Northeast

Thirty-three percent of Census-nonNFIRS departments, the highest percentage of nonreporting
departments in the Northeast, are located in counties in metro areas with a population of 1
million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1). Additionally, high percentages of Census-nonNFIRS
departments are also concentrated in counties in metro areas with a population of 250,000 to 1
million (2003 RUC Code is 2) and in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban
population of 20,000 or more (2003 RUC Code is 4). Nineteen percent of Census-nonNFIRS
departments are located in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban population
of 20,000 or more (2003 RUC Code is 4), and 11 percent of Census-NFIRS departments are
found to be in this category.
South

In the South, the percentage distributions for both the Census-NFIRS departments and the
Census-nonNFIRS departments are similar. Approximately 24 percent of the Census-nonNFIRS
departments in the South are located in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban
population of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Code is 6). Approximately 89 percent of these
departments consist of 100 percent volunteer firefighters.
Approximately 29 percent of Census-nonNFIRS departments are located in metro counties
where the population is 250,000 or more (2003 RUC Codes are 1 and 2), about 15 percent in
each of these 2003 RUC Code categories. Although there are a large number of nonreporting
departments in these metro counties in the South, the overall NFIRS reporting rate for these two
RUC Code categories is about 77 percent.

17

West

In the West, the percentage distributions for both the Census-NFIRS departments and the
Census-nonNFIRS departments are quite similar. The absolute difference in percentages for all
categories between the two groups is less than 1.5 percent.
Overall, 46 percent of Census-nonNFIRS departments are located in metro counties (2003 RUC
Codes are 1, 2, and 3). Nineteen percent, the largest percentage, of nonreporting fire departments
in the West are located in metro counties where the population is 1 million or more (2003 RUC
Code is 1).

18

Table 7. Percent of Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS
Departments by the 2003 RUC Code within Region
2003 RUC Code
MIDWEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
NORTHEAST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
SOUTH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
WEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

Census-NFIRS
Departments
Percent

Census-nonNFIRS
Departments
Percent

1,340
880
943
663
280
1,110
808
288
628
6,940

19.3
12.7
13.6
9.6
4.0
16.0
11.6
4.1
9.0
100.0

108
129
138
64
52
217
187
90
211
1,196

9.0
10.8
11.5
5.4
4.3
18.1
15.6
7.5
17.6
100.0

1,505
986
303
398
99
299
134
28
16
3,768

39.9
26.2
8.0
10.6
2.6
7.9
3.6
0.7
0.4
100.0

546
321
113
318
29
193
83
33
9
1,645

33.2
19.5
6.9
19.3
1.8
11.7
5.0
2.0
0.5
100.0

1,219
1,119
904
620
193
1,256
647
298
298
6,554

18.6
17.1
13.8
9.5
2.9
19.2
9.9
4.5
4.5
100.0

355
353
307
200
63
572
229
156
177
2,412

14.7
14.6
12.7
8.3
2.6
23.7
9.5
6.5
7.3
100.0

411
343
304
213
137
215
324
93
128
2,168

19.0
15.8
14.0
9.8
6.3
9.9
14.9
4.3
5.9
100.0

194
147
131
111
64
115
161
37
64
1,024

18.9
14.4
12.8
10.8
6.3
11.2
15.7
3.6
6.3
100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

19

NFIRS Fire Departments Not Registered with the Census
This part of the analysis focuses on the departments that reported fires to NFIRS during the years
2004 through 2006, but were not registered with USFA’s National Fire Department Census. As
previously stated, there were 3,960 fire departments that reported fires to NFIRS, but did not
register with the census (NFIRS-nonCensus).
Methodology
NFIRS-nonCensus departments located in U.S. Territories or that had a State code of ‘NA’
(Native America) were excluded from the analyses. There were 14 departments excluded due to
these criteria leaving 3,946 departments remaining. Before analyzing the NFIRS-nonCensus
departments, FIPS State codes, FIPS County codes and the 2003 RUC Codes were assigned to
each department where address and zip code data were available from the NFIRS fire department
header file. There were 885 departments with missing address information. These departments
were not assigned a 2003 RUC Code.
Fire departments were also assigned a department type based on NFIRS fire department
personnel data. Of the 3,946 NFIRS-nonCensus departments being analyzed, only 1,993 were
assigned a department type. There were 1,953 fire departments where the data fields for the
numbers of career, volunteer, and paid per call firefighters all had values of zero. These
departments could not be assigned a department type and are, therefore, excluded from any
analyses involving department type.
NFIRS Fire Departments Not Registered with the Census by 2003 RUC Code
Table 8 shows the frequency count and percentage of NFIRS-nonCensus departments by the
2003 RUC Code. Approximately 42 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in
metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3). Approximately 17 percent of NFIRS reporting
departments not registered with the census are located in counties in metro areas with a
population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1), and another 18 percent are located in
nonmetro counties that are adjacent to a metro area with urban populations between 2,500 and
19,999 people (2003 RUC Code is 6).
The lowest percentages of NFIRS reporting departments, not registered with the census, are
found in nonmetro counties not adjacent to a metro area with urban populations of 20,000 or
more (2003 RUC Code is 5) and in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with completely
rural populations (2003 RUC Code is 8).

20

Table 8. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by the 2003 RUC Code
2003 RUC Code
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

NFIRS-nonCensus
Departments

Percent

535
379
367
297
119
547
392
153
272

17.5
12.4
12.0
9.7
3.9
17.9
12.8
5.0
8.9

3,061

100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Notes: There were 885 NFIRS departments that were not assigned a 2003 RUC
Code. Total percent may not add to 100 due to rounding.

NFIRS Fire Departments Not Registered with the Census by 2003 RUC Code,
Region, and Department Type
Table 9 displays the numbers and percentages of NFIRS departments not registered with the
census by the 2003 RUC Code and region. Table I-6 in Appendix I provides the numbers of
NFIRS-nonCensus departments by the 2003 RUC Code and department type. Table I-7 in
Appendix I provides the numbers of NFIRS-nonCensus departments by the 2003 RUC Code and
department type for each region of the country. Table II-9 through Table II-12 in Appendix II
show the numbers of NFIRS-nonCensus departments by State within the 2003 RUC Code
category for each region.
Midwest

Ninety-eight percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments in the Midwest are volunteer or
mostly volunteer departments. Of these, 94 percent are classified as 100 percent volunteer.
In the Midwest, it is shown that 35 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are
concentrated in counties with urban populations of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Codes are 6 and
7). Twenty-three percent of the departments in these two RUC Code categories are located in
Kansas.
An additional 30 percent of departments in the Midwest are located in metro counties (2003
RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3). Approximately 22 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments in
metro counties are located in Indiana, with an additional 14 percent located in Ohio.

