Abstract
The development of the National Fire Incident Reporting System in the late 1970s made detailed, representative national fire statistics possible for the first time. However, calculation rules used to produce these statistics have varied among users. The authors present a detailed consensus procedure for such calculations and the supporting rationale.
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Derry, L., “A study of United States fire experience, 1976,”Fire Journal,71, pp. 50–53 (1977). This describes some of the improvements in NFPA survey methodology when they were first made.
National Fire Data Center, U.S. Fire Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce,Fire in the United States, 1st ed., Washington (1978). This is the first national publication to use a national-estimates methodology and refer to it by that term. Appendixes III to VI describe the data bases, methods, and strengths and weaknesses as they were understood then.
National Fire Data Center, U.S. Fire Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce,Fire in the United States, 2nd ed., Washington, Appendices A and B (1982). This is the most detailed description of national-estimates methods published prior to this article. The appendices were bound separately and so saw limited distribution. The characterizations of the NFPA survey and the National Center for Health Statistics death-certificate data base are dated in some respects.
Fristrom, G.,Fire deaths in the United States: Review of data sources and range of estimates. National Fire Data Data Center, National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington (1977). This is a comprehensive review of the strengths and weaknesses of sources of data on U.S. fire deaths, conducted prior to some of the upgrading in the NFPA survey and prior to improvements in the multiple coding of death certificates.
Karter, J. M., Jr., “Fire loss in the United States, 1987,” National Fire Protection Association (1988). This describes the methodology of the NFPA survey as it has been since 1980.
Tovey, H., “The development of the National Fire Data System,”Fire Journal,68 pp. 91–96 (1974). This describes the plan developed for a national fire data system, including what would become NFIRS.
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This article was co-written by Ms. Harwood in her official capacity, is in the public domain, and may be freely copied. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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Hall, J.R., Harwood, B. The national estimates approach to U.S. fire statistics. Fire Technol 25, 99–113 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01041420
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01041420