MEFIRSMaine Fire Incident Reporting System

Maine Department of Human Services

Introduction

The purpose of this presentation is to explain the need for reporting

Your presenters:

Topics of Discussion State Law requiring incident

reporting F.I.R.E. ACT MONEY State-wide needs for information Community informational needs Departmental information needs Fire Commission Maine Fire Training & Education State reporting forms

State Law requiring incident reporting

Filing statement of fire occurrenceThe municipal fire chief, his designee or municipal fire inspector shall file a written report with the State Fire Marshal each month on forms provided by his office, setting forth all of the facts relating to the cause, origin and circumstances of fires occurring within his jurisdiction, along with a description of the kind, value and ownership of the property damage or destruction, with such other information as he may require. Such report shall at all times be open to public inspection, except in such instances as the Attorney General may determine that it would be detrimental to a pending criminal investigation.

F.I.R.E. Act Grant Money

General Questions for all ApplicantsQuestions, page 2 of 2

9. It is also a requirement that departments receiving funding under this grant program agree to provide information to the national fire incident reporting system (NFIRS). If you receive an award, do you agree to provide information to this system?A (No) in this box was an immediate dismissal from the review process

We need to develop a set of statistics to help keep the funds available for the fire service nationwide

Statewide needs for information

The State of Maine Incident Reporting System (MEFIRS) is intended to become a common, integrated, cooperative statewide incident reporting system designed to collect data, translate various reporting systems, and make available usable agency, county and state emergency and non-emergency statistical reports

The reports produced are intended to provide a portrait of the emergency service demands in the State of Maine. A wide audience, including the fire service, EMS providers, researchers, industry, government agencies, and interested citizens will find value in the reports. Additional services intended to meet specific requests may also be made available.

Community informational needsWhat information does your community need

from the report?

•Number and type of incidents

•Costs of damage and losses

•Locations of incidents

•Do you have a problem area?

•Do you have a problem individual?

•Adequate water supply

•ISO & other insurance concerns

•Budget concerns

•Community planning

•Resource deployment and acquisition

•Location of station & sub-stations

•False alarms

Departmental information needs

Have you defined the mission of your department based on the community needs?Do you have adequate personnel resources to complete the defined mission?

Do you have adequate apparatus to complete the defined mission?Do you have adequate equipment resources to complete the defined mission?

Do your personnel have adequate training to complete the defined mission?

Fire Commission

The fire commission has been charged by the Governor to oversee the future of the fire service in Maine. The decisions that will need to be made are dependant on reliable statistics. The board of directors of the Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association have recommended to the commission that incident reporting be a part of these decisions.

Maine Fire Training & Education

Maine Fire Training & Education uses this information to meet the current and future training requirements for Maine’s fire service

State reporting formsThe State Fire Marshal’s Office no longer supplies blank paper reports. Staffing limits has made data entry impossible. Working with the Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association, the Fire Marshal now supplies electronic reporting software at no cost to fire departments in Maine

Working with the Maine Department of Human Services, the Fire Marshal has received a grant to provide training for electronic reporting at no cost to fire departments in Maine. This great opportunity will end September 30, 2001.

Why report now?

Possible future legislation that may include fines to non-complying fire departments.

Possible future legislation that may require fire departments to report if their municipality receives state or federal funding.

It’s the law!

What This Means for you.

Don’t jeopardize the future of your fire department. The law is very specific, and we as the fire service have been fortunate that no one has followed up on this requirement.

Next Steps

If you are not sure that you want to use the free sotware, invest some time in researching other software, but remember that it has to be NFIC compliant.

Take advantage of the free training program offered by the Maine Department of Human Services and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Take advantage of the free software program offered by the Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Thank you for your participation