21

The lowest percentages of NFIRS-nonCensus departments in the Midwest are located in
nonmetro counties not adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 20,000 or more
(2003 RUC Code is 5) and in completely rural counties adjacent to a metro area (2003 RUC
Code is 8).
Northeast

In the Northeast, 96 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are classified as volunteer or
mostly volunteer departments. Ninety-one percent of these departments are comprised of all
volunteer firefighters.
Seventy percent of NFIRS fire departments not registered with the census in the Northeast are
located in metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3) with approximately 37 percent of
these departments located in counties with a population of 1,000,000 or more (2003 RUC Code
is 1). Forty percent of the departments in the category where the 2003 RUC Code is 1 are located
in NJ with an additional 37 percent found in Pennsylvania. Overall, for the metro counties (2003
RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3), 36 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in
Pennsylvania, 28 percent are located in New Jersey, and another 24 percent are located in New
York.
In the Northeast region, the lowest percentages of NFIRS-nonCensus departments are found to
be in counties that are considered to be completely rural (2003 RUC Codes are 8 and 9) and in
counties not adjacent to a metro area with urban populations of 20,000 or more (2003 RUC Code
is 5). There are only nine NFIRS-nonCensus departments in the completely rural counties (2003
RUC Codes are 8 and 9), five of which are located in Vermont.
South

In the Southern region, 92 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are classified as
volunteer or mostly volunteer departments. Eighty-seven percent of these departments are
comprised of all volunteer firefighters.
The NFIRS-nonCensus departments in the South follow a similar pattern as those in the
Northeast with the highest concentration of departments located in metro counties (2003 RUC
Codes are 1, 2, and 3) and the lowest found in completely rural counties (2003 RUC Codes are 8
and 9). Forty-four percent of Southern departments are located in metro counties whereas 11
percent are found in the rural counties. Of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments in metro counties
(2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3) in the South, approximately 17 percent are located in
Maryland, 15 percent are located in Texas, and another 12 percent are located in Virginia. In
completely rural counties or where the urban population is less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Codes are
8 and 9), approximately 14 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in
Mississippi, 13 percent are located in Arkansas, and about 12 percent each are located in
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.

22

In the South, an additional 32 percent of NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in nonmetro
counties with urban populations of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Codes are 6 and 7), with about
21 percent of departments located in counties adjacent to metro area (2003 RUC Code is 6).
Approximately 56 percent of the departments in these two RUC Code categories are located in 5
of the 17 Southern States: Mississippi (13 percent), Arkansas (12 percent), Texas (12 percent),
Kentucky (11 percent), and Tennessee (9 percent).
West

Ninety-seven percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments in the West are classified as
volunteer or mostly volunteer departments. Of these departments, 91 percent are solely
volunteer.
In the West, 35 percent of NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in nonmetro counties with
an urban population of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Codes are 6 and 7). Of these departments, 17
percent are located in Idaho, 16 percent in Montana, and an additional 12 percent in New
Mexico.
Twenty-nine percent of NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in metro counties (2003
RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3) in the West. In each of these three RUC Code categories, California
has the highest percentage of NFIRS-nonCensus departments.
Fifteen percent of departments are located in nonmetro counties with urban populations of
20,000 or more (2003 RUC Codes are 4 and 5). Twenty-four percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus
departments in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 20,000 or
more (2003 RUC Code is 4) are located in Washington. An additional 45 percent of departments
in this 2003 RUC Code category are found in Idaho (15 percent), New Mexico (15 percent), and
Oregon (15 percent). In counties not adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 20,000
or more (2003 RUC Code is 5), 45 percent of the NFIRS-nonCensus departments are located in
Montana and another 26 percent are found in Oregon.

23

Table 9. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by the 2003 RUC Code and Region
2003 RUC
Code

Midwest

Northeast

South

West

Total

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

91
84
101
79
42
164
154
47
149

10.0
9.2
11.1
8.7
4.6
18.0
16.9
5.2
16.4

175
110
48
61
6
48
18
3
6

36.8
23.2
10.1
12.8
1.3
10.1
3.8
0.6
1.3

241
147
161
124
40
269
138
73
65

19.2
11.7
12.8
9.9
3.2
21.4
11.0
5.8
5.2

28
38
57
33
31
66
82
30
52

6.7
9.1
13.7
7.9
7.4
15.8
19.7
7.2
12.5

535
379
367
297
119
547
392
153
272

17.5
12.4
12.0
9.7
3.9
17.9
12.8
5.0
8.9

Total

911

100.0

475

100.0

1,258

100.0

417

100.0

3,061

100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Notes: There were 885 NFIRS departments that were not assigned a 2003 RUC Code. Total percents may not add to
100 due to rounding.

Maps
Figure 1 illustrates fire departments in the United States reporting fires to NFIRS (red icons)
from 2004 to 2006 versus nonreporting departments (blue icons). Pennsylvania, by far, shows the
largest incidence of NFIRS nonreporting departments in the country. As previously noted,
Pennsylvania recently began reporting incidents to NFIRS, and now approximately 41 percent of
Pennsylvania’s departments report fires to NFIRS. Figure 1 also shows a large number of
nonreporting departments in Alabama.
Figures 2 through 5 show NFIRS reporting departments (NFIRS-nonCensus and Census-NFIRS)
versus nonreporting departments (Census-nonNFIRS) for the Midwest, Northeast, South, and
West regions of the country respectively.
From Figure 2, it can be observed that fire departments across the Midwestern States are
showing strong participation in reporting fires to NFIRS. Fire departments from within each
State in the Midwest, as well as in all geographic areas of each State, are shown to be reporting
to NFIRS.
Figure 3 reemphasizes that Pennsylvania and New York have many nonreporting departments.
Rhode Island is also showing a large number of departments that did not report fires to NFIRS.
This may be due to the fact that the State of Rhode Island did not submit fire incident reports to
NFIRS in 2005, but they are now currently reporting.
In the South region (Figure 4), Alabama has the largest number of nonreporting NFIRS
departments. There is also a high incidence of nonreporting in Oklahoma and Georgia. In some
regional areas of Texas, there appear to be large numbers of departments not reporting to NFIRS.

24

Figure 5 shows that of the States in the West, California and Arizona have large numbers of
departments that do not report to NFIRS as compared to the numbers of reporting departments in
those States. It should also be noted that Arizona recently started reporting to NFIRS in 2001.

25

Figure 1. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006)

26

Figure 2. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006):
Midwest Region

27

Figure 3. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006):
Northeast Region

28

Figure 4. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006):
South Region

29

Figure 5. NFIRS Departments Reporting Fires (2004-2006):
West Region

30

Conclusion
Although NFPA estimates that there are approximately 30,400 fire departments in the U.S., there
were a total of 22,491 fire departments reporting fires to NFIRS (Census-NFIRS and NFIRSnonCensus) during the years 2004 through 2006 that were analyzed as part of this study. An
additional 885 NFIRS-nonCensus departments did not have sufficient address information to be
included in the RUC Code analyses. From this, it can be estimated that there are approximately
7,000 additional departments that do not report fires to NFIRS. Through the use of the National
Fire Department Census database, it is known that there are an existing 6,277 fire departments
that did not report fires to NFIRS. If the NFIRS departments are analyzed together with the
Census-nonNFIRS departments, the characteristics of nearly all known fire departments in the
U.S. can be observed.
Reporting Rates
In conclusion, it is necessary to look at the percent of all departments reporting fires to NFIRS
for the years 2004 to 2006 based on the NFIRS-nonCensus, the Census-NFIRS, and the CensusnonNFIRS departments collectively. Table 10 shows the overall percent of departments reporting
fires to NFIRS for each 2003 RUC Code category. Overall, the percentages of fire departments
reporting to NFIRS range from 73 percent in counties adjacent to a metro area that are
completely rural or have an urban population less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Code is 8) to 81 percent
in counties in metro areas with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1).
In the metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3), the percentages of departments
reporting are approximately 80 to 81 percent. In nonmetro counties, the reporting rates range
from 73 to 80 percent.
On average across the country, approximately 78 percent of the identified fire departments report
fires to NFIRS. Because of the high reporting rates nationwide, USFA believes that NFIRS is
representative of fire departments across the country. In fire data analyses at the national level,
USFA uses at least three years of data to account for fluctuations in fire department participation
each year.

31

Table 10. Overall Percent of Fire Departments Reporting Fires to NFIRS by the 2003 RUC Code (2004-2006)
2003 RUC
Code

NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Census-NFIRS
Departments

Total NFIRS
Departments

CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Total
Departments

Percent of
Departments
Reporting Fires

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

535
379
367
297
119
547
392
153
272

4,475
3,328
2,454
1,894
709
2,880
1,913
707
1,070

5,010
3,707
2,821
2,191
828
3,427
2,305
860
1,342

1,203
950
689
693
208
1,097
660
316
461

6,213
4,657
3,510
2,884
1,036
4,524
2,965
1,176
1,803

80.6
79.6
80.4
76.0
79.9
75.8
77.7
73.1
74.4

3,061

19,430

22,491

6,277

28,768

78.2

Total

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 885 NFIRS departments that were not assigned a 2003 RUC Code.

Table 11 illustrates fire department reporting rates for each 2003 RUC Code category within
region. Regionally, the reporting rates range from approximately 72 percent in both the
Northeast and West to 87 percent in the Midwest.
Midwest

The Midwest region shows extremely high percentages of reporting, ranging from approximately
79 percent in nonmetro counties with an urban population less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Codes are
8 and 9) to 93 percent in metro areas with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is
1). From this, it can be concluded that fire departments in the Midwest region of the United
States are well represented in NFIRS.
Northeast

Percentages of departments reporting fires to NFIRS in the Northeast range from 48 percent in
completely rural counties adjacent to a metro area (2003 RUC Code is 8) to 78 percent in
counties not adjacent to a metro area with urban populations of 20,000 or more (2003 RUC Code
is 5). In addition to nonmetro counties where the 2003 RUC Code is 5, metro counties (2003
RUC Codes are 1, 2, 3) in the Northeast also show high reporting rates ranging from 76 to 77
percent. For all 2003 RUC Code categories in the Northeast where the reporting rate is less than
70 percent (2003 RUC Codes are 4, 6, 7, and 8), it can be noted from Table II-2 in Appendix II
that fire departments located in Pennsylvania and New York contribute to these lower reporting
rates.
Although the Northeast shows some of the lowest reporting rates by the 2003 RUC Code
categories, the overall reporting rate for this region is 72 percent. USFA considers this to be a
high reporting rate, yet understands that some fire departments in particular States in this region
are not reporting.
32

South

In the South, the NFIRS reporting rates range from 67 percent in nonmetro counties not adjacent
to a metro area where the population is less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Code is 9) to 80 percent in
metro counties with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1). For five out of the
nine 2003 RUC Code categories in the South, the reporting rates are in the high seventies. These
high reporting rates imply that departments reporting fires in the South are well represented in
NFIRS.
West

Although on average, the reporting rates in both the Northeast and West regions are
approximately 72 percent, the reporting rates in general in the West are higher in nonmetro
counties than those in the Northeast. In metro counties, the reporting rates in the West are
slightly lower then those in the Northeast. The percentages of departments reporting fires in the
West range from 69 percent in metro counties with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC
Code is 1) and in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with urban populations of 20,000 or
more (2003 RUC Code is 4) to 77 percent in counties adjacent to a metro area that are considered
completely rural (2003 RUC Code is 8). As previously noted, California is one State in the West
that continually has many fire departments that do not report to NFIRS.
Although the West has the least number of fire departments of all the regions of the country,
USFA considers the reporting rates in the West to be quite high. Despite California’s history in
reporting to NFIRS, departments in the West of all types and serving communities of all sizes are
well represented in NFIRS.

33

Table 11. Overall Percent of Fire Departments Reporting Fires to
NFIRS by the 2003 RUC Code within Region (2004-2006)
2003 RUC
Code
MIDWEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
NORTHEAST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
SOUTH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
WEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

CensusNFIRS
Departments

Total NFIRS
Departments

CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Total
Departments

Percent of
Departments
Reporting

91
84
101
79
42
164
154
47
149
911

1,340
880
943
663
280
1,110
808
288
628
6,940

1,431
964
1,044
742
322
1,274
962
335
777
7,851

108
129
138
64
52
217
187
90
211
1,196

1,539
1,093
1,182
806
374
1,491
1,149
425
988
9,047

93.0
88.2
88.3
92.1
86.1
85.4
83.7
78.8
78.6
86.8

175
110
48
61
6
48
18
3
6
475

1,505
986
303
398
99
299
134
28
16
3,768

1,680
1,096
351
459
105
347
152
31
22
4,243

546
321
113
318
29
193
83
33
9
1,645

2,226
1,417
464
777
134
540
235
64
31
5,888

75.5
77.3
75.6
59.1
78.4
64.3
64.7
48.4
71.0
72.1

241
147
161
124
40
269
138
73
65
1,258

1,219
1,119
904
620
193
1,256
647
298
298
6,554

1,460
1,266
1,065
744
233
1,525
785
371
363
7,812

355
353
307
200
63
572
229
156
177
2,412

1,815
1,619
1,372
944
296
2,097
1,014
527
540
10,224

80.4
78.2
77.6
78.8
78.7
72.7
77.4
70.4
67.2
76.4

28
38
57
33
31
66
82
30
52
417

411
343
304
213
137
215
324
93
128
2,168

439
381
361
246
168
281
406
123
180
2,585

194
147
131
111
64
115
161
37
64
1,024

633
528
492
357
232
396
567
160
244
3,609

69.4
72.2
73.4
68.9
72.4
71.0
71.6
76.9
73.8
71.6

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Notes: There were 885 NFIRS departments that were not assigned a 2003 RUC Code. Total percents may not add to 100
due to rounding.

34

Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code
Table 12 shows the 2003 RUC Code distributions for the NFIRS-nonCensus, Census-NFIRS,
Total NFIRS, Census-nonNFIRS, and Total Departments at the national level. The table
illustrates that the percentage distribution of the NFIRS departments is extremely similar to that
of all known departments. In fact, by including the NFIRS-nonCensus departments with the
Census-NFIRS departments, the absolute differences between the total NFIRS percentage
distribution and overall percentage distribution of the total known fire departments have
decreased from those of Table 6. The absolute differences in percentages for each 2003 RUC
Code category do not vary by more than .7 percent (less than 1 percent). This provides additional
evidence that fire departments not reporting to NFIRS are located in similarly sized communities
as those departments that do report and strongly implies that nonreporting departments do not
negatively impact the representativeness of NFIRS.
Table 12. Overall Percent of NFIRS and Total Departments by the 2003 RUC Code (2004-2006)
2003
RUC
Code

NFIRSCensusTotal NFIRS Total NFIRS
CensusTotal
Total
nonCensus
NFIRS
Departments
Percent
nonNFIRS Departments Departments
Departments Departments
Departments
Percent

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

535
379
367
297
119
547
392
153
272

4,475
3,328
2,454
1,894
709
2,880
1,913
707
1,070

5,010
3,707
2,821
2,191
828
3,427
2,305
860
1,342

22.3
16.5
12.5
9.7
3.7
15.2
10.2
3.8
6.0

1,203
950
689
693
208
1,097
660
316
461

6,213
4,657
3,510
2,884
1,036
4,524
2,965
1,176
1,803

21.6
16.2
12.2
10.0
3.6
15.7
10.3
4.1
6.3

3,061

19,430

22,491

100.0

6,277

28,768

100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 885 NFIRS departments that were not assigned a 2003 RUC Code. Total percents may not add to 100
due to rounding.

Fire Departments by 2003 RUC Code within Region
Table 13 shows the distributions of departments by the 2003 RUC Code within region for the
NFIRS-nonCensus, Census-NFIRS, Total NFIRS, Census-nonNFIRS, and Total Departments,
respectively.
Midwest

In looking at Table 13, it is observed that the absolute differences in percentages between the
Total NFIRS departments and the Total Departments in the Midwest vary by 1.2 percent or less,
implying that NFIRS nonreporting departments in this region are located in similar geographic
areas as those that report to NFIRS. Forty-four percent of all NFIRS departments in the Midwest
are located in metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3), and 42 percent of all known
35

departments in the Midwest are also found in this category. This is due to the high rate of fire
departments reporting to NFIRS in the metro counties of the Midwest. For nonmetro counties
with lower percentages of Total NFIRS departments (2003 RUC Codes are 5 and 8), it is shown
that the percentages of all known departments in those counties is also low.
Northeast

Absolute differences in percentage distributions between the Total NFIRS departments and the
Total Departments in the Northeast vary by less than 2.5 percent. Although there are certain
States in the Northeast where some fire departments are not reporting to NFIRS, USFA considers
NFIRS reporting departments in this region to be representative of all known departments in the
Northeast for each of the 2003 RUC Code categories.
In the Northeast, the largest percentages of NFIRS reporting departments are found in metro
counties where the population is 250,000 or more (2003 RUC Codes are 1 and 2). Forty percent
of NFIRS reporting departments are found in metro areas with a population of 1 million or more
(2003 RUC Code is 1), and an additional 26 percent of NFIRS departments are located in metro
counties with populations between 250,000 and 1 million (2003 RUC Code is 2). The lowest
percentages of NFIRS reporting departments in the Northeast are found in nonmetro counties
where the urban population is less than 2,500 (2003 RUC Codes are 8 and 9). This is also true of
all known departments in the Northeast.
South

In the South, the percentage distributions for both the NFIRS departments and the Total
Departments are quite similar. The absolute difference between the percentage distributions of
these two groups is 1 percent or less for each of the 2003 RUC Code categories.
The largest percentages of NFIRS reporting departments are found in metro counties (2003 RUC
Codes are 1, 2, and 3) and in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban
population of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Code is 6). Forty-nine percent of NFIRS reporting
departments are located in the metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, and 3), with an
additional 20 percent found in nonmetro counties adjacent to a metro area with an urban
population of 2,500 to 19,999 (2003 RUC Code is 6). Only 3 percent of reporting departments
are located in nonmetro counties not adjacent to a metro area with an urban population of 20,000
or more (2003 RUC Code is 5).
West

In the West, the percentage distributions for both the NFIRS departments and the CensusnonNFIRS departments are very similar. The absolute differences in percentages between the
Total NFIRS departments and the Total Departments in the West vary by 0.5 percent or less.
This implies that fire departments that report to NFIRS in the West region are located in
similarly sized communities as those departments that do not report to NFIRS.

36

Seventeen percent of NFIRS reporting departments in the West are located in metro counties
with a population of 1 million or more (2003 RUC Code is 1). Overall, 46 percent of reporting
departments are found in metro counties (2003 RUC Codes are 1, 2, 3) in the West. Five percent
of reporting departments are located in completely rural counties adjacent to a metro area (2003
RUC Code is 8). Comparable percentages for each of these 2003 RUC Code categories can be
found for the overall distribution of known fire departments.
It is important to reiterate that USFA along with other Federal agencies do not use NFIRS data to
derive State level fire estimates. NFIRS data are used to show the fire problem at the national
level. Because the findings in USFA’s NFIRS Representativeness Study show high reporting
rates at the national and regional levels, fire departments across the country, whether they be
career, volunteer, or protect communities of varying sizes, are well represented in NFIRS.
Therefore, USFA concludes that NFIRS reporting departments are representative of the universe
of all fire departments in the U.S. Additionally, there is no bias in NFIRS due to department
nonresponse at the national level.

37

Table 13. Overall Percent of NFIRS and Total Departments
by the 2003 RUC Code within Region (2004-2006)
2003 RUC Code

MIDWEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
NORTHEAST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
SOUTH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
WEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

CensusNFIRS
Departments

Total NFIRS
Departments

91
84
101
79
42
164
154
47
149
911

1,340
880
943
663
280
1,110
808
288
628
6,940

1,431
964
1,044
742
322
1,274
962
335
777
7,851

175
110
48
61
6
48
18
3
6
475

1,505
986
303
398
99
299
134
28
16
3,768

241
147
161
124
40
269
138
73
65
1,258
28
38
57
33
31
66
82
30
52
417

Total NFIRS
Percent

CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Total
Departments

Total
Departments
Percent

18.2
12.3
13.3
9.5
4.1
16.2
12.3
4.3
9.9
100.0

108
129
138
64
52
217
187
90
211
1,196

1,539
1,093
1,182
806
374
1,491
1,149
425
988
9,047

17.0
12.1
13.1
8.9
4.1
16.5
12.7
4.7
10.9
100.0

1,680
1,096
351
459
105
347
152
31
22
4,243

39.6
25.8
8.3
10.8
2.5
8.2
3.6
0.7
0.5
100.0

546
321
113
318
29
193
83
33
9
1,645

2,226
1,417
464
777
134
540
235
64
31
5,888

37.8
24.1
7.9
13.2
2.3
9.2
4.0
1.1
0.5
100.0

1,219
1,119
904
620
193
1,256
647
298
298
6,554

1,460
1,266
1,065
744
233
1,525
785
371
363
7,812

18.7
16.2
13.6
9.5
3.0
19.5
10.0
4.7
4.6
100.0

355
353
307
200
63
572
229
156
177
2,412

1,815
1,619
1,372
944
296
2,097
1,014
527
540
10,224

17.8
15.8
13.4
9.2
2.9
20.5
9.9
5.2
5.3
100.0

411
343
304
213
137
215
324
93
128
2,168

439
381
361
246
168
281
406
123
180
2,585

17.0
14.7
14.0
9.5
6.5
10.9
15.7
4.8
7.0
100.0

194
147
131
111
64
115
161
37
64
1,024

633
528
492
357
232
396
567
160
244
3,609

17.5
14.6
13.6
9.9
6.4
11.0
15.7
4.4
6.8
100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Notes: There were 885 NFIRS departments that were not assigned a 2003 RUC Code. Total percents may not add to 100 due to
rounding.

38

Recommendations
Based on this NFIRS Representativeness Study, it is recommended that USFA work with NFIRS
Program Managers in States with lower rates of fire incident reporting to encourage fire
department participation in NFIRS. States of particular concern are located in the Northeast and
West regions of the country where the average rates of reporting are approximately 72 percent
for each of these regions. In the Northeast, large percentages of fire departments located in
Pennsylvania and New York are consistently not reporting fire incidents to NFIRS. In the West,
fire departments in California have a high incidence of nonreporting.
USFA can provide individual NFIRS State Program Managers with a list of departments
identified as not reporting to NFIRS. USFA proposes that NFIRS State Program Managers
collaborate with nonreporting fire departments to encourage participation by emphasizing the
importance of fire data analysis and how fire departments can use their data to show the need for
funding and additional resources. Additionally, the U.S. Congress has authorized and funded
(beginning FY2009) USFA to develop a simplified NFIRS web-based reporting interface. This
will make reporting and accessing the NFIRS data much easier for all fire departments.
All States with higher incidence of nonreporting departments in nonmetro counties with a
population of 20,000 or less will be encouraged to develop programs to increase participation.
State Program Managers will also be encouraged to continue to work with departments currently
reporting to enhance data quality through training programs. USFA also offers several NFIRS
training courses for fire departments which include the NFIRS Program Management course,
NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study, and the Introduction to NFIRS 5.0. The NFIRS Program Management
course enables participants to promote, support, and manage NFIRS data collection successfully.
The NFIRS 5.0 Self-Study (online) course provides an overview of the data collection system, its
modules and data conversion issues. The Introduction to NFIRS 5.0 course emphasizes how to
use standardized forms to achieve uniformity in incident and activity reporting. This training
program is designed specifically to support local fire service organizations, and assists them in
providing data both to management and decision makers, as well as to the State uniform fire
reporting system. Additionally, USFA’s NFIRS Support Center offers a consolidated national
help desk to provide technical support regarding all aspects of NFIRS.

39

Appendix I
Table I-1. The Number of Census-NFIRS and Census-nonNFIRS Departments:
2003 RUC Code by Department Type
2003 RUC
Code

Volunteer

Mostly
Volunteer

2,239
2,001
1,706
1,383
491
2,354
1,537
650
1,019

1,026
808
419
301
117
371
284
49
46

Total
13,380
CENSUS-NONNFIRS
1
758
2
686
3
543
4
571
5
169
6
980
7
589
8
291
9
440

CENSUS-NFIRS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Total

5,027

Mostly Career

Career

Total

445
212
95
92
28
79
48
1
0

748
300
228
112
70
57
35
4
2

4,458
3,321
2,448
1,888
706
2,861
1,904
704
1,067

3,421

1,000

1,556

19,357

184
134
67
75
10
76
38
13
16

47
27
10
13
2
11
6
0
0

198
93
64
32
25
20
17
3
4

1,187
940
684
691
206
1,087
650
307
460

613

116

456

6,212

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 73 Census-NFIRS departments where the numbers of firefighters were not reported.

40

Table I-2. Census-NFIRS Departments by the 2003 RUC Code and Region
2003 RUC
Code

Midwest
Count

Northeast

Percent

Count

South

Percent

Count

West

Percent

Count

Total

Percent

Count

Percent

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

1,340
880
943
663
280
1,110
808
288
628

6.9
4.5
4.9
3.4
1.4
5.7
4.2
1.5
3.2

1,505
986
303
398
99
299
134
28
16

7.7
5.1
1.6
2.0
0.5
1.5
0.7
0.1
0.1

1,219
1,119
904
620
193
1,256
647
298
298

6.3
5.8
4.7
3.2
1.0
6.5
3.3
1.5
1.5

411
343
304
213
137
215
324
93
128

2.1
1.8
1.6
1.1
0.7
1.1
1.7
0.5
0.7

4,475
3,328
2,454
1,894
709
2,880
1,913
707
1,070

23.0
17.1
12.6
9.7
3.6
14.8
9.8
3.6
5.5

Total

6,940

35.7

3,768

19.4

6,554

33.7

2,168

11.2

19,430

100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: Total percent may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table I-3. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by the 2003 RUC Code and Region
2003 RUC
Code
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

Midwest

Northeast

South

West

Total

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

Count

Percent

108
129
138
64
52
217
187
90
211

1.7
2.1
2.2
1.0
0.8
3.5
3.0
1.4
3.4

546
321
113
318
29
193
83
33
9

8.7
5.1
1.8
5.1
0.5
3.1
1.3
0.5
0.1

355
353
307
200
63
572
229
156
177

5.7
5.6
4.9
3.2
1.0
9.1
3.6
2.5
2.8

194
147
131
111
64
115
161
37
64

3.1
2.3
2.1
1.8
1.0
1.8
2.6
0.6
1.0

1,203
950
689
693
208
1,097
660
316
461

19.2
15.1
11.0
11.0
3.3
17.5
10.5
5.0
7.3

1,196

19.1

1,645

26.2

2,412

38.4

1,024

16.3

6,277

100.0

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: Total percent may not add to 100 due to rounding.

41

Table I-4. The Number of Census-NFIRS Departments by Region: 2003 RUC Code by Department Type
2003 RUC
Code
MIDWEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
NORTHEAST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
SOUTH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
WEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

Volunteer

Mostly
Volunteer

Mostly Career

Career

Total

538
588
733
526
201
969
685
282
618
5,140

391
197
110
73
37
94
89
6
10
1,007

143
35
22
20
9
22
13
0
0
264

267
60
76
44
31
18
15
0
0
511

1,339
880
941
663
278
1,103
802
288
628
6,922

1,075
730
235
337
85
276
113
20
15
2,886

214
163
34
38
10
18
17
7
1
502

75
35
16
9
1
1
4
0
0
141

134
56
17
12
2
1
0
0
0
222

1,498
984
302
396
98
296
134
27
16
3,751

581
585
634
421
140
975
510
268
276
4,390

288
304
141
105
18
193
98
25
20
1,192

127
93
29
48
10
46
24
0
0
377

215
135
97
42
25
33
13
3
0
563

1,211
1,117
901
616
193
1,247
645
296
296
6,522

45
98
104
99
65
134
229
80
110
964

133
144
134
85
52
66
80
11
15
720

100
49
28
15
8
10
7
1
0
218

132
49
38
14
12
5
7
1
2
260

410
340
304
213
137
215
323
93
127
2,162

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 73 Census-NFIRS departments where the numbers of firefighters were not reported.

42

Table I-5. The Number of Census-nonNFIRS Departments by Region: 2003 RUC Code by Department Type
2003 RUC
Code
MIDWEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
NORTHEAST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
SOUTH
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total
WEST
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

Volunteer

Mostly
Volunteer

Mostly Career

Career

Total

57
100
112
58
43
202
167
84
197
1,020

20
11
8
5
0
6
12
2
11
75

3
1
1
0
1
2
1
0
0
9

25
16
16
1
7
4
4
0
2
75

105
128
137
64
51
214
184
86
210
1,179

425
268
102
298
25
188
78
31
9
1,424

55
29
5
8
3
3
2
2
0
107

10
4
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
15

49
18
5
10
1
1
2
0
0
86

539
319
113
316
29
192
82
33
9
1,632

217
255
246
146
50
504
211
143
173
1,945

61
54
30
33
2
48
9
7
4
248

13
11
2
6
0
6
2
0
0
40

59
28
27
15
11
9
2
1
0
152

350
348
305
200
63
567
224
151
177
2,385

59
63
83
69
51
86
133
33
61
638

48
40
24
29
5
19
15
2
1
183

21
11
6
7
1
3
3
0
0
52

65
31
16
6
6
6
9
2
2
143

193
145
129
111
63
114
160
37
64
1,016

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 65 Census-nonNFIRS departments where the numbers of firefighters were not reported.

43

Table I-6. The Number of NFIRS-nonCensus Departments: 2003 RUC Code by Department Type
2003 RUC
Code
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Total

Volunteer

Mostly
Volunteer

Mostly Career

Career

Total

265
193
193
160
73
302
245
75
200

34
38
21
14
5
25
24
3
11

8
9
1
4
2
3
0
0
0

19
9
10
11
0
8
5
0
1

326
249
225
189
80
338
274
78
212

1,706

175

27

63

1,971

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 1,953 NFIRS-nonCensus departments where the numbers of firefighters were not reported.
There were an additional 22 departments with no address information so a 2003 RUC Code was not
assigned.

44

Table I-7. The Number of NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by Region: 2003 RUC Code by Department Type
2003 RUC
Volunteer
Mostly
Mostly Career
Career
Total
Code
Volunteer
MIDWEST
1
64
8
0
3
75
2
51
4
0
3
58
3
71
3
0
1
75
4
58
2
0
1
61
5
29
3
2
0
34
6
112
5
1
1
119
7
97
11
0
1
109
8
22
0
0
0
22
9
121
5
0
0
126
Total
625
41
3
10
679
NORTHEAST
1
116
9
2
8
135
2
51
6
0
2
59
3
28
5
0
0
33
4
28
1
0
0
29
5
4
0
0
0
4
6
23
2
0
0
25
7
11
1
0
0
12
8
0
1
0
0
1
9
6
0
0
0
6
Total
267
25
2
10
304
SOUTH
1
80
17
4
7
108
2
78
26
8
4
116
3
72
9
1
9
91
4
53
11
4
10
78
5
26
2
0
0
28
6
135
12
2
6
155
7
93
7
0
3
103
8
41
2
0
0
43
9
44
4
0
0
48
Total
622
90
19
39
770
WEST
1
5
0
2
1
8
2
13
2
1
0
16
3
22
4
0
0
26
4
21
0
0
0
21
5
14
0
0
0
14
6
32
6
0
1
39
7
44
5
0
1
50
8
12
0
0
0
12
9
29
2
0
1
32
Total
192
19
3
4
218
Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data.
Note: There were 1,953 NFIRS-nonCensus departments where the numbers of firefighters were not reported.
There were an additional 22 departments with no address information so a 2003 RUC Code was not assigned.

45

Appendix II
Table II-1. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Midwest Region
State
2003 RUC Code: 1
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
OH
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
OH
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
OH
WI
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

353
169
40
143
126
149
298
62
1,340

26.34
12.61
2.99
10.67
9.40
11.12
22.24
4.63
100.00

57
90
70
36
150
73
34
43
251
76
880

6.48
10.23
7.95
4.09
17.05
8.3
3.86
4.89
28.52
8.64
100.00

79
111
148
50
139
67
54
34
10
106
46
99
943

8.38
11.77
15.69
5.30
14.74
7.10
5.73
3.61
1.06
11.24
4.88
10.50
100.00

21
92
77
25
62
38
23
5
244
76
663

3.17
13.88
11.61
3.77
9.35
5.73
3.47
0.75
36.80
11.46
100.00

46

State
2003 RUC Code: 5
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
SD
Total
2003 RUC CODE: 6
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

23
55
10
30
65
29
24
7
27
10
280

8.21
19.64
3.57
10.71
23.21
10.36
8.57
2.50
9.64
3.57
100.00

125
155
157
54
73
105
103
29
31
152
15
111
1,110

11.26
13.96
14.14
4.86
6.58
9.46
9.28
2.61
2.79
13.69
1.35
10.00
100.00

88
87
29
86
128
131
70
21
53
47
45
23
808

10.89
10.77
3.59
10.64
15.84
16.21
8.66
2.60
6.56
5.82
5.57
2.85
100.00

38
7
19
12
11
47
36
34
8
6
22
48
288

13.19
2.43
6.60
4.17
3.82
16.32
12.50
11.81
2.78
2.08
7.64
16.67
100.00

47

State
2003 RUC Code: 9
IA
IL
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments
37
18
86
59
63
77
94
81
4
92
17
628

Percent

5.89
2.87
13.69
9.39
10.03
12.26
14.97
12.90
0.64
14.65
2.71
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table II-2. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Northeast Region
State
2003 RUC Code: 1
CT
MA
NH
NJ
NY
PA
RI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
CT
MA
ME
NH
NJ
NY
PA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
MA
ME
NJ
NY
PA
VT
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

67
168
43
498
381
335
13
1,505

4.45
11.16
2.86
33.09
25.32
22.26
0.86
100.00

99
126
47
22
72
356
264
986

10.04
12.78
4.77
2.23
7.30
36.11
26.77
100.00

43
35
39
86
69
31
303

14.19
11.55
12.87
28.38
22.77
10.23
100.00

48

State
2003 RUC Code: 4
CT
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
NH
NY
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
ME
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
MA
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 9
PA
VT
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

50
19
46
183
85
15
398

12.56
4.77
11.56
45.98
21.36
3.77
100.00

20
56
23
99

20.20
56.57
23.23
100.00

65
142
52
40
299

21.74
47.49
17.39
13.38
100.00

7
43
16
16
13
39
134

5.22
32.09
11.94
11.94
9.70
29.10
100.00

12
9
1
1
5
28

42.86
32.14
3.57
3.57
17.86
100.00

2
14
16

12.50
87.50
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

49

Table II-3. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
South Region
State
2003 RUC Code: 1
AL
AR
DC
DE
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

82
9
1
18
113
54
96
29
130
25
42
55
6
95
374
85
5
1,219

6.73
0.74
0.08
1.48
9.27
4.43
7.88
2.38
10.66
2.05
3.45
4.51
0.49
7.79
30.68
6.97
0.41
100.00

38
122
119
28
52
54
41
250
72
128
54
78
19
64
1,119

3.40
10.90
10.63
2.50
4.65
4.83
3.66
22.34
6.43
11.44
4.83
6.97
1.70
5.72
100.00

50

State
2003 RUC Code: 3
AL
AR
DE
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
AL
AR
DE
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
AR
KY
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
WV
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

52
42
15
33
43
59
44
47
47
78
14
35
72
118
109
96
904

5.75
4.65
1.66
3.65
4.76
6.53
4.87
5.20
5.20
8.63
1.55
3.87
7.96
13.05
12.06
10.62
100.00

33
24
23
39
9
22
42
10
12
157
27
48
58
75
19
22
620

5.32
3.87
3.71
6.29
1.45
3.55
6.77
1.61
1.94
25.32
4.35
7.74
9.35
12.10
3.06
3.55
100.00

20
16
42
18
33
7
4
27
26
193

10.36
8.29
21.76
9.33
17.10
3.63
2.07
13.99
13.47
100.00

51

State
2003 RUC Code: 6
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
AL
AR
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

96
96
54
58
77
58
33
47
96
93
50
161
190
76
71
1,256

7.64
7.64
4.30
4.62
6.13
4.62
2.63
3.74
7.64
7.40
3.98
12.82
15.13
6.05
5.65
100.00

12
114
21
131
8
98
17
55
1
48
41
41
60
647

1.85
17.62
3.25
20.25
1.24
15.15
2.63
8.50
0.15
7.42
6.34
6.34
9.27
100.00

38
15
7
15
36
2
24
36
1
2
48
20
34
20
298

12.75
5.03
2.35
5.03
12.08
0.67
8.05
12.08
0.34
0.67
16.11
6.71
11.41
6.71
100.00

52

State
2003 RUC Code: 9
AL
AR
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments
14
41
10
71
9
27
32
26
13
16
22
17
298

Percent

4.70
13.76
3.36
23.83
3.02
9.06
10.74
8.72
4.36
5.37
7.38
5.70
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table II-4. Census-NFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
West Region
State
2003 RUC Code: 1
AZ
CA
CO
NV
OR
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
AK
AZ
CA
CO
HI
ID
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

24
201
46
6
37
97
411

5.84
48.91
11.19
1.46
9.00
23.60
100.00

15
10
114
48
1
24
14
7
41
55
14
343

4.37
2.92
33.24
13.99
0.29
7.00
4.08
2.04
11.95
16.03
4.08
100.00

53

State
2003 RUC Code: 3
AK
AZ
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
AZ
CA
CO
ID
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
AK
CA
CO
HI
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
AZ
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

8
18
54
25
21
25
11
1
24
18
88
11
304

2.63
5.92
17.76
8.22
6.91
8.22
3.62
0.33
7.89
5.92
28.95
3.62
100.00

31
37
2
7
10
2
51
16
56
1
213

14.55
17.37
0.94
3.29
4.69
0.94
23.94
7.51
26.29
0.47
100.00

1
10
12
3
5
38
17
5
33
5
8
137

0.73
7.30
8.76
2.19
3.65
27.74
12.41
3.65
24.09
3.65
5.84
100.00

5
24
16
41
11
22
8
26
9
51
2
215

2.33
11.16
7.44
19.07
5.12
10.23
3.72
12.09
4.19
23.72
0.93
100.00

54

State
2003 RUC Code: 7
AK
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
AK
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
UT
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 9
AK
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total

Number of CensusNFIRS Departments

Percent

37
23
42
25
48
36
6
30
23
7
47
324

11.42
7.10
12.96
7.72
14.81
11.11
1.85
9.26
7.10
2.16
14.51
100.00

17
12
7
9
23
4
4
3
14
93

18.28
12.90
7.53
9.68
24.73
4.30
4.30
3.23
15.05
100.00

29
21
4
17
8
3
16
13
7
10
128

22.66
16.41
3.13
13.28
6.25
2.34
12.50
10.16
5.47
7.81
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

55

Table II-5. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Midwest Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
OH
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
OH
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
OH
WI
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

27
17
4
11
1
20
5
23
108

25.00
15.74
3.70
10.19
0.93
18.52
4.63
21.30
100.00

35
14
9
1
12
2
9
13
6
28
129

27.13
10.85
6.98
0.78
9.30
1.55
6.98
10.08
4.65
21.71
100.00

27
12
12
3
7
1
9
5
2
4
13
43
138

19.57
8.70
8.70
2.17
5.07
0.72
6.52
3.62
1.45
2.90
9.42
31.16
100.00

8
11
7
3
3
2
1
3
1
25
64

12.50
17.19
10.94
4.69
4.69
3.13
1.56
4.69
1.56
39.06
100.00

56

State

2003 RUC Code: 5
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
Total
2003 RUC CODE: 6
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
SD
WI
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

10
4
1
2
11
2
6
5
11
52

19.23
7.69
1.92
3.85
21.15
3.85
11.54
9.62
21.15
100.00

50
11
16
6
8
4
35
13
6
2
66
217

23.04
5.07
7.37
2.76
3.69
1.84
16.13
5.99
2.76
0.92
30.41
100.00

55
10
3
7
25
1
28
8
24
11
15
187

29.41
5.35
1.60
3.74
13.37
0.53
14.97
4.28
12.83
5.88
8.02
100.00

22
2
4
2
4
1
11
10
4
3
27
90

24.44
2.22
4.44
2.22
4.44
1.11
12.22
11.11
4.44
3.33
30.00
100.00

57

State

2003 RUC Code: 9
IA
IL
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
SD
WI
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments
26
4
12
19
2
28
37
42
19
22
211

Percent

12.32
1.90
5.69
9.00
0.95
13.27
17.54
19.91
9.00
10.43
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table II-6. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Northeast Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
CT
MA
NH
NJ
NY
PA
RI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
CT
MA
ME
NH
NJ
NY
PA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
MA
ME
NJ
NY
PA
VT
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

6
1
9
60
113
297
60
546

1.10
0.18
1.65
10.99
20.70
54.40
10.99
100.00

7
4
19
4
7
70
210
321

2.18
1.25
5.92
1.25
2.18
21.81
65.42
100.00

5
17
5
25
56
5
113

4.42
15.04
4.42
22.12
49.56
4.42
100.00

58

State

2003 RUC Code: 4
CT
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
NH
NY
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
ME
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 9
PA
VT
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

6
7
13
75
216
1
318

1.89
2.20
4.09
23.58
67.92
0.31
100.00

8
20
1
29

27.59
68.97
3.45
100.00

37
55
95
6
193

19.17
28.50
49.22
3.11
100.00

25
10
6
36
6
83

30.12
12.05
7.23
43.37
7.23
100.00

7
7
6
10
3
33

21.21
21.21
18.18
30.30
9.09
100.00

8
1
9

88.89
11.11
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

59

Table II-7. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
South Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
AL
AR
DC
DE
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

57
2
2
1
28
28
16
14
11
25
23
8
10
86
44
355

16.06
0.56
0.56
0.28
7.89
7.89
4.51
3.94
3.10
7.04
6.48
2.25
2.82
24.23
12.39
100.00

42
25
22
24
6
14
3
65
53
65
4
25
4
1
353

11.90
7.08
6.23
6.80
1.70
3.97
0.85
18.41
15.01
18.41
1.13
7.08
1.13
0.28
100.00

87
10
8
37
10
21
3
1
14
3
10
3
76
20
4
307

28.34
3.26
2.61
12.05
3.26
6.84
0.98
0.33
4.56
0.98
3.26
0.98
24.76
6.51
1.30
100.00

60

State

2003 RUC Code: 4
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
Total
2003 RUC CODE: 5
AR
KY
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

43
6
8
11
2
22
1
42
22
13
2
27
1
200

21.50
3.00
4.00
5.50
1.00
11.00
0.50
21.00
11.00
6.50
1.00
13.50
0.50
100.00

2
2
5
6
24
4
2
17
1
63

3.17
3.17
7.94
9.52
38.10
6.35
3.17
26.98
1.59
100.00

81
58
18
59
20
30
2
1
42
87
45
6
111
12
572

14.16
10.14
3.15
10.31
3.50
5.24
0.35
0.17
7.34
15.21
7.87
1.05
19.41
2.10
100.00

61

State

2003 RUC Code: 7
AL
AR
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 9
AL
AR
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

24
40
19
31
4
3
9
58
4
2
32
3
229

10.48
17.47
8.30
13.54
1.75
1.31
3.93
25.33
1.75
0.87
13.97
1.31
100.00

50
15
4
17
9
1
15
5
5
4
23
7
1
156

32.05
9.62
2.56
10.90
5.77
0.64
9.62
3.21
3.21
2.56
14.74
4.49
0.64
100.00

23
16
14
10
3
1
34
47
1
20
7
1
177

12.99
9.04
7.91
5.65
1.69
0.56
19.21
26.55
0.56
11.30
3.95
0.56
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

62

Table II-8. Census-nonNFIRS Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
West Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
AZ
CA
CO
NM
NV
OR
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
AK
AZ
CA
CO
HI
ID
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
AK
AZ
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
AZ
CA
CO
ID
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

35
123
19
1
1
2
13
194

18.04
63.40
9.79
0.52
0.52
1.03
6.70
100.00

6
12
71
18
2
3
13
2
6
11
3
147

4.08
8.16
48.30
12.24
1.36
2.04
8.84
1.36
4.08
7.48
2.04
100.00

1
29
32
11
7
14
16
2
7
9
3
131

0.76
22.14
24.43
8.40
5.34
10.69
12.21
1.53
5.34
6.87
2.29
100.00

49
20
3
3
12
6
2
12
4
111

44.14
18.02
2.70
2.70
10.81
5.41
1.80
10.81
3.60
100.00

63

State

2003 RUC Code: 5
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
AZ
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
AK
AZ
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
AK
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
NV
UT
WA
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments

Percent

17
3
2
12
15
1
6
2
6
64

26.56
4.69
3.13
18.75
23.44
1.56
9.38
3.13
9.38
100.00

11
28
8
14
5
24
5
7
12
1
115

9.57
24.35
6.96
12.17
4.35
20.87
4.35
6.09
10.43
0.87
100.00

17
2
39
22
5
29
18
6
3
12
1
7
161

10.56
1.24
24.22
13.66
3.11
18.01
11.18
3.73
1.86
7.45
0.62
4.35
100.00

3
12
4
2
7
3
2
2
2
37

8.11
32.43
10.81
5.41
18.92
8.11
5.41
5.41
5.41
100.00

64

State

2003 RUC Code: 9
AK
CO
ID
MT
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total

Number of CensusnonNFIRS
Departments
7
11
1
22
11
4
3
1
4
64

Percent

10.94
17.19
1.56
34.38
17.19
6.25
4.69
1.56
6.25
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table II-9. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Midwest Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
OH
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
OH
WI
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

8
39
8
2
10
1
12
11
91

8.79
42.86
8.79
2.20
10.99
1.10
13.19
12.09
100.00

6
11
8
3
12
10
4
7
16
7
84

7.14
13.10
9.52
3.57
14.29
11.90
4.76
8.33
19.05
8.33
100.00

65

State

2003 RUC Code: 3
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
OH
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

7
12
15
14
13
5
2
3
12
5
13
101

6.93
11.88
14.85
13.86
12.87
4.95
1.98
2.97
11.88
4.95
12.87
100.00

2
9
11
5
4
4
1
32
11
79

2.53
11.39
13.92
6.33
5.06
5.06
1.27
40.51
13.92
100.00

3
8
1
10
8
1
3
8
42

7.14
19.05
2.38
23.81
19.05
2.38
7.14
19.05
100.00

11
18
27
27
6
18
12
3
23
3
16
164

6.71
10.98
16.46
16.46
3.66
10.98
7.32
1.83
14.02
1.83
9.76
100.00

66

State

2003 RUC Code: 7
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
IA
IL
IN
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total
2003 RUC Code: 9
IA
IL
KS
MI
MN
MO
ND
NE
OH
SD
WI
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

12
9
6
47
31
16
5
2
9
4
12
1
154

7.79
5.84
3.90
30.52
20.13
10.39
3.25
1.30
5.84
2.60
7.79
0.65
100.00

6
1
3
4
5
10
1
1
1
2
3
10
47

12.77
2.13
6.38
8.51
10.64
21.28
2.13
2.13
2.13
4.26
6.38
21.28
100.00

4
5
64
6
12
8
3
23
1
20
3
149

2.68
3.36
42.95
4.03
8.05
5.37
2.01
15.44
0.67
13.42
2.01
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

67

Table II-10. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
Northeast Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
CT
MA
NJ
NY
PA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
CT
MA
ME
NJ
NY
PA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
MA
ME
NJ
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
CT
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
NH
NY
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
ME
NY
PA
VT
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
MA
ME
NH
NY
PA
VT
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

5
4
70
31
65
175

2.86
2.29
40.00
17.71
37.14
100.00

10
6
1
13
39
41
110

9.09
5.45
0.91
11.82
35.45
37.27
100.00

3
6
10
11
15
3
48

6.25
12.50
20.83
22.92
31.25
6.25
100.00

16
1
2
26
15
1
61

26.23
1.64
3.28
42.62
24.59
1.64
100.00

1
2
3
6

16.67
33.33
50.00
100.00

6
21
12
9
48

12.5
43.75
25.00
18.75
100.00

1
1
2
3
4
7
18

5.56
5.56
11.11
16.67
22.22
38.89
100.00

68

State

2003 RUC Code: 8
ME
NH
NY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 9
PA
VT
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

1
1
1
3

33.33
33.33
33.33
100.00

1
5
6

16.67
83.33
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table II-11. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
South Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
AL
DE
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
TN
TX
VA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

4
4
7
6
9
5
82
2
3
6
14
53
46
241

1.66
1.66
2.90
2.49
3.73
2.07
34.02
0.83
1.24
2.49
5.81
21.99
19.09
100.00

7
34
12
5
2
9
9
32
7
2
5
9
6
8
147

4.76
23.13
8.16
3.40
1.36
6.12
6.12
21.77
4.76
1.36
3.40
6.12
4.08
5.44
100.00

69

State

2003 RUC Code: 3
AL
AR
DE
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 4
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
AR
KY
MS
NC
OK
TN
TX
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

1
10
1
10
9
14
21
9
18
13
1
1
3
20
16
14
161

0.62
6.21
0.62
6.21
5.59
8.70
13.04
5.59
11.18
8.07
0.62
0.62
1.86
12.42
9.94
8.70
100.00

3
5
11
1
2
16
7
7
28
2
3
11
17
7
4
124

2.42
4.03
8.87
0.81
1.61
12.90
5.65
5.65
22.58
1.61
2.42
8.87
13.71
5.65
3.23
100.00

8
3
13
1
6
2
7
40

20.00
7.50
32.50
2.50
15.00
5.00
17.50
100.00

70

State

2003 RUC Code: 6
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
LA
MD
MS
NC
OK
SC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
AL
AR
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
AL
AR
FL
GA
KY
MS
NC
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

9
23
26
15
15
27
6
19
14
12
11
30
39
11
12
269

3.35
8.55
9.67
5.58
5.58
10.04
2.23
7.06
5.20
4.46
4.09
11.15
14.50
4.09
4.46
100.00

1
25
5
28
4
32
3
11
6
9
1
13
138

0.72
18.12
3.62
20.29
2.90
23.19
2.17
7.97
4.35
6.52
0.72
9.42
100.00

4
2
2
8
10
12
2
11
6
10
6
73

5.48
2.74
2.74
10.96
13.70
16.44
2.74
15.07
8.22
13.70
8.22
100.00

71

State

2003 RUC Code: 9
AL
AR
GA
KY
LA
MS
NC
OK
TN
TX
VA
WV
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments
3
16
2
7
1
8
4
2
5
6
7
4
65

Percent

4.62
24.62
3.08
10.77
1.54
12.31
6.15
3.08
7.69
9.23
10.77
6.15
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

Table II-12. NFIRS-nonCensus Departments by State within Region and 2003 RUC Code:
West Region
State

2003 RUC Code: 1
AZ
CA
CO
OR
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 2
AK
CA
CO
ID
NM
OR
UT
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 3
AK
CA
CO
MT
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

2
17
2
3
4
28

7.14
60.71
7.14
10.71
14.29
100.00

2
12
3
6
1
2
10
2
38

5.26
31.58
7.89
15.79
2.63
5.26
26.32
5.26
100.00

1
13
1
9
7
6
6
8
6
57

1.75
22.81
1.75
15.79
12.28
10.53
10.53
14.04
10.53
100.00

72

State

2003 RUC Code: 4
AZ
CA
CO
ID
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 5
CA
ID
MT
NM
OR
WA
Total
2003 RUC Code: 6
AZ
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 7
AK
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
OR
UT
WA
WY
Total
2003 RUC Code: 8
AK
CA
CO
ID
MT
NM
WA
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments

Percent

1
4
1
5
5
5
1
8
3
33

3.03
12.12
3.03
15.15
15.15
15.15
3.03
24.24
9.09
100.00

2
2
14
4
8
1
31

6.45
6.45
45.16
12.90
25.81
3.23
100.00

2
10
3
10
6
8
8
6
10
3
66

3.03
15.15
4.55
15.15
9.09
12.12
12.12
9.09
15.15
4.55
100.00

10
4
4
15
17
10
3
6
2
11
82

12.20
4.88
4.88
18.29
20.73
12.20
3.66
7.32
2.44
13.41
100.00

2
1
1
2
19
2
3
30

6.67
3.33
3.33
6.67
63.33
6.67
10.00
100.00

73

State

2003 RUC Code: 9
AK
CO
ID
MT
NM
OR
UT
WY
Total

Number of NFIRSnonCensus
Departments
10
3
4
22
1
3
6
3
52

Percent

19.23
5.77
7.69
42.31
1.92
5.77
11.54
5.77
100.00

Source: USFA’s National Fire Department Census and 2004-2006 NFIRS data
Note: Total percents may not add to 100 due to rounding.

